This Easy Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry is truly a 30-minute meal. It has quickly become a favorite in our house and we lean on it every other week. We also whip this one out when guests are over and we need to make something with little effort, but lots of pay off.

My beef about beef: some people hate on ground beef, but that’s likely because they’re buying the cheap and creep (as I call it) from the bargain bin at the grocery store. Whenever I go to the farmers market, I stock up on ground beef from a local farmer. Not only is the quality great, but I can ask them for fattier or leaner pounds depending on how I intend to use it. Plus I know the cows aren’t pumped with hormones and fed piles of grain and corn, instead they’re free-range mellow grass grazers. The $2 extra per pound is well worth it. If you have trust issues with ground beef, I highly recommend a visit to your local butcher or farmers market.

Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry Ingredients

• 1 – 1½ pounds good ground beef – I typically use a leaner mix for this recipe
• 2 Tablespoons of fresh minced garlic about 4-6 cloves
• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 2 small crowns of broccoli
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ½ cup orange juice – I often use fresh-squeezed from one or two oranges, but pre-squeezed works just as well
• ½ cup brown sugar – it seems like a lot, but the final product is not sweet
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoons cornstarch – super important, this is what thickens the sauce
• 2 sliced green onions for garnish
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds for garnish

Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe

Start the rice in a rice cooker or on the stovetop and cook as directed.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Rinse and chop the broccoli. Spread on a baking sheet, drizzle some olive oil over top and give it a liberal shake of salt. Place in the oven, check after 20 minutes or so. I bake mine for about 35 minutes because I love crispy charred broccoli.

Place the beef in a frying pan over medium heat. Break up with a fork while it’s cooking. Chop the garlic and add to the beef. Drain off excess grease if necessary though I rarely find I need to do this step.

Prepare the sauce – in a medium-sized bowl, combine ½ cup soy sauce, ½ cup orange juice, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Whisk until combined and then pour into the pan of cooked beef.

Reduce the heat to low – simmer for about five minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the beef.

Plate rice, beef, and broccoli in a bowl and sprinkle with a bit of sesame seeds and top with sliced green onions.

That’s that! The easiest Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry that truly only takes thirty minutes. Even though this dish is straightforward, the flavor of the glazed beef combined with the crispy broccoli is filling, delicious and perfect for those busy weeknights.