This Ground Beef Stir Fry recipe is easy to make with fresh or frozen vegetables! It has a delicious brown sauce to serve with rice or noodles for a healthy 30-minute meal!
Combine cornstarch + cold water in a covered container and shake to combine. Set aside in a cool place.
Combine remaining sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.
Measure out additional ingredients before beginning.
Cook the Beef
Sprinkle the beef with seasoning.Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook and crumble until browned and cooked through. Drain grease and set aside.
Make the Stir Fry
Add the white wine and set the heat to medium. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom and sides of the skillet. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
Add a splash of additional oil if needed. Add the broccoli, green beans, mushrooms, onions, and celery and toss to coat. Cook for 3 minutes, until slightly softened. Add thecarrots andbell peppers and cook for 2 minutes.
Add sauce mixture and bring to a gentle boil. Let it simmer/reduce for 2-3 minutes. Take the cornstarch mixture and shake it well. Slowly stir the cornstarch slurry into the bubbling sauce until desired thickness is obtained. Reduce heat to low.
Add the ground beef back to the skillet along with any juices from the plate. Mix it into the sauce and let it heat through, about 2 minutes. Add desired garnishes and serve with rice or noodles.
Notes
Pro Tips
Beef: An even pound of ground beef can be used for this recipe, I like to make a little extra. Ground turkey or ground pork may also be used.
Wine: Wine: Chardonnay and Pinto Grigio are great wine options to deglaze the pan with. An equal amount of chicken or beef broth may be used if you don’t cook with wine.
Broth: While it may seem counterintuitive to use both chicken and beef broth in this recipe, it actually adds a really nice depth of flavor. If preferred, all beef broth can be used.
Veggies: Frozen vegetables may be used instead of fresh if needed.
Hot Sauce: The hot sauce in this recipe doesn't make it hot/spicy, it's just a small amount that is used to enhance the other flavors. I use Frank's Hot Sauce.
Topping Options include green onions, roughly chopped peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, and crunchy Chow Mein noodles.
7 oz. of stir fry noodles or thin spaghetti can be added to the sauce at the end instead of serving with rice if preferred.
Peanut Butter: If you like a little peanut flavor in your sauce, feel free to add a few Tablespoons of it to the sauce!
Sodium: To control the sodium in this recipe: Consider using low sodium soy sauce and/or broth.
Storage:
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Leftovers do freeze well.
Leftovers are also great in lettuce wraps.
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.
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 4 servings in this recipe. The optional white rice is not included.