If you have a few leftover hamburgers sitting in the refrigerator after your Labor Day cookout, don’t let them go to waste! Those already-cooked burger patties can be turned into all sorts of quick and easy meals that taste nothing like the hamburgers you enjoyed the day before.
Labor Day weekend is one of the biggest grilling weekends of the year. And if your cookout is anything like ours, there is a good chance that you made more food than everyone could possibly eat.
Although it is easy to put leftover potato salad, baked beans and other side dishes back in the refrigerator to enjoy the next day, sometimes it is hard to know what to do with those leftover hamburgers.
Sure, you can simply reheat a burger and put it back on a bun. However, after eating hamburgers at the cookout, you may not be excited about eating the exact same meal again.
The good news is that cooked hamburger patties are incredibly versatile. Once you crumble or chop the meat, you can use it just like cooked ground beef in many of your favorite recipes.
And because the meat is already cooked, dinner can come together even faster!
How Long Are Leftover Hamburgers Good In The Refrigerator?
Before deciding what to make with your leftover hamburgers, it is important to make sure that they were stored properly.
Cooked hamburgers should be refrigerated within 2 hours of cooking. Place the patties in a covered container or wrap them tightly before placing them in the refrigerator.
Then use the leftover hamburgers within 3 to 4 days.
If you know that you won’t be able to use them within that time, put them in the freezer instead. Wrap the individual patties tightly and place them in a freezer-safe container or bag.
However, if you are staring at a container of leftover Labor Day hamburgers on Tuesday morning, here are some of my favorite ways to turn them into another meal.
1. Cheeseburger Quesadillas
One of the easiest things that you can make with leftover hamburgers is cheeseburger quesadillas.
Start by chopping or crumbling the cooked hamburger patties into small pieces. Place the meat on one half of a large flour tortilla.
Then add shredded Cheddar cheese, diced onion and chopped pickles. If you like a little heat, add sliced jalapeños as well.
Fold the tortilla in half and cook it in a lightly greased skillet over medium heat. Once the bottom becomes golden brown, flip the quesadilla and continue cooking until the other side is browned and the cheese has melted.
Serve it with ketchup, mustard or burger sauce for dipping.
It has all the flavors of a cheeseburger, but it certainly doesn’t feel like you are eating leftovers!
2. Leftover Hamburger Tacos/Taco Salad
Taco night might be the easiest way to use leftover hamburger patties.
Crumble the cooked burgers into a skillet and add a tablespoon or two of water. Then sprinkle taco seasoning over the meat.
Heat the mixture over medium-low heat until the hamburger is warmed through and coated in the seasoning.
Then spoon the meat into flour or corn tortillas and add your favorite taco toppings.
Shredded lettuce, cheese, salsa, tomatoes, sour cream and avocado are all great choices.
This is especially helpful when you have several leftover hamburgers because you can turn them into enough taco meat to feed the entire family.
3. Cheeseburger Pasta
If you want to turn those leftover hamburgers into a hearty dinner, use them to make cheeseburger pasta.
Start by crumbling two or three cooked hamburger patties into a large skillet. Add cooked pasta and then stir in a simple cheese sauce.
You can make the sauce with butter, milk and shredded Cheddar cheese or make things even easier by stirring in a little heavy cream and cheese.
Then add a spoonful of ketchup and mustard to give the pasta that classic cheeseburger flavor.
For even more flavor, add cooked and crumbled bacon.
In fact, this is a great shortcut for making a version of my Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta Skillet. Instead of browning ground beef, simply crumble your leftover hamburger patties and add them to the skillet.
The result is an easy weeknight dinner that can be on the table in very little time.
4. Leftover Hamburger Patty Melts
If you have whole hamburger patties left over, this might be the easiest way to use them.
Turn them into patty melts!
Thinly slice an onion and cook it in a skillet with a little butter until the onions become soft and caramelized.
Then place a slice of bread in a buttered skillet and top it with a slice of Swiss or American cheese. Add the leftover hamburger patty, caramelized onions, another slice of cheese and a second piece of bread.
Cook the sandwich over medium-low heat until the bread becomes golden brown. Then flip and cook the other side.
The key here is keeping the heat low enough that the hamburger warms through and the cheese melts before the bread gets too dark.
Serve it with a pickle and you have an entirely different meal from your Labor Day hamburger.
5. Cheeseburger Pizza
Pizza is another great way to disguise leftovers.
Use homemade pizza dough, refrigerated pizza dough or even a pre-baked pizza crust.
Instead of traditional pizza sauce, spread a thin layer of ketchup and mustard over the crust.
Then crumble your leftover hamburgers over the top.
Add diced onions, shredded Cheddar cheese and mozzarella. Once the pizza comes out of the oven, sprinkle diced pickles over the top.
You can even drizzle a little burger sauce over the pizza just before serving.
And if your family isn’t excited about cheeseburger pizza, use traditional pizza sauce instead. The crumbled hamburger can simply take the place of sausage or ground beef.
6. Hamburger & Potato Skillet
If you have leftover hamburgers and leftover baked potatoes from your Labor Day cookout, you have the beginnings of another easy dinner.
Dice the cooked potatoes and place them in a skillet with a little oil or butter.
Cook until the potatoes begin to brown and become crispy around the edges.
Then crumble the leftover hamburger patties into the skillet and add diced onions and peppers if you have them.
Once everything is hot, sprinkle shredded cheese over the top. Cover the skillet for a minute or two until the cheese melts.
You can even top each serving with a fried egg if you want to turn the leftovers into a hearty breakfast or brunch.
7. Quick Hamburger Vegetable Soup
Although Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer, cooler fall weather isn’t far behind. That makes leftover hamburgers perfect for making a quick pot of soup or stew.
Crumble two or three cooked hamburger patties into a large pot.
Add beef broth, diced tomatoes, frozen mixed vegetables and diced potatoes. Then season the soup with garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
Bring everything to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
Because the hamburger is already cooked, there is no need to brown the meat first.
It is an easy way to transform leftover grilled hamburgers into a warm and comforting meal that tastes nothing like what you ate at your Labor Day cookout.
Don’t Forget About Leftover Hamburger Buns
Of course, after a big cookout you may have leftover hamburger buns as well.
Instead of throwing them away, put them to good use!
Hamburger buns can be turned into garlic bread by spreading the cut surfaces with butter, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Sprinkle a little Parmesan or mozzarella cheese on top and place them under the broiler until lightly toasted.
You can also cut leftover buns into cubes and use them to make homemade croutons.
Or place the buns in the freezer. I like to wrap them tightly and freeze them so I can pull them out whenever I need a bun for a sandwich.
The Easiest Way To Use Leftover Hamburgers
The biggest thing to remember is that you don’t have to think of a leftover hamburger as a hamburger.
Once you crumble the patty, you essentially have cooked ground beef that can be used in tacos, pasta, casseroles, soups, pizza and skillet meals.
In fact, having the meat already cooked can save you quite a bit of time when making dinner.
So when the Labor Day cookout is over and you find yourself with a container full of hamburgers, don’t plan on eating burgers for the next three days.
Instead, turn those leftovers into something completely different. From cheeseburger quesadillas and tacos to pasta, pizza and soup, you may actually find yourself grilling a few extra hamburgers next time just so you can use the leftovers!
Enjoy! Mary
Follow My Facebook Page For Great Recipes! Make Your Meals Facebook Page
To receive our 3 Recipe Articles in your inbox each week, sign up for our free email list located in the middle of each recipe or email me at contact@makeyourmeals.com. You can also follow us on Facebook and Pinterest. This article may contain affiliate links where a small commission is paid if you purchase a product at no additional cost to you.