This easy recipe for beef and broccoli is wonderfully flavorful. It's a complete meal, especially if you serve it over cauliflower rice.
This recipe is perfect for a weeknight dinner since it's truly easy to make and it's ready in just 30 minutes!
I love making this delicious and easy stir-fry recipe, and my family often requests it for dinner. We all appreciate the wonderful flavors, and I also appreciate the fact that it's so easy to make!
Like most stir-fry recipes, once you start cooking, this beef and broccoli dish is ready in a matter of minutes. Prepping the veggies and the sauce takes a bit more time, but is very doable, even on a weeknight.
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Ingredients
Here's an overview of what you'll need to make this easy recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below:
Soy sauce: I use reduced-sodium soy sauce in most of my recipes. I find that traditional soy sauce is too salty. Obviously, you can also use a gluten-free alternative.
Honey: Just one tablespoon. Its sweetness balances out the saltiness and tang of the soy sauce.
Cornstarch: Used to help thicken the sauce.
Red pepper flakes: They don't make the dish overly spicy. They just add an interesting layer of flavor.
Small broccoli florets: Fresh broccoli is best, both in terms of texture and in terms of flavor. But in a pinch, you can use frozen broccoli.
Neutral cooking oil: My favorite is avocado oil. It has a neutral taste and a high smoke point.
Aromatics: Onion, minced fresh garlic, and grated fresh ginger root.
Beef strips: I make it as easy as possible by using pre-sliced sirloin strips (sold at many grocery stores as "beef for stir fry/stroganoff"). You can obviously slice them yourself.
For garnish: Sesame oil and sesame seeds. It's OK to skip the sesame seeds - I use them mostly for garnish. But I wouldn't skip the sesame oil. It adds a wonderful layer of flavor, especially if you use toasted sesame oil.
Instructions
Making beef and broccoli at home is so easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
You start by whisking together the sauce ingredients (soy sauce, honey, cornstarch, and red pepper flakes), then set it aside.
Now, microwave the broccoli florets with a little water until tender-crisp. Make sure you don't overcook them.
Next, saute the onion, garlic, ginger, and beef strips in some avocado oil. Then add the sauce and keep cooking until it thickens.
Stir in the broccoli, drizzle the dish with sesame oil, sprinkle it with sesame seeds, and serve.
Expert tip
When you first add the beef strips to the pan, saute them briefly - 2 minutes is usually enough. Your goal is simply to cook them so that they're no longer raw. You don't want them well-done at this point. They will continue cooking after you add the sauce.
Frequently asked questions
The main ingredients are soy sauce, a sweetener, hot sauce or red pepper flakes, and cornstarch for thickening. Some recipes also call for garlic.
I like to use sirloin, cut into strips. When you quickly stir-fry sirloin it shouldn't become too tough. But if you want your beef to be super tender, either marinate it for a few hours in a marinade that contains rice vinegar, or splurge and use beef tenderloin.
Yes. To lower the carb count, use a sugar-free sweetener and replace the cornstarch with a low-carb thickener such as konjac (follow the conversion suggested by the manufacturer).
With these modifications, each serving should have approximately 296 calories, 9 grams of carbs, and 3 grams of fiber.
You could, but fresh broccoli will give you better results. Frozen broccoli sometimes becomes a bit mushy.
Serving suggestions
You can serve this flavorful dish on its own, or you can spoon it on top of cauliflower rice, shirataki noodles, spaghetti squash, or zucchini noodles.
Needless to say, if you don't mind the carbs, steamed white rice or brown rice would be the perfect bed for this saucy dish.
Storing leftovers
Leftovers keep well in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Gently reheat them in the microwave on 50% power, covered, prior to serving. You can also freeze the leftovers for up to three months.
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Recipe card
Easy 30-Minute Beef and Broccoli
INGREDIENTS
Sauce:
- ⅓ cup reduced sodium soy sauce (or a gluten-free alternative)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Stir-Fry:
- 10 oz small broccoli florets
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 small onion sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
- 1 lb. sirloin cut into strips
To finish the dish:
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a small bowl, whisk together the reduced-sodium soy sauce, honey, cornstarch, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
- Microwave the broccoli florets: Place them in a large, microwave-safe bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and microwave on high for about 3 minutes. They should still be crisp at this point. Drain into a colander and set aside.
- In a large, deep skillet or a wok, heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat, about 2 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
- Add the beef strips to the skillet. Stir-fry them for 2-3 minutes, just until the beef is no longer raw. It should still be pink at this point.
- Whisk the soy sauce mixture one more time and add it to the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium and stir-fry until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Turn the heat off and stir in the broccoli.
- Drizzle the dish with sesame oil and sprinkle it with sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
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NOTES
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NUTRITION PER SERVING
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 