Beef and Broccoli stir fry makes the perfect dish when that takeout craving hits! Best of all, this skinny recipe for beef and broccoli is SO easy to make. It’s flavorful and much healthier and way better than any Asian carry-out. Great for Sunday meal prep for school or work lunchboxes or lunch bowls! Plus recipe video.
Beef and Broccoli is a popular Chinese takeout dish that shows up at our house regularly.
We love an easy stir-fry dish for busy weeknights. And for those days we need a totally stove-free option, this slow cooker beef and broccoli and Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli are great options that let us skip that restaurant pick-up window.
This dish holds a very special place in my heart. Along with fried rice, lo mein and this sweet and sour chicken, beef and broccoli was one of the very first “real” dishes my parents taught all three of us kids how to make.
Making Healthier Asian Recipes
This healthier Beef and Broccoli recipe is just as tasty as any takeout version. It’s totally skinny-jean friendly since we are using less oil, lower sodium soy sauce and a leaner cut of beef.
Plus, there’s also an option to make this gluten-free or paleo friendly if you are trying to incorporate more of those recipes into your diet.
Tips for Cooking Beef and Broccoli
These tips will help you create the most delicious beef and broccoli possible:
- Preheat the pan – The key to getting that nice restaurant sizzle is to get the pan really, really hot before adding the beef. Using an
electric wok will produce the best results.
- Hot oil – Let the pan sit on high heat with the cooking oil for about 2 minutes, or until you see enough steam rising, before adding the beef and garlic.
- Thinly sliced beef – Cutting the beef nice and thin and coating it with cornstarch seals in that rich flavor. It also adds a nice and juicy coating to the marinated beef strips. And you won’t have to worry about tough and chewy pieces. Make sure your knife is sharp. I like to use
.
Beef and Broccoli + RECIPE VIDEO
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound flank steak or sirloin, trimmed of fat, very thinly sliced against the grain
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- water for blanching broccoli (omit if not blanching)
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 3 1/2 cups broccoli florets about 1 head
For the beef marinade
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch or arrowroot or tapioca starch for paleo
- 1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce or tamari tamari if necessary or coconut aminos for a paleo version
- 1/4 teaspoon dark soy sauce optional for color & extra flavor(leave out for gluten free or paleo version)
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
For the sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce or vegetarian flavored oyster sauce, leave out for paleo version
- 1 1/2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari, gluten-free if necessary or coconut aminos for a paleo version
- 1/4 teaspoon dark soy sauce optional but recommended
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar or 1 teaspoon raw honey for paleo
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Mirin Chinese cooking wine or Dry Sherry (omit for paleo version)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch or arrowroot or tapioca starch for paleo
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup cold water or sodium free chicken broth for extra flavor, plus more as needed to thin out the sauce
Instructions
- Marinate the beef: In a medium bowl, mix together all of the ingredients for the marinade. Add the beef slices and stir until coated. Set aside for at least 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile blanch the broccoli: (skip if not blanching) In a large non-stick saute pan or wok on high heat, bring the water to a boil. Add the broccoli florets and cook for about 30 seconds. Drain and immediately rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
- Make the sauce: Combine all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat cooking oil over high heat, for about 2 minutes - using the same non-stick pan or wok you used for your broccoli. The pan needs to be hot enough that you start seeing a little bit of smoke rising.
- Quickly add the beef to the smoking pan and spread the pieces out to a single layer allowing them to sear and brown. Add the garlic and continue cooking until the meat is no longer pink (about 1-2 minutes making sure not to over cook). Pour in the sauce, stirring constantly, until the sauce boils and thickens - about 30 seconds. Add more water if needed to thin out sauce. Quickly stir in the the broccoli and toss everything together to coat well. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped green onions if desired. Serve hot over rice or noodles.
- For meal prep:Divide evenly into lunch containers with your favorite carb - rice, quinoa or noodles.
Shanghai Fried Noodles 
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We’ve gathered more new recipes for you to check out this month! Make sure to check out all the delicious recipes!
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