Panini Style Reubens

It seemed like a soup & sandwich kind of day so I decided to fix reubens & tomato soup for dinner. I heated up some tomato bisque I had in the freezer, put together the reubens & dinner was ready in less than 30 minutes.

I am usually not a fan of canned meat products, but canned corned beef makes a delicious Reuben sandwich. The inside has a velvety texture that plays wonderfully against the crispy, toasted outside. The secret to this is that I combine & heat the corned beef & sauerkraut before assembling the sandwiches. Mike likes his with Thousand Island dressing, but I prefer mine without.

Landon enjoyed this meal too. He ate a little bowl of tomato soup & some pureed corned beef & sauerkraut. He's mommy's good little eater.

Panini-Style Reubens
2 tablespoons butter
8 slices rye bread
1 can corned beef (Hormel)
8 slices Swiss cheese
1 cup sauerkraut, drained
2 tablespoons Thousand Island dressing

In a small saucepan, combine corned beef & sauerkraut. Break corned beef apart with a fork as it heats. Heat through.

Heat a grill pan over medium heat while lightly buttering one side of bread slices. Spread non-buttered sides with Thousand Island dressing. Top 4 pieces with 1 slice swiss cheese, 1/4 corned beef mixture & second slice of cheese. Top with remaining bread slices, buttered side out. Grill sandwiches until both sides are golden brown, about 5-7 minutes per side, pressing down firmly with spatula. Serve hot.