This Easy Beef and Broccoli is amazingly delicious and made extra quick by using ground beef. This one pan dinner is the perfect busy weeknight meal combining everyday fridge and pantry ingredients with quick prep and kid friendly flavors.
My boys absolutely love Asian inspired food. I am always trying to find ways to make their favorites at home, in a quick, doable, weeknight kind of way.
This recipe is inspired by traditional beef and broccoli, but transitions it into something even quick and easier with on hand pantry ingredients. But don’t worry… the flavor is still so so good!
If you love quick and easy stir fry recipes for busy nights, make sure to check out my One Pan Beef and Ramen, Pepper Steak Stir Fry, and Chicken Veggie Stir Fry, or just use my easy stir fry sauce with whatever you have on hand.
Why I LOVE this recipe!
- Kid Friendly – My kids even eat broccoli when it is coated in this sauce!
- Fast – Dinner on the table in under 30 minutes.
- Pantry ingredients – Everything in this recipe I generally have on hand.
- Flexible serving – Serve it plain, over rice or noodles, in a lettuce wrap- whatever!
Recipe Notes
This Easy Beef and Broccoli recipe is as simple as promised! Just a reason it is so easy—- for a family friendly meal.
In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use for how to make Beef and Broccoli with ground beef to get the absolute best and most delicious results.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Lean ground beef– I like to get lean so there is less fat to drain and more lean meat. I use 93/7, but you can use any variety of ground beef.
- Yellow onion– White, sweet, or vidalia onion will also work.
- Fresh broccoli florets– you can also use frozen broccoli that has been thawed, but I prefer fresh for the texture.
- Sesame oil– This helps to give it that take out flavor.
- Soy sauce
- Hoisin sauce
- Minced garlic– fresh or jarred.
- Minced ginger– fresh or jarred.
- Brown sugar – Light or dark brown will both work. You can use more brown sugar to give it a sweeter stickier sauce if you prefer.
Make sure to see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full quantities and ingredients list.
Recipe Variations
If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!
- Ground Beef Rice and Broccoli– Make recipe as directed, doubling the sauce. Prepare 1 cup of Jasmine rice as directed on the package. Once done, mix the prepared rice into the extra saucy Ground Beef and Broccoli.
- Beef and Broccoli with Steak– Make recipe as directed replacing the ground beef with thinly sliced stir fry beef. Find this in the meat department, prepared or ask your butcher to cut it for you.
- Ground Turkey and Broccoli– To lighten the recipe up, replace the ground beef with lean ground turkey and make recipe as directed.
Recipe Step by Step
I am going to highlight a few key steps in the recipe here, but make sure to jump down to the recipe card for comprehensive instructions on how to make Easy Beef and Broccoli with ground beef.
Add the beef to a hot skillet.
Add onion and brown the ground beef and onions together.
Add the broccoli and stir fry sauce and cook until sauce reduces and becomes sticky.
Serve over rice, noodles, or in a lettuce wrap.
Recipe Tips
- Use lean ground beef – this helps you to both have more meat, and save time. Higher fat content beef has less lean meat and more of the volume cooks off as fat that has to be drained off.
- Make it saucy – If you like your stir fry extra saucy, you can double the ingredients for the sauce.
- Make it sweet – I try to keep the added sugar content of my recipes fairly low, so this recipe is no exception. If you prefer a sweeter and more sticky sauce, you can double the brown sugar in the recipe.
- Use fresh broccoli – Fresh broccoli is better in this recipe than frozen because it holds its texture better. While you can use frozen (thawed) broccoli in a pinch and it will still be tasty, fresh will have a better outcome.
Recipe Short Cuts
If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster!
- Use prechopped onion – You can chop ahead of time or find these at the supermarket in the fresh or frozen section.
- Precook the ground beef – Then just start at the part where you add the sauce to the skillet.
- Premake the sauce – I actually like to make big batches of my stir fry sauce and keep it in the fridge so I don’t have to mix it up each time I want to make a quick asian inspired meal.
What to Serve with Beef and Broccoli
Since this protein based dinner has the delicious flavors of Asian Cuisine, it will pair well with many of your favorite Asian inspired side dishes.
Choose one or several of these side dishes to create a wholesome, well-rounded dinner. There are both classic options and some healthy options to keep it light.
Side Dish Ideas
- Rice– I like it over plain jasmine rice or with my super yummy Vegetable Fried Rice.
- Noodles– serve over anything from ramen to lo mein noodles
- Lettuce– Serve as a lettuce wrap or on top of chopped lettuce
- Shredded Cabbage– Either eat it with raw crisp shaved cabbage, or microwave it for a minute or so to soften it up a bit. Grab a bag of colesaw mix to make it even quicker!
- Asian Cucumber Salad– This is one of my personal favorite sides.
- Sriracha Coleslaw– If you like a kick, this is so delicious!
Ground Beef and Broccoli Leftovers
If you have leftovers after making this recipe, then it is your lucky day! They save and reheat well, and can make the start of another delicious dish.
To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:
- in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
- in the freezer up to a month
Leftover Recipes
Here are a few ways to repurpose those leftovers and give them a delicious makeover!
- Beef and Broccoli Fried Rice– Make my well loved steak fried rice replacing the steak with beef and broccoli.
- Beef and Broccoli Wraps– In a flat bread add beef and broccoli, shredded cabbage, cucumber, and a drizzle of spicy mayo.
- Beef and Broccoli Stir Fried Noodles– Add beef and broccoli back into a pan with some prepared Ramen Noodles. If desired, make additional stir fry sauce to make it extra saucy.
- Beef and Broccoli Spring Rolls– Roll the chopped beef and broccoli in spring roll wrappers, and air-fry or bake until crisp. Serve with soy or sweet chili sauce for dipping.
More EASY Dinner Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!
You can check out all of my easy dinner recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.
- Easy Hibachi Chicken
- Asian Style Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
- Asian Turkey Meatballs
- Korean Beef Bowls
Easy Beef and Broccoli (with Ground Beef)
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 8 ounces broccoli florets, chopped into bite sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, (optional- see note)
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add the ground beef and onion and cook breaking apart as you stir until browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the sesame oil and chopped broccoli florets and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Then add the soy sauce, hoisin, garlic, ginger, and brown sugar (optional) to the beef and broccoli and stir until everything is well coated. Let simmer for another 2-3 minutes or until the broccoli is tender.
- Serve warm over rice, in lettuce wraps, or in a bowl.
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