Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
on Sep 10, 2023
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No need to order take-out when you can enjoy this homemade fresh and savory beef and broccoli stir fry instead! Made with just a handful of simple ingredients, this sweet and salty dish is the perfect way to add a little Asian flare to your weekly dinner menu.
When I’m craving Asian food, nothing hits the spot quite like this beef and broccoli stir fry. Tender strips of beef and florets of broccoli are coated in a brown sugar soy sauce to create this rich and comforting entree. You can easily whip up this stir fry in just 30 minutes, making it one of my easiest and most flavorful weeknight dinners! Keep it simple and serve this beef and broccoli over white rice or get creative and pair it with roasted potatoes or cooked pasta. When a sauce this savory and flavorful is involved, you can’t go wrong!
Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
You’ll often find me serving this sweet and salty beef and broccoli alongside classic Asian dishes like lo mien, fried rice, or egg rolls.
If you happen to have any of this beef and broccoli stir fry leftover, store it in an airtight container or Ziplock bag. This dish should stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Beef and broccoli is a great dish for meal prepping because it reheats so easily! Simply pop your chilled or thawed stir fry in a pan over medium heat and cook until warmed through. Alternatively, you can reheat this dish in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring frequently. Feel free to add a splash of water to the dish as it’s reheating; this will help keep the beef juicy and tender.
Ingredient Notes
- Beef Strips—Thinly sliced strips of steak will add tons of tender, meaty flavor.
- Broccoli—Fresh and chopped into florets.
- Soy Sauce—Or coconut aminos for a gluten-free option.
- Brown Sugar—Adds a rich, molassesy sweetness to this salty and savory dish.
- Olive Oil—Browns the steak and softens the broccoli.
- Spices—A 50/50 blend of garlic powder and ground ginger packs this dish with aromatic flavor.
- Sesame Seeds—For garnishing.
How to Make Beef and Broccoli
- In a large skillet, sauté the beef strips in the olive oil. Cook to your desired doneness.
- Add the broccoli and continue cooking until tender crisp. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, and ground ginger.
- Gently pour the sauce over the beef and broccoli and mix until everything is evenly coated.
- Garnish with a sprinkling of sesame seeds, serve, and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
If you want to make sure that the beef in this stir fry is extra tender, I recommend taking the time to marinate it. To do this, place your beef strips in a Ziplock bag along with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.
My simple beef and broccoli stir fry sauce is a mixture of soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, and ground ginger. It’s salty, savory, sweet, and peppery! If you want you can add other traditional Asian ingredients and spices such as toasted sesame oil, oyster sauce, or sriracha sauce to the mix. This will give your sauce some additional depth of flavor.
I usually slice up some flank steak to use in this beef and broccoli stir fry. It’s a relatively inexpensive cut of meat that’s still flavorful and easy to find. If your local grocery store is out of flank steak, try using some skirt steak, flat iron steak, or hanger steak instead.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- One of my favorite ways to serve this dish is over rice noodles! They are easily coated in the stir fry sauce and add a nice bouncy texture.
- Don’t have any fresh broccoli? Don’t worry! You can make this dish with frozen broccoli. Just be sure to thaw it in the fridge or on the counter before adding it to the stir fry.
- If you’re picky about the doneness of your beef, then I recommend cooking it to your liking and removing it from the pan before you add the other stir fry ingredients. Add the meat back to the pan just before serving.
More Recipes
If you’ve tried this Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry recipe or any other recipe on Bless This Mess, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some pictures of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories.
Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 pound beef stir fry strips
- 1 pound fresh broccoli, chopped
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan or skillet over medium heat. Once the pan has had a minute to warm up, add the beef strips. Cool the beef for about 7 minutes, or until cooked all the way through.
- Leaving the beef strips in the pan, add your chopped broccoli and continue cooking for an additional five minutes.
- While the broccoli is cooking, prepare your sauce by whisking together the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, and ground ginger in a small bowl.
- After the broccoli has cooked for five minutes, add the sauce to the pan and stir thoroughly, ensuring all of the beef and broccoli is coated by the sauce. Turn off the stove and remove the pan from the burner.
- Top the stir fry with sesame seeds.
- Serve your stir fry with rice, noodles, or on its own. Enjoy!
Notes
- We thought this stir fry was best served with white rice. Add some stir fry to a plate or bowl of rice and spoon some of the sauce from the pan over the dish to add some flavor to the rice.
- This stir fry is best served fresh, but you can store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Leftover stir fry will not be as juicy as fresh stir fry. To help prevent the meat and broccoli from drying out , cover it with a paper towel or paper plate when reheating in the microwave.
- In addition to topping this stir fry with sesame seeds, you can also use red pepper flakes if you like a little bit of heat.
- Most major grocery stores carry beef stir fry strips. However, you can also use flank steak and cut it into strips or cubes yourself. I found the stir fry strips to be a more affordable option.
- You can use frozen broccoli instead of fresh broccoli if you allow it to thaw in the fridge or on the counter before starting the dish.
Nutrition
Beef and broccoli stir-fry emerges as the ultimate weeknight hero, showcasing its lightning-fast preparation, mouthwatering flavors, and effortless execution, demonstrating that a quick, delicious, and easy meal is always just a sizzle away.
