10 Ways To Use Up Leftover Burger Patties

From fast food to gourmet cookouts, the hamburger represents modernity, convenience, and customized toppings. In a world where the delivery of fresh burger patties is only an app away, there's still something about the smell of burgers on the grill that's irresistible. Perhaps the only problem with burgers as a food (other than making dinner guests eat too much) is what to do with the extra patties after the dishes are washed. 

Hamburgers have existed in some form or another within many cultures and cuisines for millennia. For example, the Roman "Isicia Omentata" was a popular dish made of minced meat, spices, nuts, and wine. Some scholars believe that this proto-recipe even represented ancient practices around meat seasoning.

Throughout human history, fresh meat has also been seen as a luxury for the wealthy. According research published in the journal Public Health Nutrition, it wasn't until the 20th century that many Western societies started gaining access to meat on a more regular basis. And with experts from the United States Department of Agriculture predicting an increase in beef prices throughout 2025, it's incumbent to actually eat all the meat you pay for, even if it's in leftover form.

 When it comes to those leftover burgers, this is a problem you can fix with a little gastronomic creativity — and luckily we're here to help. In true Roman fashion, here are some ideas both old and new for using up leftover burger patties.

Whether you're purchasing it out of a box or making it from scratch, macaroni and cheese is an easy and simple staple for reusing hamburger meat. As it does for many recipes, ground beef heightens the characteristics that make mac and cheese a popular comfort food while offering a jolt of protein in the process. The easiest way to integrate leftover hamburger meat is to combine it with boiled pasta and cheese sauce over the stove. Tomatoes are an unexpected but powerful addition to this classic dinner.

Perhaps the best attribute of mac and cheese, though, is its versatility. Depending on preferences, cooks can incorporate a variety of ingredients to subtly tweak flavoring and reinvigorate what otherwise seems like a humdrum dish. Hamburger meat can greatly contribute to stronger or more unique flavors while keeping the essence of down-home mac intact. Mac and cheese can also get a heartiness boost by adding textured beef to what's otherwise a quick and easy prep.

For a simple and reinvented spin on macaroni, you can crumble up leftover patties and sprinkle them into a combination of cheese, pasta, spice, or — for the very ambitious — sauce. If you're serving to a group, opt for a baked mac and cheese casserole filled with an assortment of different delicacies. Your taste buds (and budget) will thank you.

If you're in the mood for something green that doesn't sacrifice the protein, design a salad that includes bits of beef patty on top of its veggie layer. Taco salads are a great way to recycle leftover tortillas, lettuce, and salsa, which means that adding in hamburger is essentially a no brainer.

It's hard to completely mess up a taco salad, but there are still a couple of best preparation practices to keep in mind. Use a pinch of store-bought taco seasoning on your beef as you're heating it up to provide some extra kick. You can even mix and match your own unique flavor by playing with different quantities of chili powder or garlic powder. Add in the lettuce base (head types with some extra crunch are great for highlighting the texture of finely cooked meat), shredded cheese, and some zesty dressing to top it off.

Taco salads are filling, but incorporating additional healthy fats and nutrients via avocado slices, corn, and jalapeños elevate this meal to one you don't need to feel guilty about eating. If you're worried about calorie counts, skip the dressing and douse your bowl with salsa and lime. Depending on how lean your patty meat is, you can choose to include more cut up pieces of beef or less. It's also easier to ensure every guest enjoys what they're eating when you give them the option to customize via taco salad bar!

For a foray into a completely different food genre, save your leftover hamburger for the perfect homemade pasta sauce. Any pasta maker worth their chef's apron knows that homemade sauce is generally cheaper — and, in many ways, tastier! — than the store-bought kind.

Although it might seem daunting at first, homemade meat sauce has a fresher taste, even when it's using food you cooked a few nights previous. Pasta meals are also a great way to expand your culinary talents by going low calorie or gluten free. Plus, restaurant and store bought sauces can have more additives and preservatives than you realize. In 2019, allegations that the Barilla brand was misleadingly advertising its pasta sauces as having "no preservatives" led to an expensive class action lawsuit. At least with homemade pasta sauce, you know exactly what you're putting in.

When it comes to entertaining dinner guests (or simply trying to appease the varying tastes of an entire household, which is easier said than done), controlling the amount of meat mixed into each sauce batch is another good strategy for meeting everybody's taste preferences. And if you find yourself reaching for that jar of store-bought pasta sauce, that's ok too. Heat up your leftover hamburger patties like normal and add them into the pan. Not only will this addition elevate flavors, but it will also make your sauce just that more substantial. Chances are your table guests won't even recognize the difference.

Shredded beef, carne asada, shrimp ... there's a lot of great filling options for homemade tacos. What about leftover hamburger patties? Turns out, they're just as good as everything else on the list.

Leftover hamburger patties are a great protein to add to homemade tacos. Ground beef that's already been cooked is easily browned, a process that results in a surprisingly flavorful and juicy taco filling. Cooks want to ensure that the meat is moist and properly mixed with all the spices, salsa, and tomatoes you plan to include. To lean into a popular fad, build your own taco hamburger, a concoction of ground beef, crisp tortillas, and traditional burger toppings and sauces.

A clever hack for cooking burger tacos involves placing patties on the stove and covering them with tortillas. As the meat cooks, it will stick to the tortilla and provide some additional crunch for taste testers. After all, who said tacos had to have all the Tuesday fun?

Three words: meat lover pizza. Sure, you could order a frozen or fresh pie to your doorstep in two seconds, but that would eliminate your ability to carefully layer on the meats your way.

For anybody who's tried it, pizza with meat tends to be greasier than its veggie-topped cousins. Pre-cooked patties, however, actually make home assembly easier as excess fat has already been drained out via the original meal. An ideal ratio of beef to fat should be roughly 80/20, particularly if you're wanting to elevate the patty meat as an alternative to other options like pepperoni.

Some variations on the typical formula include switching out mozzarella for other cheese types, making your own sauce, and adding a pinch of unexpected spiciness. If you do opt for an establishment-made pie, consider crisping and adding your remaining hamburger patties to that pizza. Your beef will naturally blend with the dish's tomato sauce and cheese for maximum deliciousness.

In some circles, fresh chili can be considered a bit of a miracle dish: its high protein, vitamin, fiber, and anti-inflammatory properties can all have major benefits for the human body. Adding leftover ground beef from a burger further elevates its consistency, taste, and nutrient level (check out this spicy slow-cooker beef chili as an example).

When it comes to chili, there's an essentially endless number of possibilities in spiciness level, density, and bean type. Simmer meat with the rest of your ingredients over an extended period, which allows flavors to bleed into each other. You can even try the blooming approach by frying spices before adding them to the mix. Since fats tend to coat your mouth, toasting already-cooked meat in oil can actually amplify the experience for your taste buds. Just make sure you're not causing fat from the meat to smoke in your pan; overcooking does the opposite when it comes to taste.

When adding ground beef, you can further brown the meat to leach out excess fat and emphasize crispiness. Then, cook it in the same pan as other ingredients — onions, garlic, chili powder, and beans are pretty standard — for a wonderful-smelling concoction ready for your local chili cook off. Best of all, you can experiment with different kinds of chili while adding leftover hamburger patties into each one. That way, you don't actually have to decide which one is your favorite!

Originating in Bologna, Italy, Bolognese sauce is typically made with ground meats, onions, and tomatoes. Leftover burger patties in particular (especially if you feel like crisping them up a bit) are a great addition to this authentic Italian offering.

Bolognese sauce differs based on where you're trying it, and longstanding Italian family or regional preferences can account for the fact that no two recipes are exactly alike. Unlike marinara where tomatoes are the star of the show, Bolognese sauce emphasizes the texture and taste of the meat placed at the center of the dish. Outside of pasta, lasagnas that use Bolognese sauce are a great way to serve a heartier meal that better correlates with leftover ground beef. The trick to Bolognese sauce is in the quality of the ingredients, which means cooking it a day or so after your burger night is a great way to use up expensive meat. Depending on the ingredients you use, you can also freeze homemade Bolognese sauce for use in a future meal.

As you infuse pre-cooked meat into your pan, you might want to consider the type of pasta you'll use to complement your homemade sauce. Thick or thin noodles can impact consistency and flavor just as much as the type of beef, chicken, or pork can. For a heartier sauce like this, thicker is better.

At first glance, it doesn't seem like leftover hamburger patties can really be used for traditional breakfast dishes. However, just as spice, egg, and sausage can combine to make breakfast burritos, ground beef is another option to add to your repertoire.

Unlike batter-filled pancakes and waffles, breakfast burritos are a relatively quick fix, particularly if your patties are already at hand. Plus, beef heightens the protein content in your burrito, which ultimately makes for a much heartier meal than before. For a healthier alternative, you can even brown the ground beef to squeeze out just a bit more fat.

Beef breakfast burritos go further than other dishes for serving future breakfast (or dinner!) with minimal effort. Store them in the fridge and quickly take them out to reheat in the microwave or oven. Add some peppers or another veggie to change up the taste, and you've got yourself sustenance for a few busy mornings.

If you're using leftover hamburger patties to make pasta sauce, you might as well add meatballs to that prep list. Most recipes call for fresh beef that is roughly 80% lean because it still holds enough fat to stick ingredients together when forming the balls. Although raw ground beef is generally the ideal option for making meatballs, that doesn't mean you can't use leftovers for them in a pinch. 

After crumbling up your leftover patties, make sure to add some egg so it can serve as a binder for the meat and retain moisture. Although the balls might be a little flatter than usual, you can still elevate the taste via different spices like Italian seasoning, onion powder, or garlic salt. Try to limit the amount of time you work the meatballs into shape, as heat from your hands can lead to denser meat and less consistency in ingredient distribution.

To make your leftover meat hold shape a little better, refrigerate your newly made meatballs for about an hour. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, you can also freeze cooked ground beef for up to four months. The latter option might work the best when forming meatballs from hamburger patties as frozen meatballs tend to lose flavor over time when stored anyways. If you have an upcoming party, work event, or informal gathering, busting out the pre-made meatballs is a quick way to present some appetizers. In this way, your leftover hamburger patties actually saved you time twice — once while forming the meatballs and again when serving them!

One of the more obvious ways to transform a hamburger patty is by compressing it into meatloaf. Meatloaf is a dish easily ruined by poor ingredients and incorrect baking time, which also means that — when done right — it can be very, very good.

Composed typically of ground beef, meatloaf is formed from a literal bread-like combination of seasoning, sautéed vegetables, and sauces (ketchup or barbecue sauce are the most frequent favorites). Like many other meal options that use up leftover ground beef, meatloaf tends to benefit from leaner meat that has less overall fat. In fact, having roughly 15% total fat content in your ground beef keeps you from committing a common mistake that leads to dry meatloaf. Having too much fat can lead to a heavier and greasier dish, while pre-cooked, leaner options mitigate those issues and can be supplemented by soaked breadcrumbs if the meat doesn't seem moist enough.

Although meatloaf might be seen as the quintessential way to use leftover hamburger patties, there's a plethora of dishes to choose from, particularly if you're a little willing to experiment. Worst case scenario? You heat up the patties you already have and slap them onto a burger bun. After all, leftover hamburgers are a perfectly valid option too.