10 Creative Ways To Use Leftover Beef Broth

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As summer starts to wind down, and we're on our way to soup season, the thought of bubbling broths is top of mind. There's little as comforting as some beef broth to sip on, whether it's in the form of a stew, noodle soup, or simply plain broth. There's beauty in making your own broth, as you're able to add in different flavorings you enjoy and can control the salt level to your liking. It also gives you a reason to use up any bits and pieces of vegetables and alliums you may have in your fridge, or awkward amounts of beef that you can throw in all together. 

As a food business owner, I tend to spend my Sundays cooking up large batches of broth for the week ahead. However, buying a good-quality beef broth is also a great option if you don't have time to spend a couple of hours simmering a homemade one. Whichever way you go, remember to keep your leftovers!

Beef broth is full of umami and rich, meaty flavor, so it would be a shame to use it for only one or two purposes. In fact, there are so many ways to use leftover beef broth in your other meals, you'll want to make up an even larger batch in order to have more on hand. If you're looking for some ideas, here are some creative ways to use leftover beef broth.

One of the ways I like to use leftover beef broth is in pasta sauce. Especially if you're planning on making a meat sauce like Bolognese, a little beef broth can deepen the richness and the flavor of your sauce tremendously. It also adds more liquid, so if your sauce dries up while cooking, a splash of broth can be just the thing to loosen it up. 

Some people even recommend boiling your pasta in beef broth (don't tell an Italian this, though!) so that you start imparting flavor into the actual noodles from the beginning. I find it's easier to stick to the sauce; you'll also not be wasting any broth, like you might if you boil your pasta in it and then have to discard the majority of it afterward.

You can use this classic ragu alla Bolognese recipe, adapted from the "Chez Panisse Café Cookbook" by Alice Waters. Instead of adding chicken or beef stock, use some beef broth instead. And if you're wondering, there is a difference between stock and broth – broth is the more flavorful option. Let everything cook and simmer together for a while until it becomes one uniform sauce and tastes good.

It's been a bit trendy in recent years to sip on a cup of broth during the day, instead of or in addition to a cup of coffee. While it doesn't sound super appetizing to think of it as a coffee replacement, when you think of it for what it is instead, it's actually surprisingly good. It feels comforting to drink something warm and savory, and in my experience, it has felt very nourishing. 

If you're still skeptical, think of all the ways you can infuse flavors you like into it, like garlic, shallots, soy sauce, vinegar, or even some cayenne pepper. If it tastes good, why even question it? In truth, the tastier your broth, the tastier your sipping experience will be. So if you're making your own, make sure to read up on how to make the best broth.

The best part about having leftover beef broth is that you can store it for use as you need it. You can keep it in a sealed container in the fridge for a few days or even freeze it in some freezer bags for longer preservation. Then, when you get the craving for a hot cup of broth, you can simply warm it up or give it a light boil on the stovetop (straight from frozen is perfectly fine). Then, pour in your favorite mug and enjoy.

There are so many ways to incorporate beef broth into various soups, and one of the most obvious is French onion. This thick, brown soup is full of umami notes and is a match made in heaven for beefy flavors. It's a staple soup in France, where I live, and I consider it one of the most underrated soups in the world. It's hearty, yet not heavy, and packed full of the flavors of caramelized onions. 

Even though it's all about the onions, beef stock forms the base of the soup, making it the perfect place to sub in some leftover beef broth instead. I cannot sugarcoat the fact that it can be laborious and somewhat complicated to recreate this dish at home, and if possible, I like to get one from a professional. But there are simpler ways to approach it that still allow you to achieve a wonderful result. If you're not sure where to start, this easy French onion soup recipe only requires a handful of ingredients and is more accessible for most home cooks. 

If you're a chicken noodle soup lover, then you will likely love this too. A Taiwanese beef noodle soup is just as much of a hug from the inside, full of tender beef, aromatic broth, and thick, gorgeous noodles. Having tried this soup at my favorite local take-out spot, I couldn't wait to recreate it at home. Thankfully, it's pretty easy if you have all the right ingredients, and beef broth can be a huge help in the process.

This soup can take a bit of time if you're starting from scratch, but if you've got some leftover beef broth, it's a major shortcut. You don't have to spend any time making the broth; instead, you can focus on getting the right spices (such as star anise and five spice) and ingredients to get the flavor just right. 

In my experience, this is one of my favorite uses for leftover broth. All you'll have to do is simmer your meat and aromatics in your broth. Top up with more broth, or even water, if needed. Then, assemble your noodles, vegetables, and pieces of beef, and pour your fragrant broth over everything. If you're anything like me, this will likely replace chicken noodle soup for you for a while.

Risotto is often a go-to meal for people who want to make an impressive dish for a dinner party or even a romantic partner. While it has a reputation of elegance, it's actually incredibly simple. Using very few ingredients, risotto is all in the stirring and monitoring, until you've got the desired texture and level of cooking. One of the secrets to making a silky, luscious risotto is to cook it with broth. Instead of using water as the liquid, using broth gives you every opportunity to impart heaps of flavor into your risotto.

This makes risotto a great dish for finishing up any leftover beef broth, especially if you're making a risotto that pairs well with a meaty base. In my opinion, a porcini mushroom risotto or even a clam and bacon risotto could work nicely with beef broth. It will actually be an easy replacement in many recipes that already call for a meat-based stock. Just use some beef broth instead. Keep in mind that you should add your broth in slowly to achieve the perfect al dente risotto.

Hot pot is so much more than a delicious meal. It's also a reason to gather with friends and loved ones. Originating from China, this communal way of eating should be adopted across the world. It creates a convivial social atmosphere, while also being super tasty. As someone who has had the privilege of being invited to several hot pot gatherings, and even hosting my own, I can attest to the fact that it's not as easy to create as it looks. Sure, everyone is technically "cooking" their own food, but there's a lot of preparation that goes into the meal. You have to get all the veggies and meats prepped, cut, and ready to be dunked into the piping hot broth. And then, of course, there's the broth.

Leftover beef broth makes it so much easier to make hot pot. You've already got half the dish sorted! Simply heat up the broth and add your seasonings. You can then start dunking your food into it. If you want to create a dynamic duo of broths, halve your broth portion, and keep one half plain and the other, spicy. Infuse some dried chiles or Sichuan peppers into it to get it nice and spicy. This will allow you to alternate between spicy and plain whenever your tongue needs a break from the chile heat.

There are plenty of meals where gravy is the perfect sauce to dunk all over. From steak to roast beef, mashed potatoes to chicken-fried steak or Thanksgiving turkey, gravy just makes everything better. It's especially needed for drier cuts of meat, and it can offer much needed relief. With some leftover beef broth, you can whip up some beefy gravy in a cinch. Especially if you're looking to make a rich, brown gravy, having beef broth ready will slash your to-do steps tenfold.

If you're a gravy hater, maybe you haven't had the right one. Sometimes it takes making your own homemade one (no packet gravy, please) to see what all the fuss is about. Start with some butter and flour, then you'll slowly add in your broth and mix. Then add some tasty seasonings and ingredients that enrich it with more umami, such as soy sauce, Maggi seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, or Bovril. The key is to taste it as you go so that you don't end up with too much or too little salt and other flavors. Let it cook until it thickens to your desired consistency and serve. You may even become converted after this.

Another popular brothy noodle soup is Vietnamese pho. It's the perfect remedy if you're feeling under the weather. In truth, even if you're at peak health, it always hits the spot. Pho looks quite simple but is actually extremely time-consuming to make. This is all thanks to the broth. Making a homemade pho broth is a labor of love. Thankfully, already having some beef broth in your possession allows you to put your love into the labor of eating it instead. Jokes aside, pho is a genius way to use up leftover beef broth. It allows you to get a decent bowl of pho on the table in less than 30 minutes.

Simmer your leftover broth with the spices and aromatics that you'd typically find in pho. This includes things such as star anise, cloves, and pepper. You can also take a huge shortcut and throw in a store-bought pho seasoning mix like this Old Man Que Huong pho bac spice seasoning. This isn't cheating if that's what you're thinking. It's a great solution for what is often a really long set of ingredients. It's especially useful if you can't access all the ingredients, and it will give you authentic pho flavor in minutes.

Savory oatmeal has been becoming more popular in recent years. While it's not a new invention by any means, it's become more sought out by people looking to reduce their sugar intake or for people looking to start their day with a savory meal to avoid a sugar crash later on. At least, that's how I stumbled upon it when I was looking up savory breakfasts to make as eggs were becoming more inaccessible. If you ask anybody who enjoys it, they're going to say what makes a good savory oatmeal is broth. A savory broth like beef broth starts you off on the right foot as you're cooking your oatmeal. It creates an earthy flavor base, and all you have to do is finish it off with seasonings and the toppings you enjoy.

The broth aspect of savory oatmeal is often what puts people off because it's just too much work. However, if you've got leftover broth in your fridge, then it becomes the easiest breakfast to whip up. Use the broth as the liquid you cook your oats in and enjoy. You may even start having it for meals beyond breakfast.

Turning to Italian cuisine for a different type of noodle soup, tortellini soup is a cozy bowl of joy. It's also one tasty way to use up some beef broth. Like many of the other dishes on this list, the broth is often the part of the meal that takes the longest to make, but with leftover broth, this dish becomes easy. It's even easier if you get some quality store-bought tortellini. Then all you'll have to do is simmer the tortellini in your broth until they're cooked, and your soup is ready. With just these two ingredients you can make a satisfying dinner in literal minutes.

Most tortellini will taste good in a beef broth, even if it's stuffed with chicken or something like pumpkin and sage. You can also throw in other ingredients if you want to bulk it up and make it more filling. Some sliced sausages and roasted broccoli could be great, or some peas and grated parmesan. Either way, you can't lose.