Leftover Roast Beef Stroganoff

Leftover Roast Beef Stroganoff is a fantastic family dinner and the perfect way to use up leftovers. Serve with rice, pasta or potatoes for a yummy Monday night dinner.

This recipe has been updated a few times over the years, but the basics remain the same. Leftover roast beef, a yummy creamy sauce and a super simple, easy-to-follow recipe. 

It’s a kid-friendly beef stroganoff recipe that my family absolutely love. 

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Why I Love Leftover Roast Beef Stroganoff

I adore this recipe, and it’s always been very popular with my readers. 

• It’s easy to make.
• Leftover roast beef stroganoff is the perfect way to avoid food waste, make the most of expensive roast beef, and save time. 
• It’s a fantastic midweek dinner. 
• I love the flavour of stroganoff. It’s not too strong but very creamy and has a nice kick of flavour. 
• Served with pasta stroganoff with leftover roast beef, it is one of my favourite comfort foods. 
• It’s a delicious meal with a fairly low cooking time.

Disclaimer: While I aim to be as accurate as possible, any advice in this post, including but not limited to, cooking times, quantities, nutritional information and storage and freezing guidance is based on my own experience. Please use your own skills, knowledge and judgement, and get up to date food safety information. 

Ingredients For leftover Beef Stroganoff

When I make my leftover roast beef stroganoff recipe, I use:

Butter – Margarine is ok, but butter will have a much better flavour. You could also use olive oil, but I prefer butter.

Red Onion – Brown/yellow is ok too, but I prefer red. 

Garlic – or Garlic puree. 

Mushrooms

Dijon Mustard

Smoked Paprika

Lemon Juice – Fresh or bottled is fine. 

Beef Stock

Leftover Roast Beef – Ideally about 400g, but use whatever you’ve got. 

Salt and Pepper

Soured Cream

Parsley – Fresh is best, but I often use dried.

You’ll Also Need

I recommend a sharp knife and chopping board to chop your beef and vegetables, and I cook my stroganoff with leftover beef in a large non-stick frying pan. A cast-iron Dutch Oven would be good, too. Anything that’s flameproof and non-stick. 

You’ll also need a spatula and a saucepan to cook your sides.

How to Cook Stroganoff from Scratch – Step-by-Step Instructions

Full, easy-to-follow instructions and quantities are available in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step One

Melt a good knob of butter in a large non-stick flameproof pan or dish over medium heat.

Step Two

Add the onions and fry for 5 minutes, stirring often until soft. 

Step Three

Add the garlic and cook for a further 3 minutes, stirring often. 

Step Four

Add the sliced mushrooms and fry for 2 minutes, stirring often. 

Step Five

Stir in the mustard, paprika and lemon juice until well mixed together. 

Step Six

Pour in the stock and add the sliced beef with a little salt and pepper. 

Step Seven

Bring to a boil, reduce to a low heat and simmer for 2 minutes.

Step Eight

Add the sour cream and parsley. Stir well. 

Step Nine

Simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened. 

Top Tips

This leftover roast beef stroganoff recipe is super simple, so there are not too many tips.

• You don’t need to cook, or sear the beef first, because it’s a stroganoff with cooked beef. It’ll warm as it simmers in the sauce.
• I recommend butter instead of margarine. 
• Use full-fat dairy, which is less likely to separate.
• If, after 20 minutes, your sauce is too watery, simmer for a little longer to thicken it up. 

Serving Suggestions

I usually serve my leftover roast beef stroganoff with pasta. Something like tagliatelle is good, but tubes are nice too because all the sauce gets inside, so there’s stroganoff sauce with every bite. 

Other options include rice, potatoes and egg noodles. I’ve never tried it, but I suspect beef stroganoff from leftover roast would be amazing on a baked potato. Because I think everything is great on a baked potato!

You could also serve with bread or garlic bread to mop up the creamy stroganoff sauce. 

Variations

There are a few variations that you can make to this leftover roast beef stroganoff recipe. 

First, the soured cream. I prefer leftover roast beef stroganoff with sour cream, but I know some recipes call for cream or crème fraiche. Some people even make leftover roast beef stroganoff with cream of mushroom soup. 

Next, the vegetables. I just add mushrooms, but you can add some peppers, too, if you want to. I usually use close cup or button mushrooms; chestnut would be great, too. See my mushroom stroganoff recipe for some options. 

Leftovers

I don’t recommend saving leftovers because the leftover roast beef has already been cooked twice, and every time you reheat meat, the risks increase. Try to eat your beef stroganoff with leftover roast on the same day as you cook it. 

Storage

Before making stroganoff, make sure your leftover roast beef is stored in a clean, sealed or covered tub in the fridge (between 1-5 degrees C) and that you only keep it for a day or two. 

Don’t save beef if it wasn’t in date when you cooked it or if it’s been left out on the side for too long (just leave it out to cool, doing so quickly by removing it from the cooking pan) and throw it away if it smells, looks or feels off. Trust your instincts.

I try to cook my leftover roast beef from Sunday on Monday. 

FAQ

Other Recipes Using Leftover Roast Beef

If you are looking for how to use up leftover Roast beef, and you like this easy beef stroganoff, there are tons of options! Some of my favourites include:

• Leftover Beef Ragu
• Burritos with Leftover Beef
• Leftover Roast Beef Pie
• Cottage Pie with Leftover Roast Beef
• Leftover Roast Beef Fried Rice
• Hotpot
• Chilli
• Leftover Roast Beef Curry
• Stir Fry

Recipe Card

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