Upgrade your sandwich game with this easy Roast Beef Sandwich recipe! You can use roast beef from the deli counter or put leftover roast beef to work in between a gorgeous brioche bun, then slather it with a 2-minute horseradish sauce, and top it off with garnishes galore.
It's hard to believe that a sandwich this gourmet comes together in less than 10 minutes, making it great for lunchtime or a quick-fix, complaint-free dinner!
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Why This Recipe Works
The cold roast beef sandwich recipe featured in today's post was created to get you the max amount of flavor with the least amount of effort and time. However, if you're looking to serve up a hot roast beef sandwich, we've got you! Check out this section below.
You'll fall in love with this quick and easy horseradish sauce we also use on our leftover prime rib sandwich. The spice, tang, and vinegary notes from the horseradish is the perfect condiment for cutting through the fatty, savory flavor of the beef.
Roast Beef Sandwich Sauce
You'll want to whip up this homemade roast beef sauce to take this roast beef sandwich recipe to the next level. It consists of simple ingredients like prepared horseradish, mayonnaise, and a little squeeze of sour cream.
To make it, all you have to do is combine the ingredients in a bowl and mix.
If you don't want to make a horseradish sauce, you can use BBQ sauce, mayo, Dijon mustard, plain mayonnaise, or whatever else floats your boat.
Ingredients
The elements that make up this delicious sandwich are roast beef, sauce, bread, and toppings. One of our favorite toppings is the cool creamy horseradish sauce: the perfect pairing for roast beef.
Roast Beef | We reached for the deli meat to make this sandwich. However, you can use thinly sliced leftover pot roast, prime rib, or roasted beef tenderloin. Pro-tip: leftover beef will slice easier cold.
Buns | We love brioche buns for this roast beef sandwich! They are slightly sweet with pillow-soft texture, similar to our homemade potato buns. Sliced bread like rye, pumpernickel, or sourdough are other bread options that work well for this recipe. You can even use even hoagie rolls or a baguette.
Baby Spinach | This leafy green is mild in flavor yet tender-crisp and slightly sweet. A perfect, fresh touch and counterpoint to the savory sandwich elements. For a spicy touch, use arugula instead. Here for the crunch? Use romaine or shredded lettuce instead.
Roasted Red Peppers | This is an extra special sandwich touch we stole from our favorite sandwich spot/bakery in town. Roasted red peppers are sweet and smoky and add some seriously delicious complexity to the flavor profile of this sandwich.
Onion | Red onions add a great touch of spice to this sandwich, not to mention some gorgeous color. If you don't have red onion on hand, feel free to use yellow or white or leave it out altogether.
Cheese | Our favorite cheese for this sandwich is the go-to cheese we use for our gourmet grilled cheese, too: sliced cheddar. Provolone or Swiss work as well, and if you want to be real extra, consider making a cheddar sauce from scratch.
How to Make Roast Beef Sandwiches
Make Horseradish Sauce | Add the creamy horseradish sauce ingredients to a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside until ready to use.
Assemble Sandwich | For the sandwiches, lay out the slices of bread on a work surface. Smear the desired amount of sauce across the bottom slice of bread and add a generous pinch of spinach. Add sliced roast beef, followed by 1-2 slices of cheese. Add onion, red pepper, and an additional drizzle of sauce, if using.
Season, Serve, + Enjoy! | Sprinkle with salt and pepper, top the sandwich with the other slice of bread, serve, and enjoy!
And if you want to throw in a comfort food dish on the weeknight menu, we can't get enough of meatloaf with our homemade meatloaf seasoning!
Roast Beef Sandwich Ideas
If you're looking to enjoy your roast beef sandwich warm, try one of our sandwich ideas from below. If you're looking for a shredded roast beef sandwich, check out our roast beef po' boys or go the torta route with our Mexican shredded beef.
For a Hot Roast Beef Sandwich
For a hot roast beef sandwich recipe, place your thinly sliced roast beef or deli meat to a pan, add either beef gravy or beef broth to cover, and place on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warmed.
If you're making these sandwiches with leftover roast and have some au jus on hand, you can also warm that up, add some broth as needed and use that to warm your beef.
For an Arby's Style Roast Beef Sandwich
We have a dupe for you if you love an Arby's roast beef sandwich. For this roast beef sandwich, you'll need warm roast beef and a cheese sauce.
Use the method above to heat the beef and make a homemade cheddar sauce. Cheddar sauces are easy to make from scratch and come together quickly! We use the cheese sauce over broccoli, but it is the exact same cheddar sauce you'd use for a hot sandwich.
What to Serve with Your Sandwich
You can never go wrong with the classic side of potato chips and a Kosher dill pickle. And no one will be mad at a classic house salad.
If making these sandwiches for a crowd, consider whipping up a quick bow-tie pasta salad or shells and cheese.
These sandwiches also make a great game day addition, too! Roast beef sandwiches also go great with classic football food like pickle chips, armadillo eggs, and Texas trash mix.
5 More Sandwich Recipes You'll Love
Roast Beef Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients
For the Roast Beef Sandwich Sauce:
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
For the Sandwiches:
- 4 brioche buns, sliced in half
- 1 cup baby spinach, rinsed and dried
- 1 thinly sliced roast beef
- 4-8 slices cheddar, Provolone, or Swiss cheese
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- 2 roasted red bell peppers from jar, e.g. Dellalo's Roasted Red Peppers in Water, patted dry and sliced into ¼" strips
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add all of the creamy horseradish sauce ingredients to a small mixing bowl, and whisk to combine. Set aside until ready to use.
- For the sandwiches, lay out the slices of bread on a work surface. Smear the desired amount of sauce across the bottom slice of bread and add a generous pinch of spinach. Add sliced roast beef, followed by 1-2 slices of cheese. Add onion, red pepper, and an additional drizzle of sauce, if using.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper, top the sandwich with the other slice of bread, serve, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Meagen says
One of my husbands favorites! Came out so well and everyone loved it. Will definitely make again! Yum!
wilhelmina says
This is one excellent sandwich! My favorite part was the sauce, it is so good!