Beef and Broccoli

Quick, easy, and better than the takeout version. What’s not to love about this delicious beef and broccoli recipe?

Today I’m sharing a family favorite recipe: beef and broccoli stir fry, which first appeared in my last book, Come Home To Supper. This is another case where we had takeout, loved it, and I said, “Hey, I can make that cheaper at home!”

My one warning about this dish is that it is incredibly filling and slightly addictive. So while you won’t be able to eat all you think you will eat, you will wake up the next morning wanting some more so it all works out.

Fortunately, it’s super quick and easy to make, so you can make this Chinese beef and broccoli recipe again and again guilt-free. The ingredients are also super simple. All you need is some tender beef, soy sauce, cornstarch, minced garlic, and fresh broccoli florets. With a little prep and cook time, this great recipe will be ready in just 30 minutes. I love weeknight dinners like this and luckily so does my family!

If you’re on the hunt for healthier versions of takeout favorites, check out these other recipes: slow cooker cashew chicken, chicken lettuce wraps recipe, and chicken fried rice.

Recipe Ingredients

• Fresh broccoli
• Soy sauce (low sodium soy sauce is fine)
• Corn starch
• Black pepper
• Minced garlic
• A pound of top sirloin

How to Make Beef and Broccoli

To begin with, cut your sirloin into thin strips.

A few weeks back a blogger buddy of mine had someone get irate with her for talking in terms of “your sirloin” and “your crockpot” when she gave instructions for recipes. I realized that I tend to talk like that back when I filmed cooking videos for Southern Living and the director had to correct me a few times. But I got to thinking about it when I was writing this post and really if it isn’t “your” sirloin then I don’t think you have a right to be cutting it. So unless folks go stealing ingredients to make their recipes with, I reckon calling it “yours” is a pretty good specification. 🙂

You want to cut your sirloin against the grain

You do this so that it’s tender and easy to eat. A good way of knowing if you are cutting it right is to take a cut piece and gently pull it apart. This pulled apart pretty easily so I know I’ve got my dogs on the right trail here. Note: That is how easy it will come apart when you eat it, too!

Mix up your cornstarch and pepper in a bowl. Just stir them kinda good like this.

Put all of your sirloin pieces in it and stir them up really well until they are coated. I tend to pick up the strays and press them down in the cornstarch to coat them.

Take a big old skillet and pour about two tablespoons of vegetable oil into it. Place this on medium-high heat for a few minutes. Add beef and cook, stirring often, until brown and no longer pink in the center.

Like this.

Now remove that cooked beef to a clean bowl and set it aside.

After you have removed the cooked beef, add the remaining tablespoon of oil, broccoli, and minced garlic to the skillet.

Have Extra Broccoli On Hand

If you’re like me, you’ll need to add extra broccoli to replace the broccoli that you ate while getting to this point in the cooking process.  Putting raw broccoli (or carrots) within arms reach of me and expecting me not to eat them is an unrealistic expectation that everyone on the planet should just go ahead and cast to the wind.

Reduce heat to medium and cook the broccoli, stirring often, until tender (about 3-4 minutes).

Add the meat back to the pan.

Combine soy sauce with 1/3 cup of water and add this to the skillet.

Continue to fry sauce, stirring often, until sauce is thickened (about 3-4 minutes or so).

Serve over hot cooked rice and enjoy!

Yum yum yum, delicioso!

Storage

Store beef and broccoli leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also place them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating in the microwave.

Recipe Notes

• If you want to keep this delicious meal guilt-free and low carb there is an alternative to using rice. I recommend trying cauliflower rice.  Check out this article on the HUGE decrease in calories and carbs when you compare cauliflower rice versus white rice. And there may just be some other delicious recipes to boot you can check out as well. 
• You can also serve your beef stir fry with brown rice or noodles for something different.
• To add more flavor to the soy sauce, add 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, a tablespoon of sesame oil, and 2 teaspoons of freshly grated ginger. Stir these ingredients together before adding to the recipe.
• Garnish your main dish with sesame seeds and chopped green onion if you like.
• The best beef substitutes for sirloin include flank steak, skirt steak, or chuck steak.
• While the recipe calls for regular soy sauce, feel free to use whatever you have on hand, whether that’s low sodium soy sauce, light soy sauce, or dark soy sauce.
• I prefer using fresh broccoli florets, but you can definitely use frozen broccoli in this Chinese broccoli stir fry.
• If you need to add some heat, opt for a dash of red pepper flakes.
• Want to boost your veggie intake? Add chopped bell pepper and carrot.

You may also like these other beef dishes:  

Stuffed Peppers With Ground Turkey or Beef

Crock Pot Beef Burgundy

Cheesy Beef & Bean Burritos (Freezer recipe!)

Ground Beef Stew (with a secret!)

Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.

~Psalm 90:12