This easy, healthy, and budget friendly beef stir fry is made with tons of veggies. Stir fry is a quick weeknight dinner recipe and can also be made ahead for meal prep.
Gotta love a good stir-fry...
- typically ready in under 30 minutes
- full of veggies and lean protein
- easy
All things I like, especially on a Monday
The key to making stir-fry is to have your ingredients chopped and ready before you start cooking. That'll make things run smoothly when you're making the stir-fry.
If you plan on making some rice to accompany the beef and vegetables, get that started first.
I make my Perfect Rice recipe, and it never fails me! You cook the rice like pasta, and it's fluffy and wonderful every.single.time.
Once the rice is cooking, I go ahead and get out all my ingredients & start chopping.
I bought a sirloin steak on sale the other day, and I wanted to stretch it as much as possible. The best way to make you meat go a little further is to up the amount of veggies you're using.
Mushrooms are the perfect accompaniment to steak - not just because of their deliciousness but also because of their meaty texture.
I added in some color with the red bell peppers and broccoli {and they were on sale, too}, and voila! a huge serving that only uses 8 oz. of meat to serve 4.
Remember: Pump up the veggies to decrease the saturated fat, calories, and cost.
Don't worry though, slicing the meat thinly makes it seem like there is more in there than there really is. You absolutely do not feel jipped with a lack of meat. There's more than enough. Oh and slice your veggies pretty thinly too, so everything is similar in size.
Like always, I used sriracha sauce and fish sauce to add a little extra something to the recipe. I know the fish sauce sounds strange, but it helps take the flavor to the next level and prevents it from being boring. I sometimes feel like home cooked stir-fry pales in comparison to take-out {super unhealthy}, but the fish sauce helps give it that umph it needs. No one will know you added fish sauce - promise.
As for the Sriracha sauce, it just adds a little spiciness depending on how much you use and how spicy you like things. Start with the recommended amount and add more as needed.
Last thing: the sesame seeds and green onion are optional but make it look a little prettier and add some nice flavor. It's up to you whether or not you use them. They're good but certainly won't make or break the dish.
Beef and Vegetable Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch divided
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ lb beef sirloin steak very thinly sliced against the grain
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 8 oz mushrooms sliced
- 5 cups chopped broccoli from about 2 crowns of broccoli or 1 lb
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup chicken broth or water
- ⅓ cup cold water
- ¼ cup tamari sauce or soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce optional
- ½ teaspoon Sriracha sauce optional
- 2 green onions chopped
- 2 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 3 cups cooked rice for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.
- Stir together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and salt. Toss beef with mixture. Add beef in one layer to hot oil. Cook about 2-3 minutes per side, just until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add bell pepper and mushroom to pan, and cook until mushrooms release their juices, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer to the plate with the beef.
- Add broccoli, garlic, and red pepper flakes to skillet. Stir for about 30 seconds. Add chicken broth or water and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, whisk together cold water and remaining tablespoon of cornstarch. Stir in soy sauce, ground ginger, fish sauce, and Sriracha sauce if using.
- Put the cooked beef and veggies, along with any juices that have accumulated on the plate, back into the skillet. Add the cornstarch-water mixture. Stir well, and cook until sauce thickens {about 2-3 minutes}, stirring often. Remove from heat and sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds if using.
- Serve with cooked rice if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
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What to use in this recipe:
Meme
Doesn't this recipe look good?! You should probably pin it for later:
Amee @ didsomeonesaychocolate.com says
Mmm this looks soooo delicious. Pinning it right now! Visiting from SITS too!
Meme says
Thanks Amee! It's one of my favorite go-to weeknight dinners because it's so easy and such a crowd-pleaser. Thanks for pinning and stopping by 🙂