Leftover Roast Beef Stew

This Leftover Roast Beef Stew doesn’t use potatoes or carrots, so it’s an easy and tasty low-carb dinner to make with leftover roast beef! The recipe calls for a pound of cooked roast beef, but see suggestions for other things to substitute or a similar recipe to make with uncooked beef.

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This Leftover Roast Beef Stew is a recipe from the early days of my site that suddenly got popular again recently, and I wondered why. Then I realized that now beef is so much more expensive that when people splurge on a nice beef roast, they’re probably searching for another dinner idea to make with the leftovers!

And this recipe is the perfect way to use leftover roast beef to make a tasty stew! This beef stew recipe also a perfect example of something that’s tasty no matter what kind of diet you’re following, and with all the flavors from green pepper, mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, oregano, and basil, you won’t miss the potatoes or carrots a bit.

This is a flexible recipe, and you can adjust amounts and ingredients to what you have hanging out in the fridge. The one thing I think is essential is the dried herbs that are simmered in the stock, with the addition of some fresh basil or frozen basil at the end. For me it was a good reason to buy one of those basil plants that you see in the grocery store, and so far I am keeping it alive in my window! But even if you don’t have fresh basil this is delicious and I hope you’ll try it if you get some leftover roast beef!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• onion
• green pepper
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• leftover roast beef or steak
• canned beef broth (or use homemade beef stock if you have some)
• canned diced tomatoes
• Dried Oregano (affiliate link)
• Dried Basil (affiliate link)
• mushrooms
• fresh basil or frozen basil (probably optional, but good)
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

What if you don’t have fresh or frozen basil?

If you don’t have fresh basil or frozen basil you can use the chopped basil that’s sold in a tube, but another easy option if you don’t need the recipe to be dairy-free would be to use purchased basil pesto to add that basil flavor.

What makes this leftover roast beef stew extra flavorful?

Of course starting with roast beef adds flavor to this Italian beef stew. But the stew is also extra flavorful from the green pepper, tomatoes, mushrooms, dried oregano, and dried basil. And if you finish it off with some fresh basil that makes it even better.

What if you have less than a pound of leftover roast beef?

If you have a whole pound of leftover roast beef, I urge you to use the full amount (or even more). But if you don’t have a full pound of beef cubes you can still make a tasty stew. You could use more green pepper or  more mushrooms, or add zucchini, add red bell pepper, add artichoke hearts, or add another vegetable you enjoy in stew. You could also add some bacon or sausage to the stew.

What if you don’t have leftover roast beef?

Check out Italian Beef Stew with Zucchini, Mushrooms, and Basil if you’d like to make a similar stew recipe that starts with uncooked chuck roast.

Want more tasty low-carb stew recipes?

Use Low-Carb and Keto Stew Recipes for lots more tasty ideas for stew, with stews made from beef, fish, sausage, chicken, and vegetables.

How to Make Leftover Roast Beef Stew:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Cut up onion and bell pepper.
2. Cut up leftover roast beef into large bite-sized pieces.
3. Wash mushrooms if needed and thickly slice. 
4. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat, add onions and green peppers, and cook about 3 minutes. 
5. Add dried oregano and basil and cook about 3 minutes more.
6. Add mushrooms and cook 2-3 minutes more.
7. Add the cubes of leftover roast beef, beef broth, and canned tomatoes with liquid. 
8. Reduce heat to very low and let stew simmer about 45 minutes. 
9. If you have fresh basil, use a knife or Herb Scissors (affiliate link) to cut the basil into thin strips.
10. (You can also use frozen basil if you have some. Or use my favorite purchased basil pesto.)
11. Add basil to the stew and simmer about 5-10 minutes more.
12. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
13. Serve hot.

Make it a low-carb meal:

This stew made with leftover roast beef could definitely be a one-dish meal. But if you want to add something else, this would taste great with toasted Olive Bread or Savory Almond Flour Bread and Spring Mix Salad with Mary’s Perfect Dressing.

More Low-Carb Dinners with Beef:

• Ground Beef Gyro Meatball Lettuce Wraps
• Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast
• Pan-Grilled Steak with Olive Sauce

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 4 servings

Leftover Roast Beef Stew

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Leftover Roast Beef Stew is delicious idea for a low-carb dinner when you're lucky enough to have leftover roast beef!

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 lb. leftover roast beef (see notes)
• two 14 oz. cans beef broth (see notes)
• one 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 tsp. dried basil
• 8 oz. mushrooms, cut in thick slices
• 3-4 T chopped fresh basil (see notes)
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cut up onion and bell pepper into 3/4 inch pieces.
2. Cut up leftover roast beef into large bite-sized pieces, about 1 1/2 inches square.
3. Wash mushrooms if needed and thickly slice. (Or you can use pre-sliced mushrooms like I did, which makes it easy.)
4. Heat olive oil in dutch oven or large frying pan with high sides over medium-high heat, add onions and green peppers, and cook about 3 minutes. 
5. Add the dried oregano and dried basil and cook about 3 minutes more.
6. Add mushrooms and cook 2-3 minutes more.
7. Add the cubes of leftover roast beef, beef broth, and canned tomatoes with liquid. 
8. Reduce heat to very low and let the stew simmer about 45 minutes, or until it has thickened. 
9. If you have fresh basil, use a knife or Herb Scissors (affiliate link) to cut the basil into thin strips. (You can also use frozen basil if you're lucky enough to have some. Or use my favorite purchased basil pesto.)
10. Add the basil to the stew and simmer about 5-10 minutes more.
11. Taste and add salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
12. Serve hot.

Notes

Use at or least 2 cups diced beef cubes for this recipe if you don't have a full pound of leftover roast beef. You can also use leftover steak.

You can use 3 1/2 cups homemade beef stock instead of canned beef broth if you have some.

This recipe is a perfect use for frozen chopped basil. You can also use the chopped basil that's sold in a tube if you prefer or use my favorite purchased basil pesto to add the basil flavor.

Recipe created by Kalyn with inspiration from a magazine she saw years ago at Rand's house, but she can't remember what it was.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 229Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 58mgSodium 1980mgCarbohydrates 12gFiber 5gSugar 6gProtein 26g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This leftover roast beef stew would be suitable for Keto, low-carb, and low-glycemic diets, and as long as you use lean roast beef (less than 10% fat), this recipe would be approved for all phases of the original South Beach Diet.  The recipe is also Gluten-Free and Paleo.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Soups and Stew Recipes for more tasty ideas like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
The stew made with leftover roast beef was first posted in the early days of my blog, probably about 2010. The recipe started to get more popular when roast beef got more expensive, and it was last updated with more information in 2024.

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