This quick and easy Ground Beef and Broccoli recipe is filled with saucy ground beef and tender-crisp broccoli, all served over rice.
Dinner is ready in under 20 minutes and will have everyone coming back for seconds!
Turning quick-cooking ground beef into an easy weeknight dinner is my specialty. Ground beef cooks super fast, and when paired with a delicious sauce and broccoli – it’s a winning combination.
Ingredients Needed
Here’s the basic list of ingredients you’ll need in order to make this ground beef with broccoli recipe. As always, you can find the full list of ingredients located in the printable recipe card below.
- Lean Ground Beef – you can also swap for ground pork or chicken if desired.
- Broccoli Florets – use fresh if possible, but frozen would also work.
- Onion – for added flavor
- Beef Broth – to create that signature sweet brown sauce
- Soy Sauce – use low sodium
- Brown Sugar – to give the sauce that touch of sweetness, you can swap with honey if desired.
- Sriracha Sauce – just a little bit to balance out the sweet and salty with a touch of heat. Use as much or as little as you would like.
- Cornstarch – to help create a thicker sauce.
How To Make Beef and Broccoli
The best thing about this spin on the classic Asian dish is that we’re swapping steak strips for quick-cooking ground beef.
This means we don’t need to take extra time to marinate and pan sear each strip of steak… which can seem time consuming when you just need to get dinner on the table… like NOW!
Blanch Broccoli
In order to keep our broccoli from falling apart in the saucy ground beef mixture, we’re going to do a super quick method of cooking it – called blanching.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the broccoli florets and cook for just 2 to 3 minutes, until they turn a bright green color.
Use a slotted spoon and remove them from the boiling water and dunk them in a bowl filled with ice water. This stops the cooking process, allowing them to have that perfect bite in the finished dish. Use that slotted spoon again to remove them from the cold water and set the broccoli aside.
Brown Ground Beef
In a large skillet or wok, brown the ground beef with the onion over medium-high heat, until it’s no longer pink and the onion is tender.
Drain off any excess fat from the beef and return the pan to the stove top. Add in the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant.
Add The Sauce
While the beef is cooking, stir together all the sauce ingredients in a small dish.
When the beef is ready, pour in the sauce ingredients and stir until the sauce starts to thicken.
Add in the blanched broccoli and gently stir it all together, coating everything in the sauce.
That’s it!
Dinner is done and ready to go, and you’re going to look like a rockstar in the kitchen.
Serve this saucy ground beef over a bed of rice or noodles along with some egg rolls for a delicious meal that everyone will love.
Make Ahead and Storage
Broccoli and Ground Beef tastes best when made fresh, but it can also be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezing the beef and broccoli mixture would work, but after reheating, the broccoli will lose it’s texture and be more mushy.
Tips and Suggestions
More Veggies – looking to add more veggies? Try adding in strips of red bell pepper with the onion. Zucchini, green beans, and sliced carrots are also great additions.
More Spice – try swapping out the Sriracha for a chili garlic paste to give the sauce a little more kick!
Sweetness – I typically use an oyster sauce for added sweetness (and umami) in my beef and broccoli sauce. However, I realize not everyone has that ingredient readily available. If you do, I would recommend swapping the brown sugar out and use equal parts oyster sauce in it’s place.
More Ground Beef Dinners
Ready to take your meal prep time down? Here are some of my all time favorite short-cut ground beef dinners that will WOW your tastebuds.
- Korean Ground Beef – sweet and spicy with cucumbers and carrots!
- Ground Beef Kung Pao – spicy goodness with a nutty sauce and plenty of veggies!
- Mongolian Ground Beef – that sticky brown sauce and green onions over rice is a game changer!
I can’t wait for you to give this delicious Ground Beef and Broccoli Recipe a try! I know you’re going to love it!
Ground Beef and Broccoli Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups broccoli, cut into florets
For The Sauce
- ⅓ cup beef broth, low sodium
- ¼ cup brown sugar, *see notes
- 3 tbsp soy sauce, low sodium
- 2 tsp sriracha, more or less to taste
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
For The Stir Fry
- 1 lb. ground beef, lean
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 2 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ginger, minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp sesame seeds, optional
- 2 tbsp green onions, sliced, optional
Instructions
- Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add in the broccoli florets. Let them cook, about 2 to 3 minutes, until they're bright green in color. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the boiling water and add them to the bowl of ice water. Once cooled completely, remove the broccoli from the ice water with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl, set aside.
For The Sauce
- Combine the sauce ingredients in a small dish and set aside.
For The Stir Fry
- In a large skillet or wok, over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef with the diced onion, until the beef is no longer pink and the onions are nice and tender. Drain off any excess fat and return pan to stove top.
- Pour in the prepared sauce and stir, until the sauce thickens and the beef is coated. Stir in the broccoli and season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions if desired. Enjoy!
How much is a serving?
Made as written. Incredibly easy. Appreciated by all. Even my incredibly picky 12 year old! Next time will add water chestnuts for additional crunch but meal pretty darn perfect as is. Thx so much for this tasty and simple recipe.
I pretty much made this as directed. It was delicious.
My husband really liked it.