If you cooked a few too many burgers for that weekend cookout, consider yourself lucky. These easy leftover hamburger recipes are the flipping best!
‘Tis the season for grilling! And if your house is anything like ours, we bet your fridge is full of leftovers, too. When you're feeding a crowd, extras are inevitable!
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If you're looking for some creative ways to use those leftover burgers, you're in the right place! Sure, you could warm them up and eat them on a bun, but we think these leftover hamburger recipes are way more fun. Are you ready to do this?!
HOW LONG WILL LEFTOVER BURGERS STAY FRESH?
If you have leftover burgers, be sure to refrigerate them in an airtight bag or container, and they'll last up to four days. Prefer to freeze them? The same instructions apply, but they'll keep for two to three months when frozen.
When you're ready to eat those frozen burgers, you can defrost them overnight in the refrigerator or thaw them in the microwave before you heat them. By the way, you can freeze the buns, too! We have a whole post devoted to leftover hamburger buns, so check that out for tons more genius ideas. Now, ready to find some fun ways to use those leftover hamburgers?
3 LEFTOVER HAMBURGER RECIPES PERFECT FOR BREAKFAST
You haven't lived until you've had a hamburger for breakfast! Here are three clever (and tasty) recipes we think you'll love:
- Hamburger Omelet – Crumble up your meat and add it to an omelet! Mix and match the other fillings and use up what you've got.
- Breakfast Burger – All you need is one fried egg to turn an average burger into a breakfast burger! Again, use up any extra toppings, too. We hate wasting food around here.
- Loco Moco – If you've ever been to Hawaii, then you know how good this dish is! Either way, you need to try this. Cook some white rice, top it with a warmed-up burger, then top that with a nice and runny fried egg. If you have some brown gravy, pour it on top, then serve and enjoy! No gravy? Don't sweat it. You could top yours with cheese instead.
For the record, if you want to skip the bacon and serve a bun-less burger on the side of your traditional breakfast, that's a fantastic idea, too!
SOUP & SALAD RECIPES
Ready for some lunch? It's soup and salad time! If you're looking for quick and easy lunch options, reach for those leftover hamburgers! Here are three recipes we think you'll love:
- Potato Soup – Crumble a few leftover burgers and add them to this crockpot potato soup about 10-15 minutes before you plan to serve it. Voila! You've suddenly got cheeseburger potato soup. YUM!
- Hamburger Salad – Who says chicken is the only meat that belongs on a salad?! Grab your greens, garnish with a sliced hardboiled egg, your favorite veggies, and some shredded cheese. Top with a burger patty, a yummy homemade vinaigrette, and garnish with croutons for a delicious, quick, and filling meal.
- Chili – Using leftover burgers to make chili is one of the greatest life hacks! Just crumble up that meat and add it to your favorite chili recipe. We might be biased, but we think this crockpot chili is pretty dang good.
In general, soup is a perfect way to use leftover meat! Learn how to build your own soup using whatever ingredients you have on hand. Now, let's talk about dinner, eh?
4 LEFTOVER HAMBURGER RECIPES PERFECT FOR DINNERTIME
Okay, if you're looking for a few new dinner ideas, these leftover hamburger recipes are just the ticket:
- Beefy Mac ‘N Cheese – Elevate your boxed mac ‘n cheese, or make a batch of our creamy homemade macaroni and cheese. Crumble or slice your leftover burgers and add them to the mix for a filling, protein-packed dinner.
- Hamburger Steaks – Sautee some onions and mushrooms and whip up a quick batch of gravy! (We won't judge you if you use the packet mix.) Add your leftover burgers to the pan with your onions and mushrooms. Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes per side or until warmed through. Top with the gravy, then serve with rice or mashed potatoes and enjoy!
- Pasta Bake – Crumble your leftover burgers and add them to this incredibly easy and delicious pasta bake.
- Tacos – Turn your cookout leftovers into Taco Tuesday gold! You have to try these oven-baked tacos. Just use crumbled burgers in place of the ground beef.
If you opt for the tacos, make a quick batch of this cilantro lime rice! You won't be disappointed.
And just like that, you have ten easy ways to use those leftover hamburgers! You could make a weeks' worth of meals from your cookout extras, so don't you dare let a single burger go to waste.
What are some of your favorite leftover hamburger recipes? Leave a comment below and let us know!
Looking for a few more ways to use up leftovers?
- These leftover fruit ideas just might blow your mind!
- And speaking of fruit, you have to try this fruit salsa recipe.
- Last but not least, this chimichangas recipe is leftover gold, and it will rock your world!
You go, grill!
We just had a ton of leftover burgers from our girls’ birthday party and we’re able to repurpose every single one of them using ideas from this post! In the past I probably would have thrown out about half of what was left simply because I’d run out of ideas but this post helped me get creative and have zero waste! Now to use up the rest of the buns too!
Way to go! That’s amazing!!