15 Ways to Use Up Prime Rib Leftovers

Enjoy this tender and delicious roast as much as you did the first time around by adding it to salads, soups, sandwiches and more.

December 17, 2021

By: Vincent Camillo

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Photo By: Charles Masters

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Photo By: LUCY SCHAEFFER

Photo By: Renee Comet

Photo By: Charles Masters

Twice As Nice

There’s no denying that the standing prime rib roast is a showstopper. But, after the main feast, there can be a fair amount of leftovers. Since the meat has already been cooked to perfection (and is nice and tender), there are plenty of ways to quickly incorporate the beef into a dish. With these recipes you can enjoy it sliced thinly and served cold in a salad, chopped and stirred into soup at the last minute — and more. How you cut up your remaining portion of the roast can actually be the most important step in allowing you to enjoy the beef as much as you did the first time around so be sure to cut or slice as directed.

For this salad, slicing the meat while it’s cold will allow you to cut it to whatever thickness (or thinness) you’d like. Then, allow the meat to either come to room temperature or (if you are in a hurry) lay the slices on a baking sheet and heat in a 375F-degree oven for a minute or on a plate in the microwave until barely warmed through. Add the beef to this antipasto-inspired salad (instead of store-bought deli roast beef) for a delicious dish you’ll make again and again.

Get the Recipe: Orecchiette Salad with Roast Beef

Roast Beef Carpaccio with Gorgonzola Potato Salad

Sometimes you don’t want to make things too complicated. Just slice the roast beef thinly — and sprinkle some flaky salt for texture. The beef roast flavor pairs well with the creaminess of this cross between a blue cheese and potato salad.

Get the Recipe: Roast Beef Carpaccio with Gorgonzola Potato Salad

Steak Salad with Zaatar Chimichurri

All a good prime rib needs for roasting is salt and pepper. That’s what makes the leftovers so great — it’s easy to add bold flavors like za’atar and mint and jalapeno to transform your meal into something completely new. Just replace the strip steaks with already warmed slices of roast, top with the chimichurri and you’re good to go.

Get the Recipe: Steak Salad with Zaatar Chimichurri

Reuben Sandwiches

Of course, one easy route to go down is to slice your prime rib and make a sandwich. Horseradish and roast beef always go together, so why not Reuben-ify your rib? Replace the pastrami with your thinly sliced roast beef and you’re in deli heaven.

Get the Recipe: Reuben Sandwiches

Easy Beef French Dip with Quick au Jus

The French Dip is a classic for a reason. The hot, brothy au jus soaks the bread and keeps the meat from drying out. And since you’re using prime rib, you don’t even have to cut the meat razor-thin for this sandwich to be super tender with every bite.

Get the Recipe: Easy Beef French Dip with Quick au Jus

The Best Beef Stroganoff

This recipe actually uses ribeye steak, which is the same cut as your roast. Cut the cooked roast into similarly sized pieces as instructed by the recipe, and toss them into the sauce to coat at the end.

Get the Recipe: The Best Beef Stroganoff

Beef and Broccoli

Who wouldn’t want ribeye beef and broccoli? Marinating the beef here is optional, but if you do (say, for about 15 minutes), the benefit is the extra sauce!

Get the Recipe: Beef and Broccoli

Shepherd's Pie

There’s a good chance you may also have some leftover mashed potatoes from the feast, too. That means you’ve got what you need for a Shepherd’s pie. (Well, more of a Cottage pie since it includes beef.) Instead of ground meat, add cubed beef to the mixture after the vegetables and gravy have been cooked.

Get the Recipe: Shepherd's Pie

Sunny's Beef Wellington Casserole

Typically made with beef tenderloin, Wellingtons are noted for their meat’s tenderness, while leaning on other ingredients to boost flavor. But this Wellington will have it all when you replace the ground beef with diced roast beef, which is already both tender and flavorful.

Get the Recipe: Sunny's Beef Wellington Casserole

Quick Beef Pho

This pho preparation will work best if you’ve cooked a beautiful rare or medium rare roast. Like in a shabu shabu or sukiyaki, typically, the thinly sliced meat would typically need to be cooked in the soup. But in this case, the already cooked roast would just need to be warmed into the heady, wintery spiced broth of anise, clove and cinnamon. You can even try fortifying the soup with leftover bones from the roast.

Get the Recipe: Quick Beef Pho

Beef and Cannellini Bean Minestrone

This traditional Italian soup will get a beefy boost when you replace the ground beef with chunks of prime rib in each bite. To adapt this recipe, skip the ground beef in the method and stir in spoon-sized cubes of meat at the end until warmed through.

Get the Recipe: Beef and Cannellini Bean Minestrone

French Onion Soup Potato Gratin

The classic onion soup is turned into a hearty meal. Let’s face it – you kind of want to just drop the prime rib straight into the boiling hot soup, but are afraid it might overcook. This recipe is perfect for leftovers because you can cook the caramelized onions and potatoes first and then toss in chunks of prime rib at the last minute with the toppings before broiling. Just like that you have doubled the flavor and kept the tender beef from overcooking.

Get the Recipe: French Onion Soup Potato Gratin

Beef Noodle Salad Bowls with Peanut Sauce 16 Review

As with any pasta or noodle dish, a little beef goes a long way. This recipe uses ribeye, so having the meat already cooked would be a time-saving bonus. Just toss together and enjoy either warm or cold.

Get the Recipe: Beef Noodle Salad Bowls with Peanut Sauce

Cheesy Scrambled Egg Fajitas

Steak and eggs always pair well together; even think of steak and bearnaise sauce. Adding sliced steak to this cheesy, peppery version of scrambled egg fajitas will create something like an unrolled breakfast burrito that will leave you with one question — should I eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner?

Get the Recipe: Cheesy Scrambled Egg Fajitas

Fajita Nachos

Nachos are the ultimate shareable party platter for many reasons — one of which is that you can put anything on it as long as it has melty cheese and crispy chips. Adding pieces of leftover prime rib will elevate this simple dish to a gourmet feast.

Get the Recipe: Fajita Nachos