After my last two posts you may be getting the impression that I enjoy the proverbial “squeeze the nickel so hard that the buffalo craps”. Well, you would be right. Let’s face it, times are hard—at least they are for me. And I fear that they may be getting harder.
But, in my evolution into “Cheap Bastid” what I’ve tried to do is turn good eating on the cheap almost into a sport. Take this 3-part series on Roast Beast and Shredded Leftover Roast Beef recipes for example. There’s no need to just keep reheating the same old thing until you run out of it or it petrifies and the dog won’t even eat it.
Just keep a little bit of “top of mind awareness” about the possibilities and have some fun with it. There are times when I look forward to the leftover potential of a meal as much as I do the meal itself whether it’s turkey or pork roast or ham or beef. And every time I do I give myself a little self-satisfied pat on the back for being frugal.
Note: To check out the first 2 posts in this series–“Roast Beast–Slow Cooker Pot Roast” and “Shredded Leftover Roast Beast Part 1” scroll to the bottom and click on the links or just go to the “Cheap Bastid Cooks” homepage.
So, here’s a couple more Shredded Leftover Roast beef recipes which you might enjoy making out of leftovers. Give ‘em a try and let me know what you think.
Recipe: Shredded Beef Torta
Summary: Turn your left over roast beef into a tasty Shredded Beef Torta. It’s quick and easy.
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded left over meat
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 small can salsa verde or green chilis
- 4 “skinny” buns
- ½ cup shredded cheese—yellow & white
- Spices
Instructions
- Take out your sauté pan and put on medium heat. Add the chopped onion.
- Then add a couple of cups of shredded beef along with some cumin, garlic, ancho or chili powder and some ground chipotle (all to taste).
- Open up a small can of either green chilies or salsa verde (I’m too lazy to make it from scratch).
- For these tortas I used those skinny little buns that came out the last couple of years—they’re perfect for this, not too bready and at least have the appearance of being more “healthy”.
- Put down a layer of beef, some onions, a couple of tablespoons of the green chilies and a handful of shredded cheese. Zap it or toast it if you want to melt the cheese.
Preparation time: 5 minute(s)
Cooking time: 10 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 4
My rating 5 stars: ★★★★★ 1 review(s)
Recipe: Shredded Beef Grish
This has become one of my favorite “go-to” dishes for leftovers with beef, pork, chicken or shrimp (yeah, like there’s ever leftover shrimp!). It’s a term I made up combining Grits and Hash except I pronounce it as if it’s spelled “greesh”. Pick up a bag of stone ground grits/polenta (I use “Bobs Red Mill” which is about $2.30 for a 1 ½ lb bag).
Summary: Here’s a spin on shredded beef hash using grits. It’s easy and super tasty!
Ingredients
- Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups shredded beef
- 1 ½ cups grits (uncooked)
- 1 cup bell pepper chopped (any color you like)
- 1 jalapeno (seeded and chopped)
- ½ cut chopped onion
- 1 8 oz can tomato sauce or 1 chopped medium tomato
- ½ cup broth
Instructions
- For 2 people make a total of 1 ½ cups grits mixed with 4 cups water and 1 cup broth along with a couple of tablespoons of butter or margarine.
- Bring liquid to a boil, turn heat all the way down, slowly add the grits, stir well, cover and leave it alone for about 15-20 minutes, then add a handful of cheese, stir and serve. Heat your medium sauté pan and add a glug or 2 of oil. Drop in the chopped vegetables and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add a couple of cups of shredded beef and heat thoroughly.
- Add the tomatoes/tomato sauce and about 1/2 cup broth or water.
- Season with salt, pepper, cumin and garlic. Turn down the heat and let this thicken just a bit.
- Then plate with a healthy bunch of grits topped with the meat and vegetable mix.
Preparation time: 10 minute(s)
Cooking time: 30 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 4
My rating 5 stars: ★★★★★ 1 review(s)
Well, that’s 4 dishes that you can make with left over pot roast/shredded beef. What other possibilities are there?
- Soup—beef barley, beef vegetable
- Chili with shredded beef
- Shredded beef Fried Rice
- “Brinner”—a skillet hash made with potatoes, chopped shredded beef, eggs and cheese
- Shepard’s Pie—shredded beef, peas and carrots, gravy topped with a “crust” of mashed potatoes.
- BBQ Beef—shredded beef and barbecue sauce sandwiches with beans and slaw
- Hot Roast Beast sandwiches—shredded beef on top of a slice of bread smothered in mashed potatoes and drowned in gravy.
Cheap Bastid is all about saving money and eating well at the same time. In today’s world, money is tighter than ever and food keeps taking a bigger and bigger hunk out of our budget. I’ve turned saving money on food into a “sport”, always looking for ways to save while cooking homemade meals that are nutritious, simple and tasty.
That’s the Cheap Bastid Way: Eat Good. Eat Cheap. Be Grateful!
Here are the links to the first 2 posts in the series:
Roast Beast–Slow Cooker Pot Roast: http://www.cheap-bastid-cooks.com/roast-beast-slow-cooker-pot-roast/
Shredded Left Over Roast Beast Part 1: http://www.cheap-bastid-cooks.com/shredded-leftover-roast-beast-part-1/
