Skip the takeout and whip up a fast and fresh recipe for Easy Beef and Broccoli in 20 minutes or less.
Yes, you read that correctly … 20 minutes! As in, you are less than half an episode of Fixer Upper away from digging your chopsticks into a big ol’ bowl of the most flavorful, tender, saucy Easy Beef and Broccoli.
The classic takeout dishes (think Orange Chicken, Pad Thai and Chicken Egg Rolls) were one of my many cravings during my second pregnancy so I decided a fast and fresh version of beef and broccoli was a must!
There are just two tablespoons of oil in this entire dish, and you better believe it’s still packed with all that sweet, tangy, garlicky soy sauce flavor. After all, isn’t the best part of beef and broccoli the gravy-like sauce?
It has to be thick enough to coat the tender slices of beef and the broccoli florets, without weighing down the entire dish. And most importantly, there has to be just enough sauce so that the accompanying rice also gets a chance to soak up all that glorious garlicky gravy. Want to see for yourself? Tune in below!
Mouth watering yet? Grab your knife and get ready to slice and dice your way to Easy Beef and Broccoli that’s guaranteed to kick those takeout menus to the curb.
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Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch, divided
- 1 pound flank steak, cut into thin 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 3 Tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 4 cups small broccoli florets
- 1/2 cup sliced white onions
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water. Add the beef to the bowl and toss to combine.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch with the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and ginger. Set the sauce aside.
- Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and once it is hot, add the beef and cook, stirring constantly until the beef is almost cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a plate and set it aside.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan and once it is hot, add the broccoli florets and sliced onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is tender, about 4 minutes. (See Kelly’s Notes.)
- Return the beef to the pan then add the prepared sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until the sauce thickens slightly. Serve with rice or noodles.
Kelly's Notes:
- To guarantee bright green broccoli, blanch the florets in boiling water then drain and dry it very well before adding it to the pan. If you opt for this additional blanching step, reduce the cooking time of the broccoli to 2 minutes.
- The sauce must come to a boil in order for the cornstarch to work as a thickening agent.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
Family favorite! Clear instructions, sioeasy to make, and delicious!
I’m so happy to read this, Mina!
So good! I’ll never buy a beef broccoli packet mix again! Thanks for the great recipe
You are so welcome, Maria! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
We are munching on the Easy Beef and Broccoli right now.
Only complaint is from wifey, who thinks it is too hot ;-)
It is definitely a keeper this recipe
I’m thrilled you and your wife enjoyed it!
This is a good basic beginner beef & broccoli recipe – Liked it sauce was a bit too salty for us so on my second attempt at the recipe I reduced the soya sauce to 1/4 cup & added beef stock unsalted. Was much better. You might consider adding a few drops to 1/2 tsp of sesame seed oil i found it gave the whole dish a bit more in depth flavour. Work well for GF folks –
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe, Lorraine. Did you use low sodium soy sauce?
No I used low sodium on my you first try & Tamara sauce on the second try to keep it GF. Even at that it was too salty. Perhaps we are now sensitive to salt in our diet. Other than that the basic recipe was good, I would encourage folks to add the sesame oil to round out the flavour. Make sure you serve this with a good quality brown rice for extra nutrition.
Thanks for your notes, Lorraine. :)
I know it’s good when I start going around bragging about it.
Even more so when my wife loves it right then and there I really appreciate that recipe.
I’m so thrilled you and your wife enjoyed the recipe, Lee!