You Should Be Using Leftover Pot Roast For Delicious Ragu Pasta (Thanks, Ree Drummond)

If you've recently cooked up one of your favorite roast recipes, there's a good chance that you may have some left over. And while you could simply heat it back up in the microwave or go the extra mile and pop it into the oven, Ree Drummond has a better idea, especially if you smoked it perfectly from start to finish: Use leftover pot roast as a ground beef swap in ragu pasta. It's not only a great way to prevent food waste, but also a cheap solution for your next meal — or two.

Similar to pot roast, ragu is a meaty, slow-cooked sauce that gets served atop pasta. While ground beef may be the most common meat, pork or veal can also be used. And, as noted by Drummond, pot roast has a texture that holds up well. In an Instagram video shared by the Food Network, Drummond tells viewers to chop their roast into small pieces and sear it in a pot with some olive oil before adding other ingredients. 

In her ragu recipe, Drummond includes sliced leeks, diced carrots, sliced garlic, chopped rosemary, and oregano leaves, which create a "hearty, rich, and wonderful" flavor. She then adds tomato paste, wine, beef, stock, and bay leaves before allowing it to simmer for a couple of hours. Once cooked, Drummonds opts for pappardelle al ragu, topping her noodles with the finished ragu and adding some parmesan and basil to finish. "That's my dream dinner right there," she declares.

While Drummond has her own set of ideal veggies and herbs that she uses in her recipe, there are no rules here. To keep your dish similar to the pot roast in which it originated, include the same ingredients you paired with it to begin with: carrots, potatoes, onions, and celery. Or, to lean into the ragu's Italian roots by throwing in a jar of crushed tomatoes (or store-bought marina) and some ground sausage. You can also experiment with different seasonings and spices.

The noodles are also interchangeable. If you'd like something a bit lighter than wide pappardelle, try the also-traditional tagliatelle or fettuccini. You could even use shorter pasta options like rigatoni or gnocchi. Just note that narrower noodles like spaghetti or angel hair may not offer the needed support for the meaty ragu.

To finish off your pot roast ragu, a sprinkle of parmesan is standard, but other cheeses can work just as well. Both shredded cheddar and provolone would complement the flavor of your roast, as would creamy Swiss or Muenster.