Here’s a classic deli sandwich turned into a bite-sized appetizer. I love serving these whenever I’m having company over or even as a fun lunch. They would be terrific to serve while watching football, too! These little gems are so delicious and simple to make. You can prep them in advance and pop them in the oven, just before serving. Each skinny, mini appetizer is only 61 calories and 2 grams of fat. Get ready for rave reviews. Everyone loves them!
Ingredients
Ingredients For The Thousand Island Dressing:
- ⅓ cup Best Skinny Ranch (3-Ingredients) or reduced-fat mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons chili sauce or ketchup
- 2 teaspoons pickle relish
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
Ingredients for Reuben:
- 1 cocktail loaf of rye bread
- 1 (16 oz.) can sauerkraut, drained
- ½ pound lean pastrami or turkey pastrami, thinly sliced and quartered (see shopping tip)
- 6 slices reduced-fat Swiss cheese, cut into fourths
- Mustard for dipping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a small bowl, mix together all the Thousand Island ingredients.
- For easy clean up, line a cookie sheet with foil. Place 24 cocktail rye on the cookie sheet in a single layer.
- Spread each piece with 1 teaspoon of Thousand Island Dressing.
- Place one piece of pastrami on top of each.
- Add about 1 tablespoon of sauerkraut on top of that.
- Add a small amount of dressing on top of the sauerkraut.
- Top each with one piece of Swiss cheese.
- Bake for about 8 minutes until cheese is melted. Place on a serving plate with a side dish of mustard, if desired, for dipping. Serve at once.
Notes
Makes 24 appetizers
Food Facts
Depending on who you talk to, the Reuben was invented in the early 1900s’ either at Reuben’s Delicatessen in New York City or by Reuben Kay at a hotel in Nebraska during a weekly poker game. Sauerkraut is made by combining shredded cabbage, salt and sometimes spices and allowing the mixture to ferment.
Healthy Benefits
Sauerkraut is an excellent source of vitamin C as well as some of the B vitamins. It does contain lots of sodium but you can greatly reduce it by rinsing under water before using.
Shopping Tips
I found very lean uncured pastrami containing “no nitrites” at Trader Joe’s. You could also use turkey pastrami. Most supermarkets sell cocktail rye bread. It’s usually found in the fresh deli section. You can also use regular rye bread. Just cut 6 pieces into quarters before you assemble each sandwich. Sargento and Alpine make reduced-fat Swiss Cheese. Most supermarket’s carry this type of cheese along with Trader Joe’s. If you can’t find it, substitute reduced-fat Jarlsberg, mozzarella, or provolone cheese.
Serving Tip
Most people will want to eat 2-3 appetizers. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
WW POINTS PLUS 1
Skinny Thousand Island Dressing
Thousand Island was extremely popular in the 1950’s. After you try this coral colored dressing you will quickly see why it has remained popular even today.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup Nancy’s Skinny Ranch Dressing or reduced-fat mayonnaise
¼ cup chili sauce
1 tablespoon sweet relish
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
½ teaspoon paprika
Instructions 1. In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients until well blended. 2. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 3. You’ll only need about half the recipe for the mini Reuben appetizers. Thousand Island dressing will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks. See serving tip for other uses. Makes 1¼ cups
Food Fact This recipe seems to have come from the Thousand Islands region in upstate New York and Canada that borders Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. The dressing contains chunky ingredients that resemble thousands of tiny islands.
Serving Tip Try this dressing on our recipe for Fiesta Salad. You can use it as a spread for sandwiches, burgers and as a dip for raw veggies or shrimp.
Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 1
Food Facts
Depending on who you talk to, the Reuben was invented in the early 1900s’ either at Reuben’s Delicatessen in New York City or by Reuben Kay at a hotel in Nebraska during a weekly poker game. Sauerkraut is made by combining shredded cabbage, salt and sometimes spices and allowing the mixture to ferment.
Healthy Benefits
Sauerkraut is an excellent source of vitamin C as well as some of the B vitamins. It does contain lots of sodium but you can greatly reduce it by rinsing under water before using.
Shopping Tips
I found very lean uncured pastrami containing “no nitrites” at Trader Joe’s. You could also use turkey pastrami. Most supermarkets sell cocktail rye bread. It’s usually found in the fresh deli section. You can also use regular rye bread. Just cut 6 pieces into quarters before you assemble each sandwich. Sargento and Alpine make reduced-fat Swiss Cheese. Most supermarket’s carry this type of cheese along with Trader Joe’s. If you can’t find it, substitute reduced-fat Jarlsberg, mozzarella, or provolone cheese.
Serving Tip
Most people will want to eat 2-3 appetizers. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
WW POINTS PLUS 1
| SKINNY FACTS: for 1 appetizer 61 calories, 2g fat, 5g protein, 5g carbs, 1g fiber, 303mg sodium, 2g sugar |
Instructions 1. In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients until well blended. 2. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 3. You’ll only need about half the recipe for the mini Reuben appetizers. Thousand Island dressing will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks. See serving tip for other uses. Makes 1¼ cups
Food Fact This recipe seems to have come from the Thousand Islands region in upstate New York and Canada that borders Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. The dressing contains chunky ingredients that resemble thousands of tiny islands.
Serving Tip Try this dressing on our recipe for Fiesta Salad. You can use it as a spread for sandwiches, burgers and as a dip for raw veggies or shrimp.
Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 1
| SKINNY FACTS: for 2 tablespoons dressing 43 cal, 2.9 g fat, 1g protein, 4g carbs, 1g fiber, 171mg sodium, 2g sugar |
| FAT FACTS: for 2 tablespoons of regular dressing 140 calories, 13g fat, 0g protein, 4g carbs, 0g fiber, 3oomg sodium, 3g sugar |
Skinny Facts
Serving: 1appetizerCalories: 61kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 5gFat: 2gSodium: 303mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gPlus Points: 1
This looks so delicious! I can’t wait to try this out! Thank you so much for sharing!
Enjoy!
My best,
Nancy
You have such great recipe ideas and beautiful photos to go along with them! I made a couple batches of these for a BBQ the other night and they were gone within minutes! I even tricked the kids into eating them as they won’t willingly eat sauerkraut. Thank you for sharing another awesome recipe!
I love it…Thanks for sharing Sam!
All the best,
Nancy
Could you make these ahead of time and freeze?
I’ve never tried freezing them so I’m not sure Courtney. But I’m thinking probably best to make them fresh and not freeze them.
All the best,
Nancy