Sesame Beef with Broccoli
Tender beef and broccoli, shimmering in a soy, sesame, and garlic-infused sauce. The balance of flavor and texture in this dish makes it a delight to eat – juicy beef, tender-crisp broccoli, satiny sauce, and crunchy sesame seeds.
This quick-and-easy, ultra-delicious meal is ready in less than 20 minutes, gluten-free, and healthy too! You need very few ingredients to make the (virtually fat-free) sauce, and the ingredients are all pantry staples. Making a dish with what you have on hand, especially when it’s a fantastic dish, is the best!
You can also make this dish with ground chicken or ground turkey. If you’re short on ground beef, or more of a poultry fan, you can easily swap in ground chicken or turkey. You can also switch the beef broth to chicken broth.
About the broccoli: I prefer to blanch the broccoli in boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes before adding it to the skillet. I find that this simple technique locks in color and guarantees perfectly cooked broccoli every time. You can skip this step and add the raw broccoli florets directly to the skillet; just make sure to wash the broccoli thoroughly before using. If you’re using frozen broccoli, you can skip the blanching step!
Sesame Beef with Broccoli
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup beef broth, or water
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups fresh broccoli florets, blanched or steamed until crisp-tender, or frozen broccoli, thawed
- 2 cups cooked rice of choice
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds* for serving
- Chopped green onions for serving
Equipment
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the broth (or water) soy sauce, cornstarch, sesame oil, garlic powder, and onion powder. Set aside.
- Brown the beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Add the soy sauce mixture and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Add the broccoli to the beef and cook for 1 to 2 minutes to heat through.
- Spoon the beef mixture over the rice and top with sesame seeds and green onions.
- *You can find toasted sesame seeds next to the regular sesame seeds in the spice aisle. If you’d rather toast them yourself, add the raw seeds to a dry skillet and set the pan over medium heat. Cook until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan frequently.