Sauerkraut isn't just a hot dog topping, it's a tangy, crunchy source of live cultures that deserves a bigger role in your day. Pile it onto rye toast with melted Swiss and a smear of mustard, and you get something closer to a deconstructed Reuben than a health food, minus the deli meat. It sits next to our Avocado and Sauerkraut Toast and Kimchi Grilled Cheese as an easy way to work fermented foods into lunch.
Ingredients
- 4 slices rye or pumpernickel bread
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 cup unpasteurized sauerkraut, drained but not rinsed
- 4 slices Swiss cheese
- 1 tablespoon butter, softened
- Fresh dill, chopped, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler and set a rack about 6 inches from the heat.
- Toast the bread lightly, then spread each slice with Dijon mustard.
- Top each slice generously with sauerkraut, then lay a slice of Swiss cheese over the top.
- Broil for 2 to 3 minutes, watching closely, until the cheese is melted and just starting to brown.
- Let cool for a minute (the sauerkraut stays warm without cooking, keeping its live cultures intact), then finish with a butter smear on the crust edges and a scatter of fresh dill.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| Calories | 320 |
| Total fat | 16g |
| Total carbohydrates | 28g |
| Dietary fiber | 5g |
| Protein | 15g |
| Sodium | 780mg |
Why This Is Good for Your Gut
Unpasteurized sauerkraut carries live Lactobacillus plantarum and Leuconostoc mesenteroides, strains produced during fermentation that can support microbial diversity in the gut; adding it after the bread comes out from under the broiler, rather than baking it in, keeps those cultures from being killed off by high heat. We go deeper on dairy and digestion in Cheese and Your Gut: What the Research Shows.
Lunch that quietly does more work than it looks like it's doing.
This recipe is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional dietary advice.
