Chinese Beef and Broccoli Bowls
The following recipe and photography were created in collaboration with Lauren Schulte. To see more of her bites and meals, visit her Instagram @TheBiteSizePantry.
Who loves a good Chinese takeout meal? I know we do in our household! My favorite Chinese takeout is, without a doubt, Beef and Broccoli. The sweet and tangy flavor of the sauce along with firm bites of broccoli and sautéed beef just sends me on a journey of flavor enlightenment. I was so enlightened that I thought to myself one day, “why can’t I recreate this favorite takeout meal of mine at home?”
Simple takeout-style dishes made at home are a great way to save some of those coveted calories for dessert. We all know that most fast food meals are not always so fast and contain a lot of not-so-good for your ingredients such as unnecessary salt, sauces, sugars and fillers. Well, my 20 minute beef and broccoli will never leave you waiting, but will leave you wanting more.
Chinese Beef and Broccoli Bowls
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb. of Heinen’s 90% lean ground beef
- 1 large head of broccoli, approx. 2 ½ cups
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup fruit juice, orange or pineapple works nicely
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. sesame oil or olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 3 cups of cooked white or brown rice
- Sliced green onion, for garnish
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- To a large skillet, add the ground beef and cook over medium-high heat until beef is mostly browned (a little pink in places is fine because it will cook off in the sauce). Stir the beef often and break it up into small pieces.
- Add the minced garlic to the beef and stir to combine.
- While the ground beef is cooking away, cook the rice according to the package instructions. Make enough rice to equal approx. 3 cups when cooked.
- In a medium saucepan with a steamer insert, add enough to cover the bottom of the pan, about 2 cups. Add the broccoli into the steamer insert, cover and bring to a low simmer.
- Steam the broccoli for 10 minutes or until fork tender. If you don’t have a steamer insert, simply put the broccoli directly into the pan with the water, steam and drain the water when done.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, fruit juice, brown sugar, oil and cornstarch. Be sure to add the cornstarch to the liquid mixture before adding it to the ground beef, otherwise the sauce won’t thicken up as nicely.
- Set aside ¼ cup of the sauce to add more to the bowls once they’re done, if desired.
- Pour the remaining sauce mixture over the ground beef and garlic. Stir in the sauce and cook on medium-low heat until the beef starts to simmer, then cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Serve over rice with steamed broccoli and top with green onions and sesame seeds.
Interested in making this recipe? Order the ingredients online for Curbside Grocery Pickup or Delivery.
