If You Have Sliced Roast Beef, Cream Cheese, And Herbs, Make These Delectable Appetizers

Among the many creative ways to use up leftover roast beef, some of the tastiest have nothing whatsoever to do with expected sandwiches, stews, or casseroles. Instead of just using it to supplement other proteins or as a flavorful addition in a salad, consider simultaneously showcasing and transforming sliced roast beef with two other common household ingredients: cream cheese and your favorite seasonings. With these seemingly simple elements, you can quickly whip together a platter of roast beef roll-ups, a delicious three-ingredient appetizer.

On paper, the straightforward process of folding spices and herbs into cream cheese, then spreading it directly onto slices of roast beef doesn't sound like anything special. However, once those slices are rolled into tubes and cut into tidy spirals, they become little bites of creamy, savory heaven. The peppery, meaty richness from the roast beef meets the tangy richness of the cream cheese, with whatever seasonings you choose offering a contrast to keep the flavors from becoming too heavy.

That's why the seasonings you pick for the cream cheese are important, as they'll determine the appetizers' overall flavor profile. For instance, roasted garlic and an herby Italian seasoning blend offer an earthy, piney, pungent punch of flavor that enhances the flavor of the roast beef and cream cheese. Or, you could draw inspiration from a popular three-ingredient pickle dip with a cream cheese base flavored with dried beef and minced pickles. Simply fold pickles and fresh dill into your cream cheese and spread it on the roast beef slices.

This simple recipe isn't just a delicious way to use up those last few slices of roast beef, it's also a quick, easy, and sophisticated addition to charcuterie boards. Charcuterie staples like sturdy whole grain crackers, olive tapenade, and even various fruity jams (fig, apricot, or red pepper jam, especially) offer dynamic, interesting, and unbelievably tasty flavors and textures that pair nicely with these creamy, savory roast beef roll-ups. They're also perfect for packing up into a cooler for picnics and beach days, and can even work as a light lunch served with toast points and fruit.

Additionally, there are dozens of different ways to make them depending on what's in your fridge and pantry. Roast beef and cream cheese are the only must-have ingredients, and it doesn't even have to be plain cream cheese. Classic flavors like chive and onion, garden vegetable, or garlic and herb all offer the seasonings and cream cheese in a single tub, so you can decide whether or not to zhuzh things up further. If you're lucky enough to have smoked salmon-infused cream cheese on hand, you can whip it together with some capers for a surf-and-turf version of this appetizer.

You can also flavor plain cream cheese with ingredients typically paired with roast beef, such as horseradish spread or Dijon mustard. Just be careful not to use too much of either condiment, as you want the cream cheese to remain solid enough that your apps don't get soupy and fall apart.