Using Leftover Roast Beef - Recipes And Ideas For Using Pot Roast (2025)

Pot roast is a versatile food that can be used in many delicious ways! Here are some tasty tips and leftover roast beef recipes for using your leftover pot roast!

Using Leftover Roast Beef - Recipes And Ideas For Using Pot Roast (1)

Using Leftover Roast Beef

Ahhh! Can you smell it? Roast beef pot roast and potatoes cooking in the Crockpot. What a yummy smell and even yummier to eat — but then what do you do with the leftovers? Here are some ways to make it taste just as good the second, third and fourth time around.

Purchase a large beef pot roast (5-10 lbs.) on sale. Slow cook the roast and eat it as-is the first night. Then use any of these ideas to make quick meals. If you want to freeze some of the leftover pot roast, just put 1/2-1 lb. per freezer bag in the freezer after it’s been cooked.

Use leftover roast beef in:

  • Beef Stroganoff
  • Fajitas
  • Pepper Steak
  • Pocket Sandwiches
  • Stir Fry
  • Shepherd’s Pie
  • Swiss Steak
  • Beef And Bacon Pasta
  • Roast Beef Sandwiches (with lettuce and mayo)

Leftover Roast Beef Recipes To Use That Leftover Pot Roast

Here is our super easy slow cooked pot roast recipe, along with lots of great leftover roast beef recipes to use every delicious bite! This slow cooked roast is one of our most popular recipes because it’s so tender and shreds easily. It makes its own juice, which you can use on its own or use to make the pot roast gravy below!

This easy pot roast recipe is super versatile. You can serve it with rice or potatoes and the vegetable of your choice. Then use the leftover roast beef recipes below or improvise your own recipes to make several more meals from one roast!

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Slow Cooker Pot Roast Recipe

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This delicious slow cooker pot roast recipe is easy to make with 5 minutes preparation time in an oven or a crockpot. I include the oven instructions first because I prefer to make it in the oven and crockpot instructions below!

  • Author: Tawra Kellam

Ingredients

1 beef roast, 3-5 lbs.
1 onion, sliced
1 can cream of mushroom soup (omit for GF and sprinkle with seasoned salt)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 250°.
  2. Place roast in pan.
  3. Pour cream of mushroom soup and onion on top.
  4. Cover tightly. Bake at 250° for 1 hour.
  5. Then turn it down to 225° and cook for 6-8 hours (about 6 hours for a smaller roast and 8 hours for a larger roast). When done, it should be so tender that the meat easily pulls off the roast with a fork. Serves 4 when you use a 3-5 lb. roast.

Slow Cooker Instructions:

If you prefer to cook this slow cooked roast in a crockpot or slow cooker, place the ingredients in the crockpot and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 5-6 hours. For the most tender roast, it is best to cook longer on a lower temperature.

Use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature reaches 145°.

Notes

  • This slow cooked roast recipe can be cooked in the oven or a slow cooker. The secret is in the slow cooking. I prefer to cook it in the oven because I think it gives the roast a little bit better taste than the crockpot, but if you prefer a slow cooker, you will still end up with a tender and tasty roast.
  • This slow cooker pot roast recipe is an excellent way to prepare inexpensive roasts. This slow cooked roast recipe makes them so tender they fall off the bone and are almost impossible to lift out of the pan.
  • This recipe is an excellent way to make a delicious meal for Sunday after church or for guests, because it can cook for 2 or 3 hours longer than required without overcooking.
  • Since it is so tender that no meat is left on the bone, you get more pot roast for your money.

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Brown Gravy Recipe For Pot Roast

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Ingredients

Meat broth
1 cup cold water
2 Tbsp. flour or 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
salt and pepper

Instructions

Add at least one or two cups of water to the roasting pan of your roast, pork or chicken while the meat is cooking. Remove the meat when done and skim off the fat. Put the pan on a stove top burner on medium heat.

Put flour or cornstarch in a jar. Add cold water. (You could also add 1/4 cup dry milk.) Cap and shake until all the lumps are gone.

Pour the flour mixture slowly into the simmering broth and stir constantly until thickened. If there is a lot of liquid, you may need to use more flour. Salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4.

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Easy Barbecue Beef Recipe

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Here’s an easy and delicious barbecue beef sandwiches recipe you can make in just a few minutes! It’s a great way to use leftover pot roast!

  • Author: Jill Cooper

Ingredients

leftover roast beef (pot roast)
barbecue sauce
3 Tbsp. water

Instructions

  1. Put leftover beef in a saucepan.
  2. Add water.
  3. Heat on medium until warmed through.
  4. Add enough barbecue sauce to coat the roast beef.
  5. Simmer for 3 minutes.
  6. Serve on buns, bread or toast.

This leftover roast beef recipe is a great way to stretch a small amount of leftover pot roast to make a main dish for another meal. This beef and noodles recipe can be served with the vegetable or fruit of your choice for a tasty family meal.

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Beef and Noodles Recipe

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Ingredients

1 lb. leftover pot roast
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 cup water
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup flour
1 lb. egg noodles, cooked
mushrooms, sliced (optional)

Instructions

Mix water and flour in a jar and shake well. Pour into a saucepan and boil until it starts to thicken. Add roast. Cook until roast is heated through. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper. Serve over cooked noodles or on toast. Serves 6.

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Steak and Mushroom Gravy

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Ingredients

1 Tbsp. margarine
2 cups water
1/2 onion, chopped
12 cups leftover roast beef pot roast
5 Tbsp. flour
1 small can mushroom pieces
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 tsp. beef bouillon powder
5 Tbsp. dry milk

Instructions

Melt margarine in a large skillet and saute onion. Mix flour, salt and pepper and dry milk in a jar. Add water and shake. Stir into onions until simmering and thickened. Add beef, bouillon powder and drained mushrooms. Reduce the heat. Simmer, stirring constantly, until heated through. Serve over noodles, rice or mashed potatoes or toast. Serves 4.

For more quick and easy recipes your family will love, check out the Dining On A Dime Cookbooks here!

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Using Leftover Roast Beef - Recipes And Ideas For Using Pot Roast (9)

From Tawra’s Inbox:

Hello ladies,

I just want to say a BIG THANK YOU for your slow cooked pot roast recipe! It has been a joke in my family how truly BAD my pot roasts taste. My loved ones dutifully eat it because they see how hard I’ve worked on dinner ( plus they are nearly starved to death by the time dinner is served ) and they see the strained smile on my face as I bring their plates to the table. But even I can barely swallow the roast.

I always followed my “Better Homes and Gardens” cookbook faithfully and would try different cuts of meat, all to no avail; it still turned out so dry and tough.

Enter your help. I have been enjoying flitting about your website and finding all sorts of nuggets of advice. Then I found your slow cooked pot roast recipe! This was the answer I’ve been searching for, lo these many years! I had been cooking it all wrong. I thought I was doomed to buying the pre-cooked roasts-in-a-bag at my local grocery store.

Now my family smiles when they smell the roast cooking as they come home from school. And I feel great knowing I have mastered one of the basic requirements of motherhood… cooking the perfect roast beef.

Thank you for all your great “tips”!

Sincerely, Becky H.

These leftover roast beef recipes are from the Dining On A Dime Cookbook, which includes almost 500 pages of very helpful information to help you learn to work all kinds of magic in the kitchen!

Save Money On Groceries And Make Meals Easier! (Sale Up To 50% Off!)

You can make EASY and delicious meals at home in less time than eating out! You’ll save a ton of money on food and your family will thank you!

Click here to get our Dining On A Dime Cookbooks SALE Up To 50% Off NOW! They’re filled with tasty recipes and tips to make your life easier!

Using Leftover Roast Beef - Recipes And Ideas For Using Pot Roast (2025)

FAQs

What can I do with leftover overcooked roast beef? ›

A simple fix for overcooked meat is to dump it in your food processor with some olive oil, purée it, and use it as a stuffing for everything from hand pies and empanadas to dumplings and ravioli.

How to make leftover roast beef tender? ›

Add chopped onions and minced garlic to the skillet and continue to cook until the onions and garlic are soft. Put the mixture in a large pot or Dutch oven, and then cover the meat with beef broth. Cover the pot and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes, or until the beef is tender.

How long will cooked roast beef stay good in the refrigerator? ›

USDA recommends using cooked beef within 3 to 4 days, kept refrigerated (40°F or less). Refrigeration slows but does not stop bacterial growth.

What not to do to pot roast? ›

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Cooking Pot Roast
  1. Using the wrong roast.
  2. Not browning the roast.
  3. Deglazing with just broth.
  4. Cooking the vegetables too long.
  5. Not thickening the gravy.
Mar 29, 2017

How to make a tough roast tender? ›

How to Tenderize a Tough Cut of Meat
  1. Pound it out. Pounding softens and tenderizes meat, making it easier to cut and eat. ...
  2. Use salt. ...
  3. Use an acidic marinade. ...
  4. Use kiwi, papaya, or pineapple. ...
  5. Score it. ...
  6. Slow cook it.
Jan 17, 2024

Why is my roast still tough after 6 hours? ›

There are several reasons why this could have happened even after so much cooking. First, your choice of a rump roast could be a factor since cuts from the hind quarter are very muscular and, since muscles are the most resistant to breaking, this cut is quite stubborn when it comes to becoming tender.

What to do with leftover tough bottom round roast? ›

Thick-slice the roast (1/4 in thick or so), then cut the slices into bite-sized cubes. Put these in a deep pan and add a can of beef broth (about a cup), a cup of water, and a half-cup of red wine. Heat this to a simmer over low heat and cover the pan, stirring occasionally.

What can I use to tenderize a roast? ›

A marinade is the best way to utilize acids and enzymes for your benefit in tenderizing. Acids assist in breaking down proteins, while enzymes relax and break down proteins. Acidic ingredients like vinegar, lemon juice, and even yogurt have a low pH that can assist in tenderizing your beef.

Does roast beef get softer the longer you cook it? ›

The secret of roasting red beef and veal is very simple

This in combination with the fact that the longer it roasts the more tender it will become. So you should roast at as low a temperature as you have the time for, and make sure that the internal temperature of the meat never gets above 60°C (140°F).

Can I eat 5 day old cooked beef? ›

Beef, veal, lamb and pork roasts, steaks and chops may be kept 3 to 5 days. After cooking, meat, poultry and seafood can be safely stored in the refrigerator 3 to 4 days.

Is it safe to eat cooked roast beef left out overnight? ›

The Two-Hour Rule

Cooked food can only stay in the temperature danger zone for so long before it becomes unsafe to eat. Havern explains: "The maximum amount of time perishable foods can [spend] in the danger zone is two hours. At two hours, the food must be consumed, stored correctly, or thrown away.

Can I eat 5 day old leftovers? ›

Leftovers can be kept for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. After that, the risk of food poisoning goes up. If you don't think you'll be able to eat leftovers within four days, freeze them right away. Frozen leftovers will stay safe for a long time.

What to add to pot roast for flavor? ›

Parsnips and potatoes round out the vegetable portion of the roast, while the addition of garlic, tomato paste, and vinegar in the sauce add an incredible depth of flavor.

Is pot roast better in the oven or crockpot? ›

It's delicious both ways. If you want to give your crock-pot a whirl, here's a slow cooker pot roast recipe for you. But pot roast is plenty easy to make in the oven! You do all the browning and roasting all in the same pot and it requires less time than in a slow cooker roast.

Do potatoes go on top or bottom of roast? ›

directions. Put potatoes, carrots and onion on bottom of crockpot. Place the roast on top, fat side up. Pour in water or beef broth.

How do you reheat overcooked beef? ›

Reheat with Moisture:Place the pre-cooked roast beef in an oven-safe dish with a lid or cover it tightly with foil. Add a small amount of beef broth, au jus, or even water to the dish to provide moisture. Heat the roast beef in a preheated oven at a low temperature (around 275°F or 135°C) until warmed through.

How to fix tough meat in stew? ›

The most important key to making stew meat tender is being sure to cook it for a long time. If you want super tender beef, you'll need to cook it on a low heat in a Dutch oven on the stove or a slow cooker for at least a few hours.

How to reheat roast beef in gravy? ›

How do I reheat Roast Beef and Gravy? From chilled: Place in a microwave proof container with loosely fitting lid and heat for 4-7 minutes until piping hot. From frozen: Allow to defrost and heat covered in the microwave for 3-5 minutes then stir. Cook for a further 5-7 minutes until piping hot.

What to do with beef fat after cooking? ›

Besides cooking with beef tallow, you can also use it in a few other places in your kitchen. For example, beef tallow is a great ingredient to use to season a cast iron skillet. You can also apply beef tallow as a conditioner to smooth wooden cutting boards, wooden utensils and even leather.

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