Reuben Bowl

5 from 4 votes

Skip the bread and make a Reuben bowl full of tempeh corn beef, sauerkraut, grains, greens, and raw veggies, and top with a tangy vegan thousand island dressing.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Entrees

Cuisine: Irish

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 339kcal

Author: Kathy Carmichael

Ingredients

Tempeh Corn Beef

8 ounce tempeh cut into equal sized cubes
½ cup pickle juice from a jar of dill pickles
½ cup beet juice from a can of beets; if you don't have canned beet juice, blend 1 large beet with pickle juice

Other Ingredients

1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup cooked quinoa or any grain of choice
2 cups sauerkraut drained and squeezed to remove an excess fluid.
1 red onion slice into slivers
8 cups finely chopped kale
1 pint grape tomatoes halved
4 dill pickles cut into thin slices
1 bunch green onions scallions, chopped
Vegan Thousand Island Salad Dressing

Instructions

Tempeh Corn Beef

Remove tempeh from the packaging and cut it into equal-sized cubes.
Place in a small saucepan and cover with water.
Boil for 10 minutes.
Drain tempeh in a colander.
In a safe refrigerator container, whisk together pickle juice and beet juice.
Place tempeh in the base of the container with the marinade.
Place marinated tempeh in the refrigerator overnight.
When ready to cook the tempeh, pour off the excess marinade before cooking.

Air-Frying Tempeh Corn Beef

Preheat the air-fryer to 370 degrees.
Put tempeh pieces onto the air-fryer basket.
Air-fry for 7-10 minutes until browned.

Baking

Cut tempeh into equal-sized cubes.
Once the tempeh is marinated overnight, preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Place tempeh on a baking pan lined with parchment paper or a
silicone baking mat, or use my favorite Copper Chef Crisper Pan.
Bake for 30 minutes.

Sauerkraut/Onions/Rice/Quinoa

While the tempeh cooks, heat the drained sauerkraut and red onions in a skillet.
Heat on medium-low until the onions become translucent and the sauerkraut heats through.
Cook the brown rice and quinoa separately, according to the package directions.
Once cooked, combine the brown rice and quinoa by stirring together.
Usually, I meal prep by cooking grains in advance to heat up quickly whenever I want to make a bowl recipe.

Vegan Thousand Island Dressing

Combine all the vegan thousand island dressing ingredients, except for the diced pickles.
Blend until smooth.
Fold in diced pickles.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

How to make a Reuben bowl

Divide the ingredients into four separate bowls.
Place the dressing in the center of the bowl.
On one side of the bowl, add the warm grains and sauerkraut and onion mixture.
Then, add the chopped kale, pickles, and tomatoes to the opposite side of the bowl.
Add pieces of tempeh corn beef around the bowl.
Garnish with chopped green onions.

Notes

For a time-saving idea, marinate the tempeh a few days before, and even cook it in advance and reheat it when making the vegan Reuben bowl.
Always drain and squeeze the excess fluid from sauerkraut before adding to any recipe to avoid sogginess and extra fluid.
Do not add pickles to the dressing until after blending and folding them into the dressing.
Finely chop the kale for easier digestion.
Cook the grains in advance and warm them before making bowls.
Make the dressing in advance. Plan to use the Vegan Thousand Island Salad Dressing for other recipes during the week, such as salads, a sandwich spread, or a dip.
Choose spicy sauerkraut to spic up the sandwich bowl.
Instead of heating the sauerkraut and onions, choose to eat them raw and select one possible solution.

Nutrition