12 Easy Ways To Use Leftover Steak

Planning your weekly meals is an art of making sure you have the right ingredients, enough of them, and ways to use up any leftovers. Especially for waste conscious home cooks, throwing away food isn't a good idea, and having leftovers is an opportunity to get creative to use up any bits of food leftover. Often this can be a fun way to repurpose something into something new and delicious. If you've made steak dinners for your family or household, it's likely that you've found yourself with some leftover steak. Whether it's cooked, raw, sliced up, or you have a single full piece of steak left, there are lots of interesting ways to use up your leftovers and reduce waste.

Steak is a versatile ingredient that can make for a tasty filling for anything from sandwiches, salads, wraps, fried rice, and more. Plus, it can bulk up a dish and adds extra protein to any quick meal you want to make with it. As a food business owner and recipe developer, I often have leftover pieces of steak that I turn into quick lunches and dinners. There are so many options that are accessible to even the most beginner-level cook. The best thing is you don't have to worry if you have an awkward amount of steak left, as you can make a single serving or more, as well as ways to stretch out a small amount of meat into something that can feed many. Here are some easy ways to use leftover steak.

A great use of leftover steak is in a salad. You can turn a simple green salad into a fuller meal with some slices of steak. Plus, if your steak is already cooked and you're worried about drying it out by reheating it, you don't need to warm it up for a salad. A good, tangy dressing will give it flavor, moisture and make all the difference. If the steak isn't cooked, it's an opportunity to use the dressing you might use for your salad as a marinade to inject extra flavor into the meat before you grill it up.

There are also so many ways you can jazz up a steak salad, by using different salad ingredients. You could take inspiration from a cold Thai beef salad and make a spicy dressing of lime juice, garlic, fish sauce, and fresh chiles, topped with some fresh cilantro and mint. Or, how about trying this fresh take on Mongolian beef by making a beef salad with a ginger and lime vinaigrette. The meat is cooked in a delicious stir fry sauce of soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame seeds, salt, and pepper.

Making homemade tacos can be one of the most fun and satisfying ways to use up leftover steak. One of the best things about it is that you only need a little bit of meat to make carne asada-inspired beef tacos. Cut your leftover steak into strips or slices if you haven't already done so, and then dress it with some fresh and flavor packed toppings. This is also a good opportunity to use up other leftover foods you may have in your fridge, like that half of an onion or avocado, close to wilting cilantro, or any salad veggies you'll likely throw out in a few days if you don't use them soon.

If your leftover steak is already cooked, then it might be a good idea to dress it in a zingy sauce to make it come alive again. If it's not cooked, you can add flavor through a marinade. A basic marinade can include olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, ground cumin, garlic, salt, and pepper, to which you can throw in any of your favorite additions for a tasty beef taco filling.

We all know how convenient a packet of instant ramen can be for a busy day when one doesn't have energy to prepare a meal. It's so tasty and flavorful and can fill you up if you don't have a particularly big appetite. However, on those days when you're feeling hungry for something more, your instant ramen needs a leftover steak topping, which adds some protein and is a sure way to make it a more filling meal.

It's always exciting to customize a bowl of instant ramen, and doing so can take the simple dish to another level. It doesn't have to be complicated, either — you can keep it simple with some fresh toppings you might have. For easy at home toppings, some people add eggs, or shredded chicken. Leftover steak works just as well, providing some more sustenance, and bite to your noodles. There's nothing easier than slicing up some cooked steak into your hot ramen as it will heat up in your bowl, but if it's uncooked, you can fry or grill up your steak in the same amount of time it takes to make instant ramen.

Having some leftover steak from another meal you've prepared usually means having bits of meat or a small amount that's not enough for a steak dinner. The best solution is to use these leftovers to make a beef-based dish where other ingredients do the heavy lifting. One such dish is beef stroganoff. Sure, beef is one of the main parts of it, but what really makes a good stroganoff are other things like mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce, sour cream, and rice or noodles. This dish requires you to cut your steak into strips, making it ideal for leftover steak.

You'll have all the flavor you need by making a tangy stroganoff sauce, and throwing in a little beef stock for added measure. The bits of steak you have will provide the meatiness you need, while the rice/noodles and sauce stretch the dish so you can actually turn your leftovers into a whole new weeknight dish for your family.

With leftover pieces of steak that you cut up into bite sized pieces, you can actually make a pretty mean sandwich. It doesn't need a lot of thought if you have some good bread and something fresh like lettuce or tomatoes, and maybe a sauce like mustard, hot sauce, or mayonnaise. If you're feeling like something even more elaborate, you could throw on some pickled onions, a crunchy topping like dukkah or a creamy yogurt dressing. Bulk it up even more by topping it with some melted cheese, or if you're into the pungent flavors of sticky cheese, crumble some blue cheese on top. Speaking of cheese, you can even turn your steak into a gooey grilled cheese sandwich for extra indulgence. Press your sandwich in a panini press (or if you don't have one, use a buttered pan and flip), with some melt-friendly cheese like mozzarella or cheddar.

Another delicious option is to make this leftover steak Mexican sandwich. Inspired by a Mexican torta, you can fill some crusty bread with your steak and things like avocado, tomato, cilantro, jalapeños, and lettuce. There are other toppings you can add to like refried beans or cotija cheese.

Shawarma is the ultimate Middle Eastern comfort food that people tend to only get from takeouts. The large rotating skewer of meat is enough to make anyone think that it's not something you can make at home. In truth, you can make a pretty decent shawarma at home with a few key ingredients, no skewer needed. And using leftover steak is perfect for this as you can make a single or double serving for a quick lunch.

The trick for making a homemade shawarma is to inject as much flavor and moisture as possible into the dish as possible. An onion, a tomato and some shawarma spice (that you can buy from any large grocery store). Slice up the onion and dice your tomato and sprinkle some shawarma spice on this mixture. If your steak is uncooked, you can cut it up into slices and throw it in this mix. If it's cooked, then it will come in later. 

Drizzle some olive oil, salt and pepper, and a splash of vinegar and roast in the oven until everything is cooked through and the onions and tomatoes have softened. If you're using cooked leftovers, you can reheat them in this dish by mixing them in about five minutes before taking them out of the oven. You'll have a delicious shawarma filling to add to a wrap, pita bread or have with some rice.

Stew is one of the most common ways that people make ingredients stretch much further than you thought possible, and for good reason. A small piece of meat can go a long way when you have hearty vegetables like potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, and more. Leftover steak is perfect for stew as it can serve as your meat ingredient, without needing to be the star of the show. Adding some red wine, stock, and alliums like onion and garlic will provide a robust stew broth that the steak will simmer in. If you're using cooked steak, throw it in for the last twenty minutes and cook on low heat.

To add some freshness to your cooked stew, throw on some fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, or dill to give it another flavor element. A small squeeze of lemon juice also adds an unexpected brightness to this rich meal, making you go back for more. You'll be surprised at your ingenuity and how using a small piece of leftover steak can feed many mouths with something warm, comforting, and tasty.

Leftover cooked steak can turn chewy and tough when reheated improperly. Additionally, depending on how well done it is, it's not always a good idea to warm it up and make it an overcooked piece of rubber. That's why finding ways to eat leftover steak in cold dishes is your best bet, and these leftover steak summer rolls are one inviting way to do so. Inspired by Thai or Vietnamese summer rolls made with rice paper, these will be a burst of freshness for any meal. Summer rolls are also amazingly effective at getting your kids (and even the adults) to get excited about eating vegetables. They're also totally customizable and you can pick and choose what veggies, fruit, or sauces you want to include.

Rice papers are easy to find in any Asian grocery store, or maybe even the international food aisle in your local grocery store. They're really quick to prepare and will always have clear packet instructions. Although some instructions say to use boiling water, in my experience room temperature water works just fine. Simply dip each paper in the water for about 30 seconds, or until you feel it soften. You want it to be soft enough to roll but not fall apart. Then assemble your sliced up steak with the veggies you've chosen and roll up into thick little cigar-shaped rolls. Have these with a peanut dipping sauce and you'll never look back.

Steak fried rice may be your go to takeout menu item, but you can just as easily make it at home. If you have some leftover steak, it's a good choice for using it up as you only need a little to make it. All you need is some rice, steak, eggs, vegetables and some condiments like soy sauce. It's the perfect clean-out-your-fridge meal, as you can throw in whatever veggies you want to, and day-old rice works even better than freshly cooked rice.

Get your pan hot and fry up some onion and garlic, to which you can add pieces of steak, your rice, veggies and lastly some eggs. You can also add seasonings like pepper, salt, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and a dash of vinegar to bring it all together. Stir everything throughout cooking, as it will only take a few minutes, and you want everything to cook evenly and not burn. To make it even more tasty, top it with some chopped scallions, and enjoy! Save some money and give this a try — it will be better on your pocket and save you from food waste.

Steak lunch wraps are probably my most common go to for using up leftover steak. The beauty is in the freedom of adding anything that might taste good with steak, and in how easy they are to whip up. I keep a stash of flour tortillas in the freezer which you can warm up in less than a minute in a dry frying pan on medium heat. They become warm, toasty, and ready to be filled with anything from some grated cheese, lettuce, tomato slices, pickles, mayo, kimchi, or even some canned corn. Combine these, or any wrap topping you have in your fridge, with some slices of your leftover steak, and you have a wonderful lunch that hits all the flavor and texture elements you could want.

To jazz these up even more, you could caramelize some onions, or make an herby chimichurri to dress your steak with. If you don't have any tortilla wraps, or you want something even lighter, you can make lettuce wraps instead. Make an umami packed dipping sauce, and fill your lettuce with pieces of steak, avocados, cucumber slices, and some cooked rice as an idea. There are many ways to prepare lettuce wraps, but this Cambodian pepper beef lettuce wrap recipe will make you want to make everything from scratch again just to eat it one more time.

Quesadillas are a takeout favorite for many, and luckily for us, they're another easy comfort food to recreate in our own kitchens. Using some flour tortillas and a gooey, melted cheese filling, you can effectively use up your leftover steak in some quesadillas. The key is to choose a type of cheese that melts well, like mozzarella, cheddars, or something like Monterey jack. You can even use more than one type for added flavor, or to finish up any last bits of cheese in the fridge.

You don't have to reheat the steak first, as it will heat enough when you warm your finished quesadilla. Cut it up into thin slices and lay it on an even layer in between two tortillas, along with your shredded cheese. You can season this quesadilla filling with some salt, ground cumin, paprika, and pepper, and add some caramelized onion too if you're feeling extra indulgent for flavor. Then onto the sides. Nothing elevates your quesadilla more than what you're dipping it into. Making some fresh salsa and guacamole is always the answer, and having a little sour cream for extra creaminess will send your meal over the edge. This dish will give you savory, umami, spicy, creamy, and everything you could want in one mouthful.

It's always a good idea to keep some store-bought pie pastry in your freezer for quick meals in a pinch. With some pastry in hand, you can make a delicious beef pot pie with leftover steak. Use whatever vegetables you have at the time, including any odds and ends of veggies that you can use up and not waste. You can use anything from celery, carrots, peas, mushrooms, leeks, and more, it all depends on your preference, and how you like your beef pot pie.

Cut your steak into little pieces and give everything a long, slow braise until everything is soft and the flavor has developed into a cohesive pie filling. A single layer of pastry covering the dish is enough for a lazy version of beef pot pie if you're feeling a little impatient, but adding some pie crust to both the bottom and top will make your meal even more satisfying.