Beef Stir Fry: a quick & easy weeknight dinner
If you love a quick, vibrant, and satisfying meal, this beef stir fry is about to become your new weeknight obsession. It has all the sweet-savory flavors you crave from a classic stir fry, and comes together all in one skillet. Simply brown your ground beef, toss in the veggies, pour in the sauce, and dinner is ready in no time.
I love to serve this over rice or noodles. The leftovers reheat wonderfully, so you’re left with lunch and dinner for multiple meals throughout the week.
Ground beef is the secret shortcut here for a quick dish. It browns well, soaks up all that good sauce, and gives every bite a savory richness. I prefer this recipe with ground meat, but it can easily be made with your favorite cut of sliced beef.
It’s also budget-friendly and freezer-friendly, which means you can pull this meal together any night of the week.
Ingredients you’ll need for ground beef stir fry
You can clean out your fridge for this one with any veggies you have on hand. Here’s what I added-
- Ground beef– I used lean ground beef. Feel free to make this your own by using your favorite cut of sliced beef, ground chicken or even turkey
- Veggies– red bell pepper, carrots, zucchini and edamame. This recipe would be delicious with mushrooms, cabbage, or snap peas
- Aromatics– garlic, ginger and diced onion
- The sauce– coconut aminos, maple syrup, sesame seeds, rice vinegar, salt & pepper
- Olive oil + sesame oil
- Scallions and sesame seeds to garnish
Frozen stir-fry mixes work perfectly, too. Just toss them in straight from the bag.
- Start by sauteeing the onion in olive oil until browned.
- Add in the grated garlic, ginger and ground beef. Cook on a medium flame for about 10 minutes to brown the meat
- Add in the diced vegetables with the spices and sauce. Toss together and cover the pan. Cook for 10 minutes covered to steam the vegetables.
- Uncover the pan and add the edamame, chopped scallions, and a drizzle of sesame oil. Adjust salt as needed
- Continue cooking uncovered for another 15 minutes, until the vegetables caramelize
- Garnish with sesame seeds and extra scallions
Make it your own
This simple recipe is endlessly customizable:
- Add chili oil or sriracha for heat
- Swap in ground turkey or chicken
- Toss in cashews for crunch
- Serve it with rice noodles for a takeout-style bowl
- Use frozen mixed veggies to save time
This ground beef stir fry is full of flavor, veggies and protein. Serve it over rice for a well-rounded weeknight dinner.
Other easy dinner ideas-
Coconut Curry Chicken
Salmon Rice Bowls
Sheet-pan Miso Chicken
Ground Beef Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 zucchini diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 carrots peeled and diced
- 1 cup shelled edamame fresh or frozen
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
Sauce ingredients
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos or sub 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Directions
- Heat a skillet with 1/4 cup olive oil. Add in the diced onion and saute for about 7-8 minutes until browned.
- Add in the grated garlic, ginger and ground beef. Cook on a medium flame for about 10 minutes to brown the meat. Be sure to break apart the meat into small chunks.
- Add the diced vegetables to the pan with the sauce ingredients. Toss together and cover the pan. Cook for 10 minutes to steam the vegetables.
- Uncover the pan and add the edamame, chopped scallions, and 1 tbsp of sesame oil. Mix together and adjust salt if needed. Continue cooking uncovered for another 15 minutes, tossing every couple of minutes, until the sauce has thickened and the vegetables caramelize.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and extra scallions
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