This Healthy Beef and Broccoli recipe comes together quickly during the week for a deliciously easy one-pot weeknight dinner. It reheats great, so add this easy beef and broccoli stir fry into your meal prep rotation and enjoy this takeout favorite all week.
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We used to love ordering Chinese take-out! However, as much as I love the convenience of it, I don’t love all the sodium, MSG, and extra calories that can often come with these meals. Plus, I suspect the ingredients aren’t the highest quality, and being gluten-free, it’s best I cook our take-out favorites at home.
I love creating healthier versions of our favorite Chinese take-out recipes.
My Shrimp Fried Rice, Turkey Fried Rice, Quinoa Fried Rice, Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki, Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps, and this Healthy Beef and Broccoli Recipe are always on the meal plan when we are in the mood for Chinese food. And bonus they are all healthy one pot meals! I also have a slow cooker beef and broccoli recipe when I need something more hands-off.
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Reason you’ll love this recipe.
- Healthier than take-out. Lean beef, fiber-rich broccoli, and a homemade stir-fry sauce using high-quality ingredients allow you to enjoy this guilt-free! I also swap the soy sauce for tamari, making this a gluten-free and paleo beef and broccoli.
- Read in 30 minutes. This easy beef and broccoli recipe is ready in less time than it would take to order and pick it up. And everything is made in one pan for minimal mess.
- Delicious. This beef n broccoli is so flavorful you’ll prefer this over take-out every time!
- Meal prep friendly. You can prepare this recipe entirely on the weekend to warm up during the week for a quick dinner. You can even freeze the beef and broccoli for a future meal! I’ll share meal prep tips below.
Ingredients
- Stir-fry Sauce. Tamari sauce, sesame oil, garlic, fresh ginger sriracha, and honey create this delicious gluten free stir-fry sauce; if you’re not gluten-free, swap soy sauce for the tamari.
- Steak. You can use any of your favorite cuts of steak for this healthy beef and broccoli recipe; I prefer sirloin, top-round steak, flank steak, or even filet; for best results, use high-quality organic grass-fed beef.
- Broccoli florets. I’ve used fresh broccoli and frozen “steam in bag” broccoli when making this beef broccoli recipe, and both work fine. The recipes card includes fresh broccoli but see the notes section if you want to use frozen.
- Oil. You can use peanut or olive oil; I use olive oil because that’s what I have readily available.
- Beef broth. This adds to the flavor and creates more sauce. You can use chicken broth if that’s all you have.
- Cornstarch. This creates a thick sauce that coats the beef and broccoli pieces. You can also use arrowroot flour or tapioca flour.
How to Make Healthy Beef and Broccoli
- Start by making the stir-fry sauce; you can do this a few days ahead of time. Place the tamari or soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, Sriracha, and honey in a mason jar, cover, and shake until the ingredients are combined. You can also whisk them together in a small bowl. Set the sauce aside.
- Season the steak with salt and pepper.
- Cook the steak. You’ll need to cook the beef in batches, which helps the meat get a delicious sear. If you crowd the pan, the beef will steam instead of sear.
- Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan. Once the oil is hot, add half of the beef strips to the pan. Brown the beef on both sides and cook until no longer pink, about 4-5 minutes total.
- After the beef cooks, remove it from the pan and set it aside—cook the rest of the beef strips and set aside.
- Heat another tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat in the same pan and add the broccoli. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the broccoli is bright green and tender-crisp – it will continue to soften in the sauce.
- In a glass bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the beef broth and cornstarch until the cornstarch dissolves.
- Pour the stir-fry sauce and beef broth mixture into the pan with broccoli. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Let it simmer until the sauce thickens. This takes about 3-4 minutes, maybe longer.
- Once the sauce begins to thicken, add in the steak strips. Toss to coat with sauce. Let it cook for another 2-3 minutes or until hot.
- Sprinkle it with green onions and sesame seeds.
- Serve over brown rice and cauliflower rice, or eat it as is.
Supplies
- Sharp Chef’s Knife
- Cutting Board
- Whisk
- Mixing Bowls
- Large Skillet or Frying Pan
Cooking tips
- Adding frozen broccoli directly to the pan can release a lot of water, creating a thin water-downed sauce. If you’re using frozen broccoli or frozen “steam in bag” broccoli, I recommend cooking it in the microwave first, draining the water out, and then adding it to the sauce. So, you’ll need to cook the stir-fry sauce before adding the broccoli.
- Thin strips of steak work best in a stir fry. If you’re struggling to cut the steak into thin strips, place it in the freezer for about 20 minutes before slicing it.
- If you don’t like or don’t have Sriracha, you can swap in crushed red pepper flakes for a spicy kick.
- Some recipes call for adding garlic and ginger to cook in the pan, but I prefer to add it directly to the sauce. This adds a lot of flavor to the sauce, plus you don’t need to worry about burning the garlic or ginger when trying to cook the rest of the meal.
- If you’re not gluten-free, swap a low-sodium soy sauce for the tamari. I don’t recommend coconut aminos because they are too sweet for this recipe.
- Bulk up the veggies with mushrooms, green beans, onions, bell peppers, snow peas, snap peas or other favorites.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve this healthy beef and broccoli recipe with a side of brown rice, or eat it as-is for a low-carb meal.
- If you don’t want to eat this with rice, you can also serve it with quinoa fried rice. If you want a low-carb side dish option, then try some cauliflower rice!
Storage tips
For the week: This beef and broccoli stir fry recipe comes together quickly when you prep the beef and make the stir-fry sauce ahead of time. It also stores and reheats well, so you can make this completely on Sunday to reheat during the week for dinner. Place in airtight containers and store in the fridge. If you want portion-controlled lunches or dinners, prepare this recipe in meal prep bowls.
For the freezer: You can freeze this healthy beef broccoli into portion-controlled servings if you have leftovers. Reheat in the microwave when you’re ready to eat. Think homemade lean cuisines.
More healthy beef recipes
- Easy Steak Fajitas
- Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
- Cheeseburger Wrap
- Guinness Beef Stew
- Slow Cooker Chuck Roast Chili
- Pasta Fagioli
- Crockpot Taco Meat
See all of my healthy beef recipes.
Healthy Beef and Broccoli Recipe
Equipment
- Sharp chef's knife
- cutting board
- Large Skillet or Frying Pan
Ingredients
For the Stir Fry Sauce
- 1/4 cup Tamari sauce use low-sodium soy sauce if you're not gluten free
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons grated garlic cloves about 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 – 2 teaspoons Sriracha
- 2-3 teaspoons honey
For the Stir-fry
- 1 – 1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak sliced in thin strips
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 4 cups broccoli blanched
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- cooked brown rice optional
- sesame seeds optional
- sliced green onions optional
Instructions
- Start by making the stir-fry sauce; you can do this a few days ahead of time. Place the tamari or soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, Sriracha, and honey in a mason jar, cover, and shake until the ingredients are combined. You can also whisk them together in a small bowl. Set the sauce aside.
- Season the steak with salt and pepper.
- Cook the steak. You'll need to cook the beef in batches, which helps the meat get a delicious sear. If you crowd the pan, the beef will steam instead of sear.
- Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan. Once the oil is hot, add half of the beef strips to the pan. Brown the beef on both sides and cook until no longer pink, about 4-5 minutes total. After the beef cooks, remove it from the pan and set it aside—cook the rest of the beef strips and set aside.
- Heat another tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat in the same pan and add the broccoli. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the broccoli is bright green and tender-crisp – it will continue to soften in the sauce.
- In a glass bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the beef broth and cornstarch until the cornstarch dissolves.
- Pour the stir-fry sauce and beef broth mixture into the pan with broccoli.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Let it simmer until the sauce thickens. This takes about 3-4 minutes, maybe longer.
- Once the sauce begins to thicken, add in the steak strips. Toss to coat with sauce.
- Let it cook for another 2-3 minutes or until hot.
- Serve over brown rice and cauliflower rice, or eat it as is. Sprinkle it with green onions and sesame seeds.
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Have you tried this Healthy Beef and Broccoli recipe yet? If so, I’d love for you to rate this recipe and leave a comment below. We all learn from each other’s experiences. Also, it would be awesome if you could share a picture on Instagram and tag it #organizeyourselfskinny. I can’t wait to see it.
Terri says
I didn’t see in the recipe for what kind of beef you use or amount?
Tammy Overhoff says
Hi Terri, the recipes calls for 1 – 1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak sliced in thin strips.