Ground Beef and Broccoli Recipe – Easy 30 Minute Dinner!
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If you need a quick dinner that’s easy to clean up, this ground beef and broccoli recipe is for you. It cooks in one pan in about 30 minutes, with tender beef, crisp broccoli, and a savory sauce that tastes like more work than it is. It’s the kind of weeknight dinner that saves you when time is short and everyone’s hungry.
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Recipe Highlights
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 25 Minutes
Serves: 4
- Ground beef keeps it simple – No slicing or marinating, so dinner comes together fast.
- Use the sauce you have – Homemade or store-bought both work well here.
Ingredient Notes
- Lean Ground Beef: Ground sirloin is the best choice, and 90/10 works well too. You can also use ground chicken or turkey.
- Stir Fry Sauce: You can use homemade or store-bought stir-fry sauce. Here’s my recipe for homemade, it’s made with soy sauce, fresh ginger, garlic, sesame oil and maple syrup or honey and thickened with a slurry of flour or cornstarch and water.
Missing an ingredient? Find a substitute with the ingredient swap assistant!
How to Make Ground Beef with Broccoli
- Get everything ready: Chop the broccoli and garlic, stir the sauce together, and mix the flour slurry. Then heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat.
- Brown the meat: Add the ground beef to a hot skillet, once cooked through, remove it from the pan and set it aside.
- Cook the vegetables: lower the heat to medium, then add the broccoli and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the broccoli is bright green and the garlic is soft.
- Add sauce: Lower the heat, return the beef to the skillet, and stir in the sauce. If you’re using homemade sauce, add the slurry so the sauce thickens as it cooks. Mix everything and stir gently until the sauce thickens.
Make it Your Way
This stir fry is easy to adjust based on what you have or what sounds good tonight.
- Add more vegetables – Mushrooms, bell peppers, or snow peas all work well here. They add more texture and color, but may need an extra minute or two in the pan, depending on how crisp you like them.
- Change the protein – Ground chicken, turkey, or pork can be used instead of beef. Turkey and chicken taste a little lighter, while pork gives it a slightly richer flavor.
- Traditional style – For a more classic beef-and-broccoli version, use thinly sliced flank steak instead of ground beef. It cooks quickly over high heat, but you’ll want to sear it fast so it stays tender
Serving suggestions
Serve this ground beef and broccoli garnished with green onions over brown rice, white rice, or cauliflower rice if you want a lower-carb option. It also pairs well with noodles, such as lo mein or soba.
For a little extra flavor, top each bowl with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. If you like heat, add a spoonful of homemade sriracha sauce on the side.
How to Store Leftovers
Leftovers keep well, so this recipe is a great make-ahead option. Store the beef and broccoli in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to eat, warm it gently on the stovetop or heat it in the microwave until hot.
If you’re serving it with rice or noodles, store them in a separate container so they stay firmer and don’t soak up too much sauce.
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Ground Beef and Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground sirloin or beef
- 4 cups chopped broccoli florets
- 1/2 cup stir fry sauce homemade or store bought
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients: rinse and chop the broccoli and garlic. If you are using homemade sauce, make the stir fry sauce by mixing together 3 tablespoons tamari sauce, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon grated ginger, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup, 1/2 cup water and 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Mix together a slurry of 2 tablespoons flour or cornstarch and 1/4 cup water.Heat one half tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over high heat.
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Once the oil is hot, reduce it to medium heat and add the ground beef. Cook the meat for a few minutes until it's cooked through.
- Remove the beef from the pan and drain any excess oil from the meat. Add the remaining olive oil to the skillet and cook the broccoli and garlic for a few minutes until it is crisp-tender and bright green.
- Reduce the heat to low heat. Add the beef back to the skillet and stir in the stir-fry sauce and the slurry mixture.
- Cook for a few minutes over low heat until the sauce becomes thick.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and can vary based on cooking methods and ingredients used
Ground Beef and Broccoli Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can, but the broccoli will not be as fresh-tasting and crisp as fresh broccoli. The broccoli should be thawed out completely before adding it to the stir fry, and you may have to use more flour to thicken the sauce since the frozen broccoli has more moisture than fresh.
This recipe contains soy sauce, which contains gluten. For a gluten-free version, use tamari sauce or coconut aminos. And be sure to use cornstarch or arrowroot to thicken the sauce.
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Thanks for including nutrition info for your recipes!! Can’t tell you how many things I’ve come across that I’d like to try, and that SOUND healthy, but without the nutrition info, and the fact that I suffer from congestive heart failure as well as obesity, I don’t dare take the chance!! Thanks again for making the choice of whether to make a certain recipe MINE again!!
Hi Penny, You are welcome! I am happy to help you make the choice yours.
Thanks for this delicious recipe, it was so quick and easy. I added a little red pepper flakes to spice it up and it was so good!