Leftover Roast Beef Sandwiches
These sandwiches are a great way to use up leftover roast beef! Inside buns, there’s gravy dipped beef, horseradish sauce & melted Swiss cheese.
If you’ve got leftover roast beef from your Sunday roast dinner, you NEED to make these sandwiches! In my opinion, they’re the best way to use up leftover roast beef, gravy & horseradish sauce. Plus, if you’ve got some leftover roast potatoes, you could make my roast potato burger buns. This is what I used to make my sandwiches!
To make these sandwiches, we’re heating slices of roast beef up in gravy then piling it up into toasted burgers buns with Swiss cheese & horseradish sauce. That’s it. Sometimes the best sandwiches are the simplest ones!
If you’re looking for more lunch inspiration, take a look at our ever growing collection of lunch recipes. There’s something for everyone here, from vibrant salads, to next level sandwiches & homemade scotch eggs.
Sandwich Components
A good roast beef sandwich really only needs a few components! In my opinion anyway. For these sandwiches, we’re warming thinly sliced roast beef in gravy then using it to fill toasted buns with, as well as horseradish sauce & Swiss cheese.
Leftover Roast Beef
Any cut of leftover roast beef will work for these sandwiches, I used topside! When making roast beef sandwiches, I find that it’s best to slice the beef as thin as possible then warm it up in the oven, in a dish of gravy. Now it’s important to keep in mind that your roast beef won’t stay pink when warmed back up but as long as you don’t over cook it, it will still be tender! You could also serve your beef cold if you’d prefer.
Roast Potato Burger Buns
These sandwiches are designed to use up leftovers from a Sunday roast dinner & I like to use any leftover roast potatoes to make burger buns with! Any good burger bun (homemade or shop bought) will work though or you could use sliced bread if you’d prefer.
Swiss Cheese
The addition of Swiss cheese is inspired by a roast beef melt. The nutty, slightly sweet flavour of Swiss cheese works really well with the rich gravy, tender beef & punchy horseradish sauce. A mature cheddar or Monterey Jack will work as well. Or you could leave the cheese out entirely if you’d prefer.
Gravy
Roast beef & gravy go hand in hand & they work great together in a beef sandwich! Reheating the slices of roast beef in gravy also keeps it moist & tender and adds a rich, meaty flavour. I used leftovers from my red wine gravy (the best gravy around!) but a ready made gravy or granules dissolved in boiling water will work as well.
Horseradish Sauce
Horseradish sauce is a classic accompaniment to roast beef, so it’ll be right at home in our roast beef sandwiches. You can use a jar of shop bought horseradish sauce or make your own. Or for a milder horseradish sauce, mix a spoonful of creme fraiche with some ready made horseradish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Leftover roast beef needs to be stored in the fridge & will keep for up to 3 days. Make sure to store leftover roast beef in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in clingfilm.
Yes, roast beef sandwiches can be made in advance & stored in the fridge but you’ll need to make a few modifications. First, you’ll need to omit the gravy as it will make the bread soggy. And as we’ll be serving the beef cold, we’ll just need to thinly slice it, season it then use for the sandwiches.
To make roast beef sandwiches in an Aga, reheat the beef in the baking oven, on the bottom set of runners. Toast the buns on the simmering plate (on bac-o-glide). To melt the cheese, grill the sandwiches in the roasting oven, as high up as they’ll go.
More Lunch Recipes To Try!
- Welsh Rarebit Cheese Toastie
- Za’atar Lamb Salad With Hummus & Green Tahini Dressing
- Lamb, Halloumi & Rose Harissa Sausage Rolls
- Black Garlic Chicken Crisp Sandwich
- Gravy Dipped Roast Beef Sliders
- Roast Chicken & Giant Couscous Salad
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Leftover Roast Beef Sandwiches
Equipment
- Large Baking Dish
- Baking Tray
Ingredients
- 600 g Leftover Roast Beef (See Notes)
- 350 g Gravy (See Notes)
- 4 Burger Buns
- 8 Swiss Cheese Slices
- 4 tsp Horseradish Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 160°c/140°c fan (320°f/284°f).
- Thinly slice the roast beef, season with salt & pepper then place into a baking dish.
- Next, warm the gravy up in a pan (or in a microwave) then once hot, pour it all over the beef. Cover the dish with foil then bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until piping hot.
- When your beef is almost ready, cut the burger buns in half then toast them, either in a frying pan set over a medium heat or under a grill. Once toasted, place the bottom halves onto a baking tray.
- Top each bun (just the bottom half!) with a teaspoon of horseradish sauce then spread it out to completely cover the bread.
- Next, divide the slices of beef between the sandwiches, placing it on top of the horseradish. I'd recommend using a pair of tongs to lift the beef out of the gravy then spoon extra gravy into the sandwiches!
- Top each sandwich with 2 slices of Swiss cheese then place under a grill for a minute or so, to melt the cheese. If you haven't got a grill, bake in the preheated oven for a couple of minutes, or use a blowtorch to melt the cheese.
- Once the cheese is melted, top the sandwiches with the top half of each bun then serve.
