French Dip Sandwich with Homemade Au Jus

4.54 from 15 votes
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French Dip Sandwiches made with leftover Prime Rib, and dunked into a homemade Au Jus, is truly the ultimate sandwich for all you meat lovers out there!

Nothing beats a warm toasted bun and french dip sandwich with an herbaceous and equally warm Au Jus sauce. Use leftover Prime Rib or any roast beef and dunk it into a flavorful beef stock based sauce.

french dip sandwich with cheese, peppers, and sauce

After holiday meals we often find ourselves with leftover Beef Rib Roast or Prime Rib and look for creative ways to use it. One of our favorites, is this simple French Dip that takes just minutes to make and can easily feed one, or a whole family.

What is a French Dip Sandwich?

Simply put it’s a roast beef sandwich served warm, and often served with a beef stock based dipping sauce called Au Jus to dip the sandwich in. And while several U.S. based restaurants claim to have the original, it’s uncertain who actually invented the sandwich (and no it wasn’t originated in France). This meat filled sandwich can also beef called a beef dip, or dip sandwich.

While not traditional, we absolutely LOVE topping our sandwiches with some spicy pickled peppers (like Mama Lil’s). (That’s totally NOT an affiliate link, by the way, we just love those peppers and think you will too!). We also like to serve our sandwiches with some spicy horseradish mayo and Swiss or Provolone cheese.

What is the Best Meat for French Dip Sandwiches?

There are several cuts to choose from, and they don’t all have to be beef. The key is thin slices, and that’s why this makes a great leftover meal for beef roasts. Some ideas include:

What is the Best Roll for a French Dip?

We love the classic French Roll. It’s soft and holds the meat and cheese well. Other great options include a baguette, hoagie, or even a ciabatta. Ideally use a roll that has some length, making it easy to dip in the au jus beef sauce.

Two French Dip Sandwiches on a platter to go in the oven.

How to Make a French Dip Sandwich

  1. Thinly slice the roast beef, ideally using a meat slicer.
  2. Using broiler on high, broil the roll with cheese for 3 minutes, to allow the cheese to melt and toast the roll a bit.
  3. Make the Au Jus so you can serve it warm.
  4. Pile the meat and additional ingredients on the sliced roll and dunk in the Au Jus.
Dunking a French Dip Sandwich into homemade Au Jus

What is Au Jus

Au Jus is technically the juices of meat from its own cooking. Our beef dip or French Dip Au Jus is based in beef broth, with added flavors (vegetables) because we are using leftover meat. Beef broth itself is not very flavorful so we add our own flavor to it at a slow simmer.

How To Make Au Jus

  1. Start with two cups of beef stock or broth.
  2. Add any ingredients you like for flavor (we like to add sautéed vegetables, like leeks, celery, and carrots). As the ingredients slowly simmer with the beef stock, the flavor is pulled from the ingredients into the stock.
  3. Strain the stock after 15 – 20 minutes and serve with the sandwich.
Making homemade Au Jus dipping sauce.

Other Sandwich Recipes

Two French Dip Sandwiches made with leftover Prime Rib served with homemade au jus sauce.
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French Dip Sandwiches on a cutting board with homemade au jus sauce
4.54 from 15 votes

French Dip Sandwich Recipe with Au Jus

An easy French Dip Sandwich with leftover Prime Rib, and a homemade Au Jus served warm.
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients 

  • 1 pound thinly sliced prime rib roast or other beef roast
  • 4 French or Hoagie Rolls
  • 8 slices Provolone Cheese (or Swiss Cheese)
  • 1 cup diced hot peppers, like Mama Lil's
  • ½ cup horseradish mayo (recipe below)
  • 8 leaves butter lettuce

Horseradish Mayonaise

  • ½ cup mayonaise
  • 3 tablespoons extra hot horseradish
  • ½ lemon juiced

Au Jus

  • 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium carrot, chopped
  • 1 rib celery, chopped
  • cup leeks, chopped
  • 2 cups beef stock or beef broth
  • 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions 

Horseradish Mayo

  • Combine mayo, horseradish, and lemon juice into a bowl and combine.

Au Jus

  • In a medium size pan over medium heat add olive oil. Sauté carrots, celery, and leeks for 6 – 8 minutes or until soft. Add beef stock, peppercorns, chili pepper flakes, and salt and bring to a simmer for additional 15 – 20 minutes.
  • Strain solids and reserve warm liquid for the Au Jus. Discard the solids.

French Dip Sandwich

  • Turn on broiler on high. Slice the rolls open and add the provolone. Place under broiler on middle rack and remove when cheese melts, about 3 minutes.
  • Place remaining ingredients on the sandwich and then close the roll. Don't cut sandwich up, as it will make it easier to dip into the Au Jus.

Notes

We love to use leftover Prime Rib for these sandwiches. 

Nutrition

Calories: 801kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 2990mg | Potassium: 848mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2901IU | Vitamin C: 83mg | Calcium: 436mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Brunch, Lunch
Cuisine: American, sandwich
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 801
Keyword: Au Jus, French Dip Sandwich, Homemade Au Jus, Roast Beef Sandwich
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Vindulge

About Mary


I'm Mary, a wine/food/travel writer, Certified Sommelier, mom of twins, former vegetarian turned BBQ fanatic, runner, founder of Vindulge, and author of Fire + Wine cookbook. Thanks for stopping by!

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5 Comments

    1. It’s optional but if you see it in the photo feel free to add it. We updated the recipe card to include it should you feel so inclined.

  1. Made large prime rib at Christmas then froze a couple ribs. Defrosted one tonight and made 4 ahhhhmazing French dip sandwiches with au jus. Incredible. Just incredible.