We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

How To Repurpose Your Leftover Pot Roast Like A Chef

Tender, meaty pot roast is the dish that keeps on giving. Not only is beef chuck a reliably cheap cut, but it's extremely hearty, so there's usually a supply of leftovers to eat throughout the week. Going through last night's dinner for days can get dull, so we turned to Jesse Moore, corporate chef at Cargill Protein North America, for his top tips on sprucing up leftover pot roast.

Advertisement

In order to use up the beef without tiring of it, Moore recommends transforming the pot roast into the recipes you love most. "One of my favorite things to do is jazz it up with dishes we already enjoy in our house," he says. After being cooked for hours on end, the fall-off-the-bone texture can easily be shredded up for sandwiches, ramen dishes, and more. Before cutting it up, it will need a little prep work, though. "If you remove the excess gravy, it is easy to turn into several dishes," says Moore.

From there, Moore uses the beef in everyday recipes. He says, "Some of my favorites are breakfast burritos, beef and noodles, and shredded beef patty melts or grilled cheese." With the beef already cooked, you can just slip it into California breakfast burritos or an everything bagel grilled cheese on mornings when you're rushing out the door. For a quick dinner, heat up the beef with frozen veggies, noodles, and General Tso sauce for a hearty stir fry.

Advertisement

Replace the gravy on leftover pot roast with a bold sauce

General Tso sauce isn't the only condiment that can be used to transform your leftover pot roast. With a decent sauce selection, or the right ingredients to make your own, hearty pot roast can easily fit into whatever cuisine you'd like it to. "Sauce is your friend in these circumstances — a good BBQ sauce makes a great sandwich, a 5-ingredient chipotle sauce on the leftover pot roast will make great tacos, enchilada filling, or to throw on top of tortilla chips and make nachos," explains Jesse Moore.

Advertisement

The slow-cooking process of pot roast makes any leftover beef a pretty good replacement filler for a brisket sandwich. To get that tangy, charred flavor, add some barbecue sauce (like this Lillie's Q Smoky Barbecue Sauce) to the beef before broiling it on low for a few minutes. Afterwards, you can pile it onto brioche or pretzel buns with coleslaw, pickled red onions, and pickles. If you're not a fan of barbecue, turn pot roast into a beef shawarma bowl or sandwich. For the sandwich, heat strips of leftover pot-roast beef in a skillet with olive oil, minced onions, garlic powder, ground cloves, paprika, cumin, and coriander. Place the meat inside warmed pita bread, and add chopped tomatoes and cucumbers before drizzling tahini and garlicky toum on top.

Advertisement

For something spicier, go with Moore's tip and whip up chipotle mayo for the beef. It's delicious for quick tacos made with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and cotija, or nachos with pico de gallo, melted cheese, and refried beans.

Reheat leftover pot roast with a flaky crust

Pot roast is known for being a cozy dish, and this can be maximized with a tender crust. "Add a pie crust and some extra veggies and you have beef pot pie," says Jesse Moore. With this suggestion, you can use the carrots and potatoes from the pot roast as well as the gravy. All you need to do is mix the shredded beef with the remaining gravy and vegetables, along with some peas, corn kernels, and pearl onions. Add the first piece of dough to the pie plate, pour in the filling, and follow with the second piece before baking.

Advertisement

You can also use the beef for handheld treats. "Another go-to of mine are empanadas," Moore says. Pre-cooked beef simplifies it, but for easier empanadas, make them with pre-made empanada discs or canned biscuits. Heat the shredded beef in a skillet with minced green chiles, tomato paste, and adobo seasoning before spooning it onto each empanada disc. Fold the dough until the edges touch and seal it with fork marks before baking.

Stromboli is another great handheld pastry that you can make with leftover pot roast. Any extra ingredients can be added to the recipe, but shredded strips of the beef work well with cheesesteak stromboli. Heat the beef in a skillet, then remove and saute sliced onions and peppers in the same pan. Stretch out some pizza dough and line it with provolone before adding the beef and veggies on top and baking it.

Advertisement

Recommended

Advertisement