A healthier twist on a traditional reuben sandwich. Pickled beet reuben sandwich is pickled beets, sauerkraut, spicy mayo, shredded gruyere and shredded Swiss between two slices of toasty rye bread.

This is one of those recipes I know not to leave for Mike. I gobbled up or packed up and shipped off all leftover sandwiches to beet loving family members.

Long time readers of this blog know Mike (along with both children) are picky eaters. My darling husband is clearly the least pickiest of the bunch, followed by Andy, and then Jack the KING picky eater.

Mike will put up with a lot of ingredients if they are cooked or mixed in or unrecognizable. I love to add pureed vegetables to sauces or dips just to mess with him. Even though he says he haaates tomatoes, he can tolerate a little pico or a slice here and there.

But beets. Nope. Just straight no.

On the short list with beets is the humble and delicious olive. All colors and varieties of olives get a big no from Mike. Bringing up the rear of things he will not touch are pickles.

Could you imagine Mike’s look of disgust if I offered him a pickled beet reuben sandwich?

I could, and that is why I thought, why not just save myself the trouble and eat all the sandwiches myself? Take one for the team, so to speak.

I know a lot of us, myself included, are still coming down off the indulgence from Thanksgiving, so I wanted to offer you something lighter but still filling to carry us through this holiday letdown of a week.

I saved some time and energy and threw the beets in my Instant Pot instead of the oven to cook. The beets get peeled, sliced, and then pickled for like an hour or so.

Tart beets with sauerkraut, spicy mayo, and a mix of swiss and gruyere make for one heck of a healthy-ish twist on a traditional reuben sandwich.

Pickled Beet Reuben Sandwich

Yield: 4-6 Sandiwches

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Pickling Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes

Zesty pickled beets nestled between Swiss and Gruyere, spicy mayo, sauerkraut, and two slices of toasty rye bread.

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Ingredients

For the Beets:

• 5 small/medium beets
• 1 1/2 cup of water
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

For the Sandwiches:

• 8-12 slices of rye or marble rye bread
• 1 1/2 cup sauerkraut, drained
• pickled beets
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp prepared grated horseradish
• 2 cups shredded gruyere and swiss cheese mix
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Add 1 cup of water plus the trivet to your Instant Pot. Place beets on the trivet. Secure the lid and place the steam vent in the sealed position. Press the "Pressure Cook" button until the light is beneath "High Pressure." Adjust the time display to read 35-50 minutes depending on how big the beets are. Once done, quick release pressure. Let the beets sit for a minute or two until they are cool enough to handle.
2. Remove the beets and use paper towels or old dish towels to peel back the skin from the beet. Thinly slice each beet.
3. In a medium glass jar, mix together the vinegar, remaining water, salt, sugar. add beets and let sit for an hour at room temperature.
4. While the beets pickle, mix together the horseradish and mayo with a little salt and pepper.
5. Preheat the oven broiler to low. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Arrange the slices of the bread on the foil. Toast the first side under the broiler for 2-3 minutes until golden.
6. Remove the baking sheet, flip the bread, and top each half of bread with a few tsp of the spicy mayo and cheese. Place back under the broiler until the cheese melts, 2-3 minutes.
7. Add the beets and sauerkraut to one half, flip the other slice and cover the beets and sauerkraut. Let the sandwich sit for a minute before cutting in half.