This Healthy Ground Beef and Broccoli Recipe is cooked in a delicious, flavorful sauce and comes together in less than 30 minutes! This easy recipe is a perfect weeknight dinner for the entire family!
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Broccoli with beef is a takeout favorite! But where I live, GOOD solid Chinese food is hard to come by unless we drive 30 miles! So when I want good Asian food, I am pretty much stuck making it myself!
If I am craving Thai flavors, I whip up my my Easy Thai Basil Pork or this Chopped Thai Salad with Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette!
When I am craving Chinese food….this healthy broccoli stir fry is one of my favorite dishes! You can make this healthy, simple recipe in less than 30 minutes, too! #winning
If you are craving a spicier dish, you have to try my Volcano Chicken–it’s takeout quality in your own kitchen! Short on time? Try my Easy Ground Beef Noodle Stir Fry or this super quick Teriyaki Chicken with Broccoli!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- Simple recipe that is ready in less than 30 minutes.
- Rich, flavorful sauce that’s just as good as takeout!
- By using ground beef, you don’t have to cut any meat–yay!
- Can be made ahead and is a great option for meal prep!
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this healthy ground beef and broccoli:
INGREDIENT NOTES
Ground Beef: To keep this dish healthy, opt for lean ground beef – 90% lean or more.
Soy Sauce: LOW SODIUM soy sauce is essential in this dish. Regular soy sauce will make this dish too salty. Coconut aminos can also be used.
HOW TO MAKE THIS HEALTHY GROUND BEEF AND BROCCOLI RECIPE: STEP BY STEP
Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember that full instructions with exact ingredients will be in the recipe card below!
Step 1: Whisk up your sauce ingredients in a small bowl: soy sauce, beef stock, brown sugar, honey, sesame oil, cornstarch, garlic and ginger; set aside.
Step 2: In a large skillet, brown ground beef, breaking in into small pieces.
Step 3: Add broccoli and sauce. Stir to coat everything in the yummy sauce!
Step 4: Bring to a boil and cook 3-4 minutes until broccoli is tender and sauce has thickened.
RECIPE TIPS & TRICKS
- For super quick cooking, chop your broccoli florets into smaller, bite-sized pieces so they cook super quick!
- Ensure you bring the dish to a BOIL for a few minutes to give the sauce time to thicken.
STORAGE & REHEATING
- Storage: Store this dish in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. For meal prep, divide the dish into 4 separate meal prep containers (I love these from Amazon that are microwavable and have two separate sections) and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: To reheat, pop the dish into the microwave and reheat for about one minute. This dish can also be reheated in a skillet over medium heat.
- Freezing: This dish can be frozen for up to 2 months in a freezer bag or airtight container. However, be aware that the broccoli will change in texture and be slightly softer. I recommend enjoying this dish fresh 🙂
ADDITIONS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Meat/Protein: Lean ground beef is used in this recipe but ground turkey, chicken or lean ground pork also work well! This recipe is also delish with thinly sliced, lean flank steak! It takes a bit more time to cut the steak, but it’s a delicious, more “traditional” option! You can absolutely make this meatless too, by using firm tofu in place of the meat.
Veggies: Feel free to add more veggies to this dish! Shredded carrots, red bell pepper, snow peas and sugar snap peas would be delicious!
Low carb or keto-friendly option: Serve over cauliflower rice instead of white rice.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Hot, steamed white rice is perfect with this broccoli recipe. To keep it healthy, I would also recommend brown rice or cauliflower rice.
Yes you can. However, I am a big fan of my stir fry veggies being crisp-tender which is tough to do with frozen veggies.
If you want to use frozen broccoli, make sure to thaw it completely. Then drain or pat off any excess water.
OTHER EASY DINNER RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
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Healthy Ground Beef and Broccoli
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup low sodium soy sauce See Note 1
- 2/3 cup beef broth or stock
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced/grated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
- 1 lb. lean ground beef 90% lean or more
- 1-2 tsp olive oil avocado oil or vegetable oil also work
- 3-4 cups fresh broccoli florets, cut into small, bite sized pieces See Note 2
- sesame seeds, red pepper flakes and green onions for garnish optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, beef stock, brown sugar, honey, sesame oil, corn starch, ginger and garlic. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1-2 tsp of olive oil. When oil is hot, add beef. Cook beef until no longer pink, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon (about 3-4 minutes). Pro tip: using a potato masher during the last minute or so of cooking will get your meat broken up nice and fine!
- When meat is browned, give the reserved sauce a good stir to remix the ingredients. Then add sauce and broccoli to the pan. Give everything a nice toss so sauce coats the meat and the broccoli. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
- Boil 1-2 minutes until sauce is thickened and broccoli is crisp-tender.
- Garnish with green onions, sesame seeds and red pepper flakes if you like! Serve over hot jasmine rice, brown rice or cauliflower rice.
Jess says
I just made this last night and the kids went crazy for it!
Beth says
I love this recipe so much! Who says that healthy can’t be delicious? This is going to be a regular in my rotation.
Nathan says
Beef and broccoli is one of my all time favs, and I love that I can make it for myself now! The flavors in this recipe are so perfect. Definitely a new go-to for dinner!
Kushigalu says
Love the combination of ingredients in this recipe. So flavorful and delicious.
Shelby says
It’s so helpful to have simple, delicious, and healthier recipes for quick and easy dinners. Thank you!
Jessica Formicola says
I’m always looking for new ways to use up ground beef, and this looks like the perfect recipe to do it! Thanks so much for sharing!
Vanessa says
This was super delicious and a great way to use up broccoli. The flavour was wonderful – I will be making this again!
Tavo says
I hadn’t eaten broccoli this way before, and loved it! thanks for the recipe!
Gina says
Love this recipe for easy weeknight meals! So tasty with just a few ingredients and incredibly simple to make!
Carrie Robinson says
Definitely going to make this the next time I am craving takeout! Looks amazing. 🙂