Use Up Your Leftover Steak In Fresh Summer Rolls

Do you ever have leftover steak in the fridge from your weekend cookout? If the answer's yes, then it's time to try a unique dish that doesn't even require you to reheat the steak (and potentially turn it chewy). We're talking steak summer rolls, inspired by the dish from your local Thai or Vietnamese eatery. 

It's an easy and very tasty way to use up any leftover ribeye, skirt steak, or whatever cut that's sitting lonely on the fridge shelf. And it's also a quick route to whipping up a relatively healthy lunch or dinner. Summer rolls are easy to customize with any vegetable that you already have stocked in the kitchen. This works as one of those meals where you clean out the fridge to eliminate food waste. You might not have the rice papers to wrap it all up, but they're easy to find in the international aisle in the grocery store or the closest Asian market. Then all you have to do is finish it off with a dipping sauce and you've got a meal that you likely didn't consider before reading this.

You can get creative and make your own rendition of steak summer rolls, or adapt one of Tasting Table's recipes to use the extra meat. For example, this vibrant summer rolls recipe features fillings including avocado, cucumber, mango, and bell peppers that all pair well with your leftover steak. A more savory take is to try these fresh and fragrant Thai basil beef rolls and swap the ground beef with the extra steak in the fridge, chopped or sliced up finely. Both recipes include sauces, one homemade and the other store bought, for dipping purposes. You can also try this spicy peanut sauce recipe if those dipping options don't work for your spread. You want to keep the ingredients inside the rolls dry, then just dip into your chosen sauce with each mouthful.

Whatever recipe you try, there are some ideal techniques to include the steak. For balanced bites, slice the steak thinly and remove any bones if there are any in the cut. This also gives you sufficient room to fill each one without ripping the delicate rice paper wrappers. To assemble, layer the vegetables and herbs first, then place the steak on top, using the veggies as a base for the meat. This also makes the summer rolls look aesthetically pleasing. As a final tip, don't overfill the wraps and make sure to roll them tightly so the steak and veggies stay in place.