Leftover Steak Is A Key Shortcut For Making Your Favorite Takeout At Home

Nothing beats homemade takeout-style beef and broccoli for a simple yet satisfying dinner, but even though it's an easy dish, it takes a bit of effort to prep. That's mainly because you need to finely slice the raw beef and marinade it before cooking to get that signature soft, velvety texture. If you've got some leftover cooked steak, however, it makes a handy shortcut for speeding up the process, and it tastes just as good.

Since steak lasts around three to four days in the fridge once it's been cooked, it gives you plenty of opportunity to make the leftover-based meal. You can use a variety of cuts, depending on what you have leftover: Flank steak works well, especially when cut across the grain for tenderness, but you could also use sirloin, skirt, or ribeye. Just cut it into bite-size strips, then saute the meat in hot oil with some ginger and garlic before adding the broccoli and cooking until crisp. Then add a simple sauce — a combo of soy sauce, oyster sauce, and honey works well for a sweet-savory bite.

The whole dinner should only take around 20 minutes in total, making it a great option for a quick weeknight dinner. You don't need much beef for the dish — around a pound of meat would make five generous servings. But if you do have plenty left over, there are also lots of other stir-fry dishes you can add it to for a beefy boost.

To make your leftover steak go further, try bulking out your stir-fry with additional vegetables besides broccoli — use green beans, bell peppers, mushrooms, or whatever you have in the fridge. And it's easy to switch up the sauce — just mix beef broth with soy and cornstarch for a hearty savory addition using pantry staples. Or spice it up with red pepper flakes or sriracha. You could even use a store-bought stir-fry sauce for ease.

For even more umami-rich results, take inspiration from a Hunan-style beef stir-fry recipe. Add chili peppers and chili oil, garlic, and the fermented rice wine Shaoxing for a delicious depth of flavor. For more of a Mongolian feel, you could use garlic, dark soy, sweet brown sugar, and dried red chili in the sauce. Or try making saucy teriyaki beef and noodles by combining soy sauce, mirin, sugar, garlic, and ginger.

One advantage of using leftover steak rather than raw beef for a stir-fry is that you don't need to use a screaming hot pan to cook the beef since it's already cooked. This means you can also be more flexible with the oil you use since you don't need to worry so much about the smoke point when cooking. If you're concerned about the steak overcooking, remove it from the pan once it's heated through and leave it to one side while the veggies cook, then add it back in towards the end.