Spring Vegetable Stir Fry
This gorgeous, one-pan meal features tender-crisp spring vegetables in a sublime sweet/savory glaze! Made with whatever vegetables you want and served over rice (or not), it’s the ultimate main dish, side dish, or colorful addition to a party spread!
This is one of my favorite dishes to make (and eat)! And I make it year-round with whatever vegetables are in season. This time, I used fresh asparagus, yellow bell pepper, zucchini, sweet onion, and carrots. But you can choose whatever vegetables you already have on hand! Great additions/substitutions would be broccoli, green beans, peas, yellow squash, cauliflower, and even leafy greens like spinach and kale.
You can add protein to this stir fry if you feel inclined! This meal is entirely vegetarian, but if you want to beef it up with animal protein, add chicken, steak, shrimp, or scallops. For plant protein, add seared tofu or top the dish with cashews or peanuts.
How should you serve your spring vegetable stir fry? I wanted to serve my veggies and sauce over rice to keep the meal gluten-free. That said, you can serve the vegetables as they are, or over your favorite grain, including quinoa, couscous, wild rice, or a rice medley. To serve the vegetables as a side dish, simply serve them as is!
Do you need a wok for this stir fry? Nope! Use a large skillet to get the job done! I suggest a large skillet so you can spread the vegetables out as they cook; you want the vegetables to hit the bottom of the hot pan frequently so they sauté rather than steam.
Feel free to make this dish spicy. I used 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes in this dish so there’s a touch of heat, but it’s not mind-blowing. You can increase the amount of red pepper flakes you use, and serve extra at the table. You can also add hot sauce or sriracha and serve extra at the table.
Spring Vegetable Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup soy sauce, or tamari sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey, or brown sugar, or maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more/less to taste
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil, or vegetable oil
- 1 small yellow or red onion, sliced or chopped
- 2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
- 1 bell pepper, any color, seeded and cut into strips
- 1 bunch asparagus, woody ends trimmed and spears cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 zucchini, or yellow squash, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, corn starch, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots and bell pepper cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until soft. Add the asparagus, zucchini, ginger, and garlic and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes, until the vegetables are fork-tender.
- Whisk the sauce again to make sure the corn starch is blended and add the sauce to the pan. Bring to a simmer. Cook for 1 minute, until the sauce thickens and glazes the vegetables. Season to taste with salt and black pepper and serve.