Healthy Reuben Dip

Corned Beef and cabbage. GROSS right? Following a little theme here, we’re sticking with all things St. Patrick’s Day. We kicked off the month with a sweet tooth  our shamrock shake  and now we’re adding an appetizer. The Healthy Reuben Dip is a healthy-ish snack that has a spin on the classic. Growing up, we always ate (or maybe I should say were offered, because I never ate it) corned beef and cabbage as a traditional Irish, specifically St. Patrick’s Day meal. My grandparents loved it the rest of the family not too much.

To my surprise, corned beef is actually delightful. Insert the Reuben sandwich. An American take on the horrific sounding corned beef and cabbage meal. The sandwich is rye bread, slathered with thousand island dressing and layered up with corned beef, sauerkraut and swiss cheese. It’s not really an Irish meal, but we all think of it as one.

Backing up a little bit, corned beef and cabbage is (I think) a Jewish meal, it’s not even Irish. We’re all living a big lie. The St. Patrick’s Day meal is just the same way AMERICANS have learned to celebrate  with our own little take on it. But stick with me here, this Rueben dip. we’re here for it!

What’s In Reuben Dip?

Corned Beef, obviously
– The key component! I went to the deli of Hy-Vee and asked for a full pound when I was doing the recipe creation. Full disclosure, it’s expensive! Luckily, you only need about 1 lb and if you’d like, go to the cooler section of the store and grab a few individual Buddig corned beef packages – they’re less than a dollar. I use them all the time for my pickle wrap dip, but you can’t guarantee the quality of meat like a true deli counter.

Sauerkraut
– Okay, stick with me on this one. I HATED sauerkraut. Actually, I refused to try it even until I put it in this dip. Turns out, it’s like a stringy pickle. Give it a chance. Even my fiancé didn’t know there was sauerkraut in this dip and he LOVED it.

Nonfat Greek Yogurt
– I used Oiko’s nonfat plain greek yogurt. It helps to increase the protein. For this particular recipe, I wasn’t focused as much on protein, but you could easily switch out the sour cream and do ALL non-fat greek yogurt to increase protein.

Whipped Greek Cream Cheese
– I had some left over in the fridge, with a higher protein and easier to mix up, I opted for the greek whipped cream cheese. I do know this is a hard product to find (in Iowa anyway). You could easily switch out fat free or low fat regular cream cheese, but I suggest letting it soften so it is easier to combine.

Fat Free Sour Cream
– Add that creaminess to the Reuben Dip! Like I mentioned above, you can easily opt out of this and increase the greek yogurt to up the protein.

Lite Thousand Island
-What’s a Rueben without some dressing? The Kraft brand Thousand Island dressing comes in a lightened up version because traditionally, it is a higher calorie dressing. I do know Walden Farms has a Thousand Island dressing, too, but I can’t speak from experience on that addition.

Shredded Swiss Cheese
– I’m alllll about the toppings and a little swiss cheese really finishes it off!

How Do I Make The Americanized Version Of The Irish Classic?

Whether you’re late to a party and need a quick snack to share or you’re planning ahead – It really is simple to throw together this Rueben dip! Start by chopping up your deli corned beef. Add all other ingredients (except cheese) to your bowl and mix it up. I left a tiny bit of thousand island dressing out of the mix so I could add some to the top for a pretty presentation, but that’s not necessary.

Place it all nicely in a serving dish and top with swiss cheese and a drizzle of thousand island dressing…for effect. Do it for the gram, right? This can be served cold or hot. It’s been determined by the fiancé that warmed up in the microwave for 30 seconds is the perfect way to indulge.

So simple, even your boyfriend could do it. 😉

What Are The Reuben Dip Macros?

The Reuben Dip makes about 4 servings, but who really is counting. Set it out on the table and let your friends dig in. They’ll never know you’re counting macros or that it’s not full of fat!

But really, for approximately a 125 g serving of Rueben dip it is 9 grams of carbohydrates, 8.6 grams of fat and 12.1 g protein. Yes, a little higher in fat than most macro friendly dishes, but totally worth it.

How Do I Serve The Dip?

By the spoonful done. Totally kidding, but only kind of! The best part about Reuben Dip is that it’s better after it sits for a little while, but can totally be served immediately – whatever is convenient. I’m all about modify and GO.

Reuben Dip was originally created to be served cold, like pickle wrap dip – it’s giving me all the pickle wrap dip vibes. However, warmed up slightly with ooey-gooey swiss cheese on top may just be the way to go on this one.

You can serve your dip with veggies, chips, crackers or even pretzels, but what will really put it over the top and make it a true Rueben is the Gardetto’s Special Request Roasted Garlic Rye Chips. You know, the little brown chips everyone raves over? Yep – they exist all alone and are the best addition. Be prepared. You’re about to be the best guest at your next St. Patrick’s Day party.

*Note: The macros included in this recipe do not account for the chips.

How Can I Track This  Healthy Reuben Dip?

Search Haley Nicole Fit Reuben Dip in My Fitness Pal for easy logging and tracking!

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day Accordingly

Share your Reuben Dip concoctions with us on Instagram. Don’t forget to tag us @MorganEatsMacros_ and @haleynicolefit and tell us what you think. Whether you bring your dip to a party or find yourself drinking green beer alone on the couch, there’s no judgement here!

How do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Is it just another day of the year for you or do you go big with all things green?

XOXO

Coach Morgan