These leftover steak recipes are tried-and-true meals that will transform your leftovers into something amazing.
At a typical restaurant, a single serving provides enough for two meals. Add to that the fact that steaks are one of the most ordered entrees in restaurants today, and that's one heck of a lot of doggie bags - and a lot of leftover steak.
What to do with leftover steak is an easy question to answer (just eat it)! But if you want to transform your leftovers into something amazing, try one of these leftover steak ideas. These ideas work with any type of leftover steak from filet mignon and rib eye to a london broil.
Before you begin find the best ways to store and reheat leftover steak.
What you can do if your leftover steak is tough
It's best to chop it into small pieces and add it to a soup or turn it into breakfast hash if your steak is tough. You can also pop it in the freezer for 20 minutes, then slice it paper-thin for sandwiches. Any of the leftover steak recipes below will work fine with tough steak using one of these methods.
How long is leftover steak good for?
Leftover cooked steak will last up to four days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it for up to one month, just make sure you use a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible and seal it tightly.
There are a lot of ways to enjoy leftover steak: add it to eggs, serve it with smashed potatoes or toss it into a steaming pot of potato soup.
But why not turn it into an amazing appetizer or an exotic Thai dish? Here are six leftover steak recipes that will have you ordering two steaks next time!
Leftover Steak Recipes:
- Steak and Horseradish Crostini: Slice a small baguette and place on a baking sheet. Melt ¼ cup butter with a finely minced garlic clove and drizzle over bread. Bake at 250F for about an hour, turning every 15 minutes.
Slice leftover steak against the grain into paper-thin slices. Allow steak slices to come to room temperature.
Combine ½ cup of sour cream or creme fraiche with 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish and a dash of hot sauce. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
Place a slice or two of steak onto a crostini, then top with a teaspoon or so of horseradish cream. Garnish with chopped chives. - Steak Hash: Sauté a small chopped onion and a small chopped red bell pepper in a tablespoon of oil until tender. Add a minced garlic clove and sauté for another minute or so. Add three medium potatoes, cooked and diced, along with one cup diced leftover steak. Continue cooking until potatoes and meat are heated through. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, then place on serving plates and top with your favorite shredded cheese and poached eggs.
- Thai Beef Salad: In a large bowl, mix together ½ cup fresh lime juice, ½ lemongrass stalk (chopped), ½ cup each of chopped fresh cilantro and mint, a chopped green onion, 2 T. fish sauce, 2 t. sweet chili sauce and ¼ cup of sugar. Slice leftover steak against the grain into thin slices and add to the dressing mixture. Refrigerate for at least two hours and up to one day. About an hour before serving, remove steak mixture from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Tear half of one head of lettuce into bite-sized pieces and place in a serving bowl. Add steak mixture, top with diced cucumber and cherry tomatoes.
- Steak and Cheddar Quesadillas: Slice leftover steak against the grain into thin strips. Sauté in a teaspoon of oil with a small amount of taco seasoning (depending on how much leftover steak you have) until just heated through. Place steak slices on one half of a large tortilla, then top with shredded cheddar cheese, sliced tomato, diced jalapeno and sprinkle of red onion. Fold empty side of tortilla over the other, and grill in a hot pan with a teaspoon of oil until golden brown. Flip and brown other side, then remove from pan and slice into four large pieces. Top with fresh avocado and garnish with chopped cilantro.
- Steak Salad with Cilantro-Jalapeno Pesto
- Beef Stroganoff
- Steak & Potato Chimichurri
And finally, my personal favorite leftover steak recipe! This leftover steak sandwich is so much more than tossing your steak onto a slice of bread. Caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, and horseradish cream served on garlic bread! It's the best leftover steak recipe you'll ever make.
The Leftover Steak Sandwich (served on garlic bread!)
This recipe is intended for you to throw this sandwich together with what you've got on hand, however, it's SO GOOD that you may want to plan ahead if you're dining out at your favorite steakhouse.
Ingredients
- ½ lb leftover steak (or use however much you have leftover)
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
- 1 large sweet onion
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil plus 1 tablespoon, divided
- 2 teaspoons light brown sugar, optional
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms, optional
- 2 ciabatta rolls
- 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Sliced cheese
Instructions
- Slice leftover steak against the grain into thin strips. Allow steak to come to room temperature.
- Make the horseradish cream. Mix together ½ cup of sour cream with 2 tablespoons of prepared horseradish. Adjust the amounts to suit your tastes and according to the strength of the horseradish, which can vary greatly between brands.
- Meanwhile, make the caramelized onions. To do this, slice a large sweet onion into rings. Heat a skillet over moderate heat; add a tablespoon of oil. Add onion rings and a pinch of salt; saute slowly until golden brown and caramelized, about 45 minutes or so. Don’t turn up the heat! In fact, if your onions are browning too quickly, turn the heat to medium-low. I like to add a couple teaspoons of brown sugar at the start of cooking; it helps the onions to caramelize and makes them a bit sweeter. You can also try adding a healthy dose of your favorite hot sauce toward the end for an extra spicy treat!
- If you’re a mushroom lover, slice some mushrooms and saute over high heat in a small amount of oil (yes, high heat so they get nice and brown…that’s where all the best flavor is).
- Now make the garlic bread…that’s right, garlic bread. First, add a minced garlic clove (or two) to ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil; let sit at room temp for at least thirty minutes. Next, take a couple of ciabatta rolls – don’t substitute here, trust me – and brush on your olive oil onto the cut parts of the rolls. Place rolls cut side up on a baking sheet and broil until golden brown.
- Top roll bottoms with sliced steak, sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions and a slice of jack or provolone cheese. Place back under broiler until cheese is melted. Spread horseradish cream onto cut side of roll top and place on top of sandwich.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1261Total Fat: 92gSaturated Fat: 24gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 60gCholesterol: 152mgSodium: 702mgCarbohydrates: 68gNet Carbohydrates: 63gFiber: 5gSugar: 22gProtein: 45g
This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.
Do you have your own leftover steak ideas? Drop a comment below and share your favorites!
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Erica says
45 mins to caramelize onions? I sure hope you meant 4-5 mins. In 45 mind they would be far overcooked.
Kristy Bernardo says
Nope, I meant 45 minutes. When you cook onions the regular way, 4-5 minutes is perfect. But for caramelizing, you want to cook them low and slow; it's a different result and well-worth the time.
Casey Benedict says
You (and this post) are the answer to my prayers. We have leftover filet, and now I have not just one, but multiple ideas for what to do with it (and still let this beautiful cut of meat shine).
Thank you!
Kristy Bernardo says
LOVE this, Casey!! So happy I could help. (btw...I read the comment first and had this big smile, then saw who it was from and it got even bigger...you're awesome!!)
Casey Benedict says
You (and this post) are the answer to my prayers. We have leftover filet, and now I have not just one, but multiple ideas for what to do with it (and still let this beautiful cut of meat shine).
Thank you!
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
Honestly, leftover steak gets eaten by me, COLD, for breakfast!
However, after looking at that sandwich at the top, I am rethinking my strategy. 🙂
Anna from Learn Like A Mom! says
I'm happy I found this post! I'll be linking to it for leftover steak recipes when I share my own on November 19th! These look yummy!
Greg says
I always/make order my steak rare or medium rare... for occasions like this, where leftovers are inevitable. Need to keep the meat chewable the second time around. Yum! But why reinvent the wheel? Steak is just as good as simple steak. My mom, however, will cook hers in a sweet-and-spicy sou sauce reduction. She eats it over rice. Tasty
kathleen says
Happy bday! There's nothing I love more than a great steak sandwich!!!
TheGrillingGuy says
What an amazing looking dish. I always do something like this with any leftover meat that we have. I just add a little bit of the Pleasoning seasoning (local company here in Wisconsin) and add in anything else that I'm feeling in the mood for. I'll have to try this one out. Steak should never go to waste....EVER!!!
the wicked noodle says
"Pleasoning Seasoning" - what a great name! Where in WI are you? I grew up in Waupaca...
Macarons says
Don't worry...when you get to be my age you hope to be forgetting every birthday 🙂
michelle @ The Domes says
Well, happy belated birthday!!!! I had fun reading this post and getting caught up on everything! You have been a busy girl, indeed!
Jennifer (Savor) says
Great ideas - my hubby is great a using leftover steak in stirfry's or making sandwiches. 🙂
Nancy/SpicieFoodie says
Happy belated B-day to you! Hope you have a blast at the boot camp. The Leftover recipe is delicious. Thanks for sharing will keep this handy.
Franny says
What an excellent website, I am very glad I came across you. Cheers!
the wicked noodle says
Hi Franny! I'm glad you found your way here, too! I'm still at the CIA this week so no time to check out your site, but I'll do that first thing when I get back. Thanks so much for the comment 🙂
Kristy says
Looks delicious and I bet it is!! My hubby would def go for that sandwich! Thanks for sharing!
Angie says
I'm with Steve, we never have leftover steak in our house either, but these ideas look so good, they are worth making steak for them. Hope you have a wonderful birthday!
the wicked noodle says
Thanks Angie! Just made it to Hyde Park, NY and tomorrow morning is the CIA. Not a bad way to spend a birthday 🙂
Steve says
I am confused. Where are you finding leftover steak? Myself, I have never seen such a commodity. 🙂
the wicked noodle says
I agree, it doesn't happen often. But sometimes you just need to have dessert so you make the sacrifice 😉