Roast Beef Sandwich
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Whether you pick up roast beef at the deli counter, or use leftover meat from a holiday roast, you’re going to love this hot Roast Beef Sandwich recipe! It’s got creamy horseradish, melty cheese, and peppery arugula, all served on top of thinly sliced, warm roast beef for the ultimate sandwich recipe.
Add caramelized onions, or serve it with au jus on the side, for even more layers of flavor!
Thank you to my friends at California Beef Council for sponsoring today’s post.
Table of contents
You’ve just made a delicious beef roast for your family and you end up with some leftovers. Sure, you could just slice it up and put it between a couple of pieces of bread, but instead, I recommend spending just 10 minutes to make the best roast beef sandwiches!
These sandwiches are bursting with flavor and so easy to make. Just follow my simple recipe, plus the tips and tricks I’m sharing in this post, and you’ll never head out to fast food for a roast beef sandwich again!
This recipe works with any leftover roast beef. Whether you have leftover prime rib, smoked strip roast or beef tenderloin, you can thinly slice any of these cuts of beef and turn them into a delicious sandwich. Even if you don’t have leftover roast beef at home, you can always head to the deli counter at the grocery store and pick up some deli roast beef there.
These sandwiches are so easy to make, you can enjoy them for a quick lunch or simple weeknight meal. The toppings can be switched up to give you delicious variations of this warm and tasty sandwich!
Ingredients
- Beef broth – you can purchase premade beef broth at the grocery store, or make your own using beef bouillon. I love this Custom Culinary Beef Base that I found at a restaurant supply store in San Diego. You can order it online direct with a $5 shipping charge. It’s a little expensive for beef bouillon, but oh my gosh the flavor is so good.
- Roast beef – either thinly slice beef leftover from a prepared roast, like a prime rib, strip roast or beef tenderloin, or purchase thinly sliced roast beef at the deli counter at the grocery store.
- Creamy horseradish – rather than overpowering the rich taste of the beef, horseradish is a great compliment to beef that elevates the flavor of the meat even more. It has a spicy, peppery taste that is delicious on this sandwich!
- Arugula – sticking with the peppery theme of this sandwich, I used peppery arugula as the greens on this sandwich for the perfect pairing.
- Onions – these can be thinly sliced raw onions, pickled onions, or caramelized onions. It really depends on the flavor you’re going for in the sandwich. The raw onions will add a nice crunchy bite to the sandwich, while the pickled onions add a bright, tangy flavor to the sandwich. For my favorite addition, use caramelized onions to add a rich, sweet flavor to the sandwich.
- Sandwich rolls – feel free to use your favorite rolls for this recipe. I used brioche rolls because I love the sweet, buttery flavor. Hoagie rolls, potato rolls, pretzel rolls or kaiser rolls will all work for this recipe. Or you could simply use a hamburger bun.
- Provolone cheese – this is a great melting cheese with a sharp taste that melts perfectly over the roast beef on this sandwich. For another classic roast beef pairing, try a sharp cheddar cheese, or swiss cheese on this sandwich. All of these are semi-hard cheeses that melt well and pair great with roast beef.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Toast the buns. Heat a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Brush the inside of the top and bottom halves of the sandwich rolls, or buns, with olive oil, or spray with cooking spray. Once the skillet is hot, add the buns, cut side down, to the skillet. Toast for 1-2 minutes, or until the inside of the bread is nicely browned. Remove the rolls from the skillet and place the bottom half of the rolls on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spread ½ tablespoon creamy horseradish on each of the bottom buns.
- Heat up the beef. Bring beef broth to boil in a medium pot on the stove over high heat. Once the broth is boiling, use tongs to dip thin slices of beef in the broth for 20-30 seconds. It should be just long enough to heat them up, without overcooking them.
- Assemble the sandwich. Place the slices of warm beef on the toasted bottom buns, on top of the creamy horseradish. Add a slice of provolone cheese on top of the roast beef. Turn the broiler on the oven to high. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven.
- Toast the sandwich. Place the open faced sandwiches under the broiler in the oven for 1-2 minutes, or just until the cheese is melted over the beef. Top with the arugula, onions and toasted top bun. Serve immediately. If you want to serve an au jus on the side for dipping, pour the beef broth used to heat up the roast beef into small bowls. Serve this on the side of the sandwiches.
Recipe tips
- It’s much easier to thinly slice roast beef when it’s cold. So if you’re using a leftover beef roast for this recipe, I recommend storing it unsliced in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to use it, remove it from the refrigerator, after it’s cooled completely, and thinly slice it to make the sandwiches. Use the sharpest knife you have to get the thinest slices possible.
- Always make sure there’s a moisture-barrier spread on the bottom bun. This helps prevent the bottom bun from getting soggy. If you don’t like creamy horseradish, then use mayo or dijon mustard.
- You can make this recipe into a cold roast beef sandwich. Simply omit the steps of heating up the roast beef and melting the cheese over the beef in the oven. Just assemble the sandwich and dig in!
Recipe substitutions
This roast beef sandwich recipe is written out exactly how I make them at home. But sometimes you have cheddar in the refrigerator, instead of provolone, or you don’t have any arugula stored in the fridge.
For those times, use the ideas for additions and substitutions in this recipe.
- Spinach or leaf lettuce, instead of arugula – if you’re looking for another leafy green to add to this sandwich, try spinach leaves or pieces of leaf lettuce.
- Sharp cheddar or swiss cheese, instead of provolone – all of these cheeses will add a melty layer of flavor to this sandwich!
- Mayo instead of creamy horseradish – if horseradish has a bit too much spice for you, use mayonnaise instead.
- Hot dog buns instead of sandwich rolls – I’m all about using what you have on hand to make these simple sandwiches. If you have hot dog buns laying around, just spread some creamy horseradish inside, then stuff it full of flavorful roast beef and top it with a slice of cheese.
- Stout beer instead of beef broth – pour a 12 ounce bottle of stout beer into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Dip the beef in the beer to reheat it, rather than dipping it in boiling beef broth. This will give the beef an interesting flavor and make for some of the best sandwiches ever!
What to serve with it
Serve these sandwiches with your favorite potato chips, or any of these delicious side dishes!
More easy beef recipes
Keep these other beef recipes in your back pocket for anytime you’re looking for an easy meal!
Roast Beef Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups beef broth
- 1 pound roast beef, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons creamy horseradish
- 1 cup arugula
- ½ cup thinly sliced onions, or caramelized onions
- 4 sandwich rolls
- 4 slices provolone cheese, or sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler in the oven to high. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven.
- Heat a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Spray the top and bottom halves of each sandwich roll with nonstick cooking spray, or brush them with olive oil.
- Once the skillet is hot, add the buns, cut side down, to the skillet and toast for 1-2 minutes, or until the bread is nicely browned on the bottom.
- Remove the rolls from the skillet.
- Place the bottom half of the rolls on a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Spread ½ tablespoon creamy horseradish on each of the bottom buns.
- Add the beef broth to a medium saucepan on the stove over high heat to bring the broth to a simmer.
- Thinly slice the roast beef, if it's not already sliced.
- Use kitchen tongs to dip the slices of beef in the boiling broth for 20-30 seconds, then place the slices of beef on the bottom buns, on top of the creamy horseradish.
- Add a slice of provolone cheese on top of the roast beef on each bun.
- Place the open faced sandwiches, on the middle rack of the oven, under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, or just until the cheese is melted over the beef.
- Remove the sandwiches from the oven and top each with ¼ cup arugula, a few sliced onions and the top toasted buns.
- Serve immediately.
- If you want to serve an au jus on the side for dipping, pour the beef broth used to heat up the roast beef into small bowls. Serve this on the side of the sandwiches.
Notes
- It’s much easier to thinly slice roast beef when it’s cold. So if you’re using a leftover beef roast for this recipe, I recommend storing it unsliced in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to use it, remove it from the refrigerator, after it’s cooled completely, and thinly slice it to make the sandwiches. Use the sharpest knife you have to get the thinest slices possible.
- Always make sure there’s a moisture-barrier spread on the bottom bun. This helps prevent the bottom bun from getting soggy. If you don’t like creamy horseradish, then use mayo or dijon mustard.
- You can make this recipe into a cold roast beef sandwich. Simply omit the steps of heating up the roast beef and melting the cheese over the beef in the oven. Just assemble the sandwich and dig in!
Nutrition Facts
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