Leftover beef recipes: 17 ways to use up leftover roast beef

From curry to a casserole, from pie to stroganoff, we’ve got lots of easy and delicious leftover beef recipes.

Using up leftover beef couldn’t be simpler with our collection of inspiring leftover beef recipes. Whether you have meat leftover from Sunday lunch or a meal you’ve made, try one of our recipes below. You can easily transform leftovers into dinner or lunch.

Of course, you don’t have to use leftovers straight away. Cooked, leftover beef can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also refreeze cooked meat once as long as it’s been cooled completely before being stored in the freezer. Remember to make sure you defrost leftover beef in the fridge overnight before reheating.

We'd recommend our beef stuffed peppers (opens in new tab) as another handy way to use up leftover roast beef. Our video recipe uses minced beef but you can use strips or chunks of beef instead. Just remember you won't need to cook the meat as long as its already cooked but make sure its reheated until piping hot.

See below for more inspiring leftover beef recipes to choose from...

Leftover beef casserole

A warming beef casserole is a delicious way to use up your leftover beef. Traditionally a casserole will need a few hours for the flavours to develop but as your beef is already cooked, it can be done a lot quicker. If you make your casserole base with beef stock you won't loose out on much flavour. Warm through the beef towards the end of cooking.

Get the recipe: Mexican beef casserole (opens in new tab)

Get the recipe: Mary Berry's hot mustard spiced beef casserole (opens in new tab)

Get the recipe: Classic beef bourguignon (opens in new tab)

Leftover beef burritos

Burritos are a classic Mexican dish that uses up your leftover beef wonderfully. Shred your leftover roast beef using just a knife and mix with pinto beans to get started on your burrito. For a healthier option, leave out the tortilla wrap and opt for a salad instead.

Get the recipe: Burritos (opens in new tab)

Leftover beef hotpot

A deliciously warming winter dish that's a great way to use up leftover beef. The beef hotpot is a heart dish that's actually healthier than you think, full of vegetables and lots of lovely herbs and and sauces, such as mustard and Worcestershire sauce.

Get the recipe: Beef hotpot (opens in new tab)

Leftover beef curry

A rich, spicy sauce will bring your leftover beef plenty of flavour. Beef is often used in tomato-based curries such as vindaloo or Madras but you can combine it with a creamy korma sauce if you would like. Just warm through with your curry sauce and serve with a generous portion of rice.

Get the recipe: Beef tikka masala (opens in new tab)

Get the recipe: Beef vindaloo (opens in new tab)

Get the recipe: Thai coconut beef (opens in new tab)

Get the recipe: Massaman curry (opens in new tab)

Leftover beef pie

Beef has got to be one of the tastiest pie fillings and it's such an easy way to use up your leftovers. Grab some ready made pastry, warm your leftover beef with a little stock-based sauce, combine and

bake.

Get the recipe: Hairy Bikers' steak and ale pie (opens in new tab)

Get the recipe: Beef, Stilton and ale pie (opens in new tab)

Get the recipe: Scone-topped beef pie (opens in new tab)

Leftover beef stroganoff

A creamy sauce with a tangy mustard taste, beef stroganoff is a tasty and easy way to make a meal out of your leftover beef. You won't believe how simple the sauce is to make.

Get the recipe: Beef Stroganoff (opens in new tab)

Leftover beef sandwich

Thin strips of cooked beef makes a nice sandwich filler. You can serve it warm or hot with a variety of different flavours - mustard, red cabbage, gherkins and BBQ sauce are favourites of ours.

Get the recipe: BBQ beef brisket sandwich (opens in new tab)

Get the recipe: Beef quesadillas with tomato and avocado salsa (opens in new tab)

Leftover beef pasta

Beef and pasta? It's not as common a combination as chicken and pasta but it can work quite nicely. Minced beef is often used in pasta recipes but you can finely chop your beef to get the same consistency. You need to make sure your sauce has a strong enough flavour so the beef doesn't overpower it - a nice ragu or chilli sauce is a good option to go for.

Get the recipe: Weight Watchers chilli beef pasta (opens in new tab)

Get the recipe: Beef pasta salad with tangy herb dressing

Leftover beef burgers

Beef burgers are traditionally made with minced beef but you can cheat a little and replace the patties with a chunk of cooked beef. Serve with regular burger fillings and sides and your cooked meat is transformed into a fun meal.

Get the recipe: Burger with blue cheese butter (opens in new tab)

Get the recipe: Slimming World burger recipe (opens in new tab)

Get the recipe: Homemade burger (opens in new tab)

Leftover beef chilli

Another dish you may only think you can make with mince, chilli can be made up chunks of chopped cooked meat. Treat it the same way you would mince and warm through in the sauce. Our chunky chilli recipe pictured above shows you how it’s done.

Get the recipe: Chunky chilli (opens in new tab)

Leftover beef stir-fry

Strips of beef are perfect for tossing in a pan with a dash of oil, soy sauce, noodles or rice and heaps of stir-fry veg. Using leftover beef in this way is a speedy option as stir-fries often take only 5-10 minutes to cook.

Get the recipe: Beef and pepper stir-fry (opens in new tab)

Get the recipe: Ken Hom’s beef and orange stir-fry (opens in new tab)

Get the recipe: Ching-He Huang’s spiced beef stir-fry (opens in new tab)

Leftover beef fajitas

Mexican food is a fun and easy way to use your leftover beef. Cut into strips, cooked beef can be flavoured with spices, lightly fried and wrapped up to make fajitas or burritos. Having strips of beef in the fridge or freezer will mean this type of food can be made on the quick.

Get the recipe: Mexican steak fajitas (opens in new tab)

Leftover spanish beef

Warming Spanish flavours can give any cooked meat a fresh burst of life and beef is no exception. Paprika, chorizo and peppers will give your beef a lovely summery twist. You can also add beef to traditional Spanish dishes like paella.

Get the recipe: Spanish beef (opens in new tab)

Get the recipe: Catalan beef stew (opens in new tab)

Leftover beef noodles

Quick, easy and full of flavour, noodles are the perfect ingredient to turn your leftover beef into a brand new meal. Noodles can be cooked in as little as 3 mins (depending on the type) so all you need to do is fry up a little veg, warm up your beef with the noodles and top with a sauce.

Get the recipe: Quick chilli beef noodles (opens in new tab)

Get the recipe: Ken Hom's rice noodles with beef chilli bean sauce (opens in new tab)

Leftover beef salad

Slices of warm or cold cooked beef will give your salad a nice meaty twist. A tangy mustard dressing and some tomatoes will give the meat plenty of flavour.

Get the recipe: Roast beef, spinach and tomato salad (opens in new tab)

Get the recipe: Summer beef salad niçoise (opens in new tab)

Leftover beef kebabs

Chunks of cooked meat can be teamed with onions, tomatoes, peppers - pretty much any veg you have in - and grilled on a kebab. Marinade the meat in lots of herbs, spices and a little oil and serve with a fresh green salad. You can also make kebabs with the cold meat, just make sure the veg used can be eaten raw.

Get the recipe: Honey and rosemary beef kebabs (opens in new tab)

Get the recipe: Skewered beef with chimichurri sauce (opens in new tab)

Leftover beef wellington

Beef Wellingtons are classically made with fillet steaks but you can take the essence of the dish to use up your leftover beef. Cover your beef with a meaty or veg-based pate and wrap in pastry and bake. As the meat is already cooked, you just need to wait for the pastry to crisp.

Get the recipe: Gordon Ramsay's beef Wellington (opens in new tab)