One morning,  I caught my friend Joy Bauer — the health/nutrition expert for NBC’s TODAY show and an RD, like me — doing her segment where she swapped ingredients to make a Reuben sandwich “more nutritious and still delicious.”

That classic sandwich features corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and dressing between grilled, buttered slices of rye. Instead, Joy used lean turkey instead of the marbled fatty corned beef and skipped buttering and grilling the bread. Simple.

That reminded me that I still had sauerkraut and Reuban dressing from a generous get-well food delivery that some friends sent from Katz’s. The giant food delivery included a Reuben package of rye bread, pastrami (in lieu of corned beef), Reuben dressing and sauerkraut.

After buying turkey and rye bread, I made Joy’s lower-fat Reuban for dinner. It’s quick, easy and yummy. What a great idea, Thanks, Joy.

This is Joy’s recipe  — with my adaptations. It takes only 5 minutes to prepare and makes one serving.

TURKEY REUBEN

Two slices whole grain rye bread
1 to 2 tablespoons Russian or Thousand Island dressing or Katz Reuben Dressing
1/2-ounce (1 thin slice) Swiss cheese
2 – 3 ounces (2 large slices) turkey
¼ cup sauerkraut, drained

Toast bread. Spread with dressing and top with cheese while still warm to melt slightly. Top one slice with turkey and sauerkraut, then cover with a second slice.