This Ground Beef and Broccoli is an easy 30 minute meal with a simple, flavorful sauce that your family will love eating with vegetables!

A bowl of rice with Ground Beef with Broccoli on top with bell peppers and green onions.

Ground Beef and Broccoli

I can’t pass up a good stir fry recipe, especially one that is truly a 30 minute meal.

You can make this recipe with ground beef, chicken, or turkey. Feel free to add in whatever vegetables you have on hand as well. It even makes a great freezer meal to reheat for easy, healthy lunches and dinners!

So….you sold yet?! See how easy this is to make below and don’t miss my pro tips for this recipe.

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Sauté the broccoli in oil for about 4-5 minutes, set aside. Add ground beef and onions and cook/crumble over medium-high heat. Drain grease. Add bell peppers and cook for 1 minute. 

Skillets with broccoli and ground beef with bell peppers.

Add sauce mixture and bring to a gentle boil. Let it simmer/reduce for 2-3 minutes. Remove cornstarch mixture from the fridge and give it a shake. Slowly stir it into the sauce. Let it continue to bubble gently until desired thickness is obtained.

Reduce heat to low. Add broccoli back and stir to combine and heat through. Garnish with green onions and serve.

Making Ground Beef with Broccoli in a skillet with bell peppers.

Keto Ground Beef and Broccoli

  • Cauliflower rice can be used instead of regular.
  • Brown Sugar and Honey can be replaced with more keto-friendly sweeteners. I do feel that sweetener of some sort is necessary in this recipe to balance out the savory flavor from the soy sauce and beef broth.
  • Consider skipping the cornstarch.

Pro Tips

  • Ground Turkey or Ground Chicken may also be used in this recipe. You can also make my Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry with chicken breasts!
  • Frozen Broccoli may also be used. Thaw and pat dry and proceed as outlined in the recipe.
  • Ingredient Additions include julienned carrots, water chestnuts, celery, kale, and more.
  • Topping Options include green onions, roughly chopped peanuts, sesame seeds, crunchy chow mein noodles, and sliced almonds.
  • To Control the Sodium in this recipe, consider using low sodium soy sauce and/or reduced sodium broth. Some soy sauce brands contain more salt than others.
  • Tip for cooking rice: Add chicken bouillon to the water for added flavor. Let it stand in the pot with the cover on for 10 minutes after simmering to let the rice release from the bottom.

Storage

  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. (Leftovers do freeze well!)

A bowl of ground beef and broccoli over rice with bell peppers.

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Ground beef and broccoli in a brown sauce over a bed of rice.

Ground Beef and Broccoli

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
4.97 from 127 ratings
Servings: 4 people
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This Ground Beef and Broccoli recipe is an easy 30 minute meal with a simple, flavorful sauce that your family will love eating with vegetables!

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon peanut oil, can sub vegetable or olive
  • 3 cups broccoli florets, washed and patted dry
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced
  • Salt/White Pepper, to taste

Sauce

  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, + 2 tablespoons cold water
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

For Serving

  • 3 cups cooked rice, any kind

Instructions

Prep Work

  • Combine cornstarch + 2 Tablespoons water in a covered container and shake to combine. Place in a cool location.
  • Combine remaining sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. *Start with 1 tablespoon of honey and add another at the end if desired.

Cook the Broccoli

  • Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the broccoli and toss to coat. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until slightly softened. Remove and set aside.

Cook the Beef

  • Season the beef with salt/white pepper if desired. Cook and crumble the ground beef and diced onions over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through. Drain grease. Add sliced bell peppers and cook for 1 minute.

Add the Sauce

  • Add sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Let it simmer/reduce for 2-3 minutes. Shake the cornstarch mixture, then slowly stir it into the sauce. Let it continue to bubble gently until desired thickness is obtained.

Add the Broccoli Back

  • Reduce heat to low. Add broccoli back and stir to combine and heat through. Garnish with green onions and serve over rice! *See notes for my process on making perfectly cooked, flavorful rice.

Notes

  • Ground Turkey or Ground Chicken may also be used in this recipe. You can also make my Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry with chicken breasts!
  • Frozen Broccoli may also be used. Thaw and pat dry and proceed as outlined in the recipe.
  • Ingredient Additions include julienned carrots, water chestnuts, celery, kale, and more.
  • Topping Options include green onions, roughly chopped peanuts, sesame seeds, crunchy chow mein noodles, and sliced almonds.
  • To Control the Sodium in this recipe, consider using low sodium soy sauce and/or reduced sodium broth. Some soy sauce brands contain more salt than others.
My process for perfectly cooked rice:
  • Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. (I add 2 chicken bouillon cubes to the water for enhanced flavor.)
  • Add 1 cup of white long grain rice and let the liquid come back up to a boil.
  • Cover tightly and reduce heat to a gentle simmer for 15 minutes. (I set my heat to low.)
  • Remove from heat and let it stand in the pot for 10 minutes with the lid on, any rice stuck to the bottom will release.
  • This yields 3 cups of flavorful, perfectly cooked rice. I use a Dutch oven for this which conducts heat well.
  • Note that other varieties of rice may require different liquid measurements and/or cooking times.
The Nutrition Information is per serving, there are 4 servings in this recipe, and the rice is included. Note that the nutritional information shared is an estimate.

Nutrition

Calories: 488kcal, Carbohydrates: 65g, Protein: 32g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 70mg, Sodium: 1138mg, Potassium: 842mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 21g, Vitamin A: 1357IU, Vitamin C: 102mg, Calcium: 80mg, Iron: 4mg
Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Asian
Author: Stephanie