Cold Roast Beef Sandwich is a delicious and quick meal idea consisting of sliced baguettes loaded with layers of creamy mayonnaise, arugula, truffle oil, thinly sliced roast beef, shaved Parmesan, and chopped nuts.
Serve your cold roast beef sandwich with a side of French fries, crispy onion rings, or pasta salad for a nutritious and well-balanced meal.
During summer, we enjoy making sandwiches for lunches and serving these as delicious appetizers for parties, and I seriously love a delicious sandwich meal - from our Juicy Burgers to Chicken Wraps, this deli style Roast Beef Sandwich is sure to be loved by many.
Jump To
- 🛒Ingredients For Cold Beef Sandwich
- What Roast Beef Is Best?
- 🥣How To Make Deli Roast Beef Sandwich
- What’s The Best Bread To Use?
- 📋Tips For Making The Best Roast Beef Sandwiches
- What Sauces Go With Roast Beef Sandwich?
- What To Put On A Roast Beef Sandwich?
- Storage Instructions
- 👪What To Serve With Cold Roast Beef Sandwiches
- Popular Variations
- 🤷Frequently Asked Questions
- More Sandwich Recipes You'll Love
- Did You Like This Article?
- 📖Recipe
- More Beef Recipes
- 💬 Comments
🛒Ingredients For Cold Beef Sandwich
- Bread - baguette, a good crusty artisan bread or pita bread. Read on below to see more choices.
- Roast beef - the perfect way to use those roast beef leftovers! Or go for Medium-rare deli sliced roast beef, is best. Avoid ‘’well done’’ brown-grey slices that won’t taste as delicious. However, we do love to use a good freshly prepared rib-eye roast that has been cooled before slicing. This recipe is perfect for using leftover crockpot roast beef, especially when paired with the flavorful gravy that can be poured on top! Remember to use room-temperature beef when preparing your sandwich.
- Arugula - Adds earthy, nutty, and peppery flavor, but you can also substitute arugula with watercress, baby spinach, dandelion greens or micro-greens.
- Mayo - Low-fat mayonnaise can be used to reduce the fat content in these sandwiches. We prefer a great quality vegan mayonnaise, the flavor is on par with the original and has fewer calories. You could also use sour cream.
- White truffle oil - For added flavor, you can use regular olive oil. Or for a more classical approach, try creamy horseradish sauce instead.
- Parmesan - Or Pecorino, shaved slices. Other cheeses that go well with roast beef are good Cheddar cheese, Provolone, Havarti, blue cheese, asiago, gouda, fontina, or Swiss. A good cream cheese with herbs will taste delicious too!
- Pine nuts - preferably toasted.
- Salt and crushed black pepper - To taste.
👩🍳 You'll find the complete list of ingredients below the recipe card.
For the full list of ingredients, please scroll down to where you'll find the recipe card.
✅ EXPERT TIP Veggie options - This deli sandwich is great on its own, but adding more vegetables is always a plus. We like radishes, Roma or heirloom tomatoes, red onions, or sweet onions.
What Roast Beef Is Best?
What cut of beef do Delis use?
In most delis, you'll find that they roast lean cuts of meat, typically sourced from the bottom, top, or eye round of the cow's rump.
These cuts are chosen for their affordability and economic value.
When selecting a healthier choice, opt for the leanest cuts available, such as turkey, chicken breast, lean ham, or roast beef.
These varieties of deli meat offer superior nutritional value compared to others.
🥣How To Make Deli Roast Beef Sandwich
Combine the mayonnaise and truffle oil until thoroughly mixed.
In a pan over medium-high heat, roast the pine nuts for approximately 3-4 minutes, or until they turn golden brown on the outside.
Slice the baguette and spread the truffle mayonnaise evenly on the top and bottom bun.
Layer the arugula on the baguette. Add the slices of roast beef. Sprinkle shaved parmesan on top.
Season with salt and pepper.
Finish by garnishing with roasted pine nuts. Cut the sandwich in half and savor the flavors.
What’s The Best Bread To Use?
Choosing the bread for this recipe offers various options, all of which are equally good.
It's important to note that there are no inherently poor choices.
However, based on my suggestion, I would highly recommend utilizing the following type of bread:
- Ciabatta
- Pita Bread
- French Bread, Rolls
- Brioche Buns
- or simple Multigrain Sandwich Bread
- Sourdough
- Croissant
- White Bread
- Hoagie rolls
- Amish Bread
📋Tips For Making The Best Roast Beef Sandwiches
- Always select quality roast beef for cold sandwiches. This can be sourced from your local deli, or you can use leftover roast beef from other meals.
- I’ve used baguettes for this cold roast beef sandwich. You could also use sliced bread or crusty rolls. Softer bread slices can be toasted slightly to help the sandwich maintain its structure.
- Spreading mayonnaise on the sides of the bread creates a moisture barrier which helps prevent the bread from becoming soggy.
- I’ve used a simple seasoning of salt and pepper in this cold roast beef sandwich. You could use other seasonings and fresh herbs like parsley or basil.
- If you assemble this sandwich ahead of time, wrap it with plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
What Sauces Go With Roast Beef Sandwich?
Sauces that pair well with cold roast beef sandwiches include:
- Horseradish mayo
- Spicy Mustard, Dijon mustard or Honey Mustard Sauce
- Mayonnaise
- Chimichurri
- BBQ sauce
- Aioli mayo
- Bacon jam or caramelized onion chutney
- Russian dressing
- Lingonberry or Cranberry Sauce (tastes incredible!)
- Worcestershire sauce
While not technically a sauce, au jus is a delicious option to pair with this sandwich and dip into for extra beefy flavor.
What To Put On A Roast Beef Sandwich?
Here are some ideas of ingredients that could be added to your cold roast beef sandwich:
- Sliced or grated cheese
- Crispy fresh lettuce
- Horseradish or horseradish cheese
- Crumbled Blue Cheese or feta
- Caramelized onions or marinated red onion
- Pickles
- Sprouts
- Roasted red peppers
- Red onions
- Sliced Radishes or pickled radishes
- Tomatoes
- Peppers - roasted red peppers or banana peppers
- Sliced avocado or guacamole
- Your favorite sauces as listed above
- Various herbs and spices
Storage Instructions
- 🍱To Store. For optimal storage, cover the toppings, bread, truffle mayo spread, and buns separately with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Please note that freezing these ingredients is not recommended.
- To Make Ahead. Prepare this roast beef sandwich recipe in advance by keeping all the ingredients separate, allowing you to make it up to 2 days prior to serving.
👪What To Serve With Cold Roast Beef Sandwiches
Serve your roast beef sandwich with truffle french fries, crispy air fryer sweet potato fries, coleslaw, cucumber dill salad, pasta salad or potato chips.
More condiment ideas when serving as an appetizer meal:
- Olives
- Feta cheese
- Marinated artichoke hearts
- Fig jam and apples
- Hummus
- Roasted Garlic
- Pesto
- Pimento Cheese
- Tomato basil soup
Popular Variations
- Swap out the mayonnaise and use sour cream to combine with the truffle oil.
- Add condiments to this sandwich, such as mustard, horseradish, and balsamic glaze.
- Add other salad ingredients, such as crispy lettuce, sliced avocado, pickles, sliced tomato, and red onions.
- Other delicious cheese options include cheddar, Swiss, or provolone.
- For an Asian twist, add shredded carrots, cucumbers, bean sprouts, and peanut sauce.
- Instead of roast beef you can use slow cooker shredded beef or chicken and drizzle the meaty juices from cooking all over the sandwiches. Delicious!
🤷Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Cold roast beef, including cuts labeled as "rare," is safe to consume. Deli roast beef, similar to deli-sliced turkey and ham, undergoes cooking before being cooled and sliced. Therefore, you can enjoy cold roast beef without any concerns.
Roast beef sandwiches can be served hot or cold, depending on personal preference.
Popular cheese choices for cold roast beef sandwiches include Parmesan, Swiss, Cheddar, Pepper Jack or Provolone Cheese.
Avoid soggy roast beef sandwiches by selecting thick slices of bread or crusty rolls like baguettes that hold up better and retain structure. Toasting the bread slices or baguette halves can also help against moisture.
Placing the ingredients strategically on the sandwich is another way to prevent soggy sandwiches. For instance, the mayonnaise spread on this cold roast beef sandwich provides a barrier, preventing moisture from the other ingredients from being absorbed by the bread.
Lastly, any sandwich ingredients that are washed should be pat dry before being added to the sandwich to remove any excess moisture.
More Sandwich Recipes You'll Love
📖Recipe
Deli Style Cold Roast Beef Sandwiches With Amazing Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 baguette or other, see notes
- 4-6 slices of medium-rare roast beef
- 2 ounce arugula, or other similar, see notes
- 2 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon white truffle oil
- 2-3 tablespoons parmesan cheese, shaved
- 1-2 tablespoons pine nuts
- Salt, to taste
- Black crushed pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Combine the mayonnaise and truffle oil until thoroughly mixed.
- In a pan over medium-high heat, roast the pine nuts for approximately 3-4 minutes, or until they turn golden brown on the outside.
- Slice the baguette and spread the truffle mayonnaise evenly on top and bottom bun.
- Layer the arugula on the baguette.
- Add the slices of roast beef.
- Sprinkle shaved parmesan on top.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Finish by garnishing with roasted pine nuts.
- Cut the sandwich in half and savor the flavors.
Notes
- Roast beef - Medium-rare deli sliced roast beef, is best. Avoid ‘’well done’’ brown-grey slices that won’t taste as delicious. However, we do love to use a good freshly prepared rib-eye roast that has been cooled before slicing. This recipe is perfect for using leftover crockpot roast beef, especially when paired with the flavorful gravy that can be poured on top! Remember to use room-temperature beef when preparing your sandwich.
- Arugula - adds earthy, nutty, and peppery flavor, but you can also substitute arugula with watercress, baby spinach or dandelion greens or micro-greens.
- Mayo - Low-fat mayonnaise can be used to reduce the fat content in these sandwiches. We prefer a great quality vegan mayonnaise, the flavor is on par with the original and has fewer calories. You could also use sour cream.
- White truffle oil - for added flavor, but you can use regular olive oil. Or for a more classical approach, try creamy horseradish sauce instead.
- Parmesan - or Pecorino, shaved slices. Other cheeses that go well with roast beef are good Cheddar cheese, Provolone, Havarti, blue cheese, asiago, gouda, fontina, or Swiss. A good cream cheese with herbs will taste delicious too!
- Pine nuts - preferably toasted.
- Salt and crushed black pepper - To taste.
- Bread - Ciabatta, Pita Bread, French Bread, Rolls, Brioche Buns, Multigrain Sandwich Bread, Sourdough, Croissant, White Bread, Hoagie rolls.
- The sandwich is great on its own, but adding more vegetables is always a plus. We like radishes, Roma or heirloom tomatoes, red onions, or sweet onions.
Delicious deli roast beef sandwiches come together in minutes and taste incredible! Load them up with your favorite lettuce, veggies and don't skip the truffle mayo!