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Vegan Eggplant Reuben Sandwich

vegan eggplant reuben sandwich on wood cutting board
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★★★★★

5 from 5 reviews

You’ll never believe that this Vegan Reuben Sandwich is made from Eggplant! It has all the flavors of the classic stack, but this one is Oil-Free, Gluten-Free, and Vegan.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Eggplant “Corned Beef”:

  • 1 Large Eggplant
  • 2 Bay Leaves, crumbled
  • ½ tbsp Whole Mustard seeds (or 2 tsp Prepared Mustard)
  • ½ tbsp Peppercorns
  • 1 tsp Coriander
  • 1 tsp Ginger
  • ¼ tsp Cinnamon
  • ¼  tsp Cardamom
  • ¼ tsp Ground Cloves
  • 2 cup Filtered Water
  • ½ cup Distilled White Vinegar
  • 2 cloves Fresh Garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp Instant Coffee or Espresso Powder
  • ¼ cup Coconut Sugar
  • 1 tbsp Vegan Beef-Flavored Bouillon
  • 1 medium Beet, peeled and diced

For the Reuben Sandwich:

  • Eggplant “Corned Beef,” above
  • 4 slices of Rye Bread (or Gluten Free bread, if necessary)
  • Vegan Russian Dressing
  • Sauerkraut
  • Vegan Swiss Cheese, or another similar flavor (Optional)

Instructions

  1. First, peel the Eggplant and cut it into slices that are between 1/4″ and 1/8″ thick. You want your slices to be in this range; if they are too thick, the Eggplant will be soggy. If they are too thin, the Eggplant will dry out too much.
  2. Place the slices into a large glass bowl or a resealable plastic bag and set aside.
  3. Next, prepare the marinade. Add all of the dry spices to a Nonstick Pot and toast over medium-high heat, stirring continuously to prevent burning.
  4. Once the spices are fragrant (about 1 minute or so), add in the rest of the ingredients for the marinade, and whisk everything together to ensure it is all well-combined.
  5. Bring this mixture to a boil, let simmer for 1 minute, then pour it over the Eggplant while it is still hot. Stir everything around a bit to ensure the Beet pieces are evenly distributed, then seal the bag or bowl off , place the Eggplant in the fridge, and let everything marinate overnight.
  6. Once at least 8 hours have passed, preheat your oven to 400F. Remove the Eggplant from the marinade – it should be bright pink – and place all of the pieces evenly onto a greased or lined baking tray. I used 2 baking trays, to decrease the baking time needed and to give the pieces some “breathing room.” (Note: you can save the Beet pieces in the marinade, and enjoy the Pickled Beets alongside your Reuben if you wish!)
  7. Bake the Eggplant pieces for 25-35 minutes, until most of their moisture has evaporated and they appear to be slightly browned.
  8. To assemble each Reuben Sandwich, place 2 pieces of Vegan Swiss Cheese onto 1 slice of Rye Bread , then toast 2 slices of bread until the Cheese melts.  Layer the Russian Dressing, Sauerkraut, and half of the slices of cooked Eggplant onto the not-cheesy bread, then top with the cheesy slice. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

  • This recipe can easily be doubled, if you would like to make more than 2 sandwiches!
  • Coconut Sugar may be substituted with Brown Sugar

Find it online: https://frommybowl.com/vegan-eggplant-reuben/