On the rare night when we order Chinese takeout, we all want something different. Dave craves something spicy, green onion pancakes, and salt & pepper chicken. Lucy requests fried rice. And I prefer beef with broccoli, beef with broccoli, and beef with broccoli. Sadly, it’s a dish that’s hard for most restaurants to get right. The beef sometimes tastes “beefy” (not fresh), the broccoli is overcooked, and the sauce can be soupy.
Lucky for me though, it’s dang easy to make at home. It’s a quick, tasty weeknight meal with no takeout cartons necessary. And the secret to getting the beef fork-tender requires only a few ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.
Start with a few dry ingredients in a large bowl: baking soda, a little bit of sugar, and some cornstarch.
Whisk in some soy sauce, water, and vegetable oil.
Slice your steak against the grain into thin strips. I like flank steak for this dish, but tri-tip or pretty much any cut would work just fine.
Toss the meat with the marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This easy marinade is all that it takes to get that crazy-tender beef, even with less expensive cuts.
Next, when you’re ready for dinner, make the sauce. It’s an easy blend of soy, brown sugar, minced garlic, a bit of flour, and cooking sherry (the sherry is optional; I think it rounds out the flavors nicely but if you don’t have any, no need to take a special trip to the grocery). Stir until the flour and sugar dissolve.
In a large saute pan or wok, heat some vegetable oil on high. When the oil is thoroughly heated (it will begin to shimmer), toss in the broccoli and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often. Don’t walk away! You’ll risk burning your veggies. Transfer to a plate or a heatproof bowl.
In the same pan, saute the beef with half of the sauce mixture for 3-4 minutes (keep stirring often!) or until the meat is cooked through and no longer pink.
Add the broccoli and dump in the rest of the sauce. Saute for one more minute. Remove from heat.
Serve over rice. Swoon. Eat. Repeat.
I adore the thickness of the sauce. It coats every morsel with that salty, garlicky flavor. Just a little bit seeps onto the rice. Perfection.
Oh, broccoli. You are my favorite vegetable. And unlike that Chinese takeout joint, I didn’t overcook you into broccoli-shaped mush.
And beef. I could write a song about you. It would sound something like a fusion of Styx and Bad Company, with a little Earth, Wind & Fire thrown in for funk.
Don’t worry, world. I’ll spare you that one.
-RDG
Beef with Broccoli Printable PDF
This easy version of the Chinese takeout classic requires only a short marinade to make the beef fork-tender. Serve over white or brown rice. Serves 4.
Prep Time: 10 minutes + 1 hour for marinade Cook Time: 8 minutes
First, marinate the meat:
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 lbs flank steak, sliced into thin strips
1. Whisk together the baking soda, sugar, cornstarch, soy sauce, water, and vegetable oil in a large bowl. Toss the steak with the marinade to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, then proceed below.
- 1/2 c low-sodium soy sauce (Do NOT use regular. The final product will be way too salty)
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp sherry
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 heads broccoli, crowns only
1. In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, flour and sherry until smooth. Set aside.
2. In a large wok or saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil over high heat until shimmering. Add broccoli and saute 3 minutes, stirring often. Transfer broccoli to a plate.
3. Reduce heat to medium-high. Carefully add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the hot pan. Add the marinated meat and half of the sauce mixture and saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until the meat is cooked through and no longer pink. Stir in the broccoli and remaining sauce. Saute 1 minute more. Serve.
What a wonderful and easy recipe. I have been looking for an easy beef and broccoli recipe because the restaurants are so expensive. It was so good there were no leftovers! Definitely a keeper.
This was an easy and fabulous meal – we just finished it and I wanted to thank you for sharing it. Amazing … will be making this often!
This looks good, will make this week!
…not nice to brag about being a stay at home mom though
what made you think she was bragging? Not nice! She shared a great recipe with you
I attempted this, and the sugar burned the crap out of my pan. I should have known better with all that sugar. How do you keep your pan from burning?
I’ve never had that problem. You added the oil first and stirred frequently?
Yes, I did. Next time I’ll try with less sugar. Maybe a lower heat would help?
What brand of cookware do you use?
I used Calphalon anodized aluminum.
Huh. I use the same brand. Never had the burning problem.
Loved it! I’ve never tasted a more tender and tasty beef. And to top it off it’s done with close to nothing and in no time. That’s all a mom could ask for. Just have to watch for the baking soda a little goes a long way. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
I made this tonight and my picky teenager loved it! I added sesame seeds while the broccoli was sauting. We like spicy food so I think next time I’ll also add some crushed red pepper, too. My husband (who loves mushrooms) said we could add that in the future, too.
I don’t know what it is…but i’ve made this dish twice now. Each time I have mixed up the sauce and marinade ingredients…haha! I put the Sherry in the marinade and not in the sauce…
It’s still delicious! =)
thx
This was delicious! Will now be my go-to beef and broccoli recipe. Thanks so much for sharing!
Wow! This knocked our socks off tonight! What an awesome recipe!
Love it! Thanks for the recipe.
Why do you use baking soda??
here’s an article about it: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/281599
Thank you for this recipe. I didn’t have beef so I used pork lion and it was delicious.
Wow! So easy and delicious. I made it as written the first time and tweaked it the next. We like heat so I added some chili garlic sauce and some cayenne pepper. Also added some Asian seasoning blend. This is a family favorite now. I eliminated the oil so it is also very healthy!
This is awesome! Had left overs…can’t wait to have them to!
Good. Followed exactly. Vert thick and rich.
Thank you so much for the recipe. I am 21 years old and just recently started to learn how to cook. I’ve only made about 4 meals on my own and this was lucky number 5. It came out wonderfully!!!!!! My beef did take way longer than 3-4 minutes to brown but I did use a different cut. I can’t wait to share this recipe and make it for my boyfriend. Hopefully he loves it
Awesome recipe. This might seem obvious, but do you discard the remaining marinade or dump it in the pan with the meat?
Straight into the pan! There probably won’t be a ton that’s not stuck to the beef.
First of all, this recipe is AMAZING and makes me look like I am an awesome cook. Hands down, one of the most requested recipes by the BF. he can’t help himself from eating two servings.
hoping you can help me translate this to WW points – do you happen to have the nutritional info? Thank you so much!
Haley, I don’t! I’m sorry. Does WW have some sort of calculator for that?
I just wanted to say thank you so much for posting this recipe. I have cooked it twice in two weeks and the family absolutely adores it! Just an amazing recipe!!
Tried this last week and it is awesome! This will be a regular menu item!
Omg! I’m amazed how delicious this meal was. I have to tell you that I have never ever commented on any recepie so far, but I really had to tell you how crazy my whole family was for this beef and broccoli. Thank you so much for sharing!
I found this recipe on Pinterest. I love beef & broccoli & all of the previous recipes I tried were a disappointment. I was skeptical so I sampled the sauce at the end before making everyone’s plate & it was delicious ! This recipe comes very very close to the beef & broccoli you get from the Chinese store. It’s quick to make once the meat marinates. And it’s healthy & no MSG. I didn’t have brown sugar so I used regular white sugar. And we are it with brown Rice!
I got this recipe off Pinterest. I just made it tonight… What an awesome dinner that was!
Thank you!!
I shared this with quite a few friends already.
Great recipe, I made this about a month ago and it turned out great!! I was thinking about trying it with chicken today, do you think it will work?
awesome recipe! made this tonite and was a big hit! thanks for sharing.
Wow! I made this tonight and it was amazing! I think my husband ate two-thirds of the dish by himself, haha and my 7 and 8year olds just loved it! The beef was so tender and the sauce was just lovely and thick. I will definitely be making this over and over!
Made it tonight for dinner… it was delish! Can’t wait for leftovers for lunch tomorrow… yummy!
Can you make this without the sherry? Will it still be tasty?
Made this for dinner and loved it!
I too had a problem with the sugar and the hot pan, but it didn’t effect the taste of the dish.
I added a bit of sesame oil, instead of all vegetable oil, and used Chinese sherry in the sauce, served over noodles!
Delish!
Next time I think I’ll add some red pepper flakes and some baby bok choy for some extra greens.
Awesome, and what’s even more impressive is that my whole family LOVED it. Thank you so much for sharing! I’m right there with you swooning and writing songs about this! Will definitely become a regular dinner for us.
Me and my family are trying this recipe for dinner tonight! It looks amazing will post later how it came out
We had this for dinner tonight and it was amazing.it didn’t stick or burn
Ladies,
Really? Someone is making a big deal because someone said they were a stay at home mom? Really? Someone has a problem with that? If she had said that she is a CEO of some company, everyone would be oohing and aawing. But because she said that she is a stay at home mom, you have a problem? She wasn’t bragging. She is simply stating a fact about her life. If you don’t like it, that’s your problem. I think you must have issues that you need to resolve concerning your own personal guilt about NOT being a stay at home mom. I am a grandmother. I am tired of you young ladies being upset with other young ladies’ who choose to make the ultimate sacrifice to be at home with their children. If that isn’t something that you want to do, fine. Just don’t judge those who do want that choice. Nobody is forcing their choice on you. Get over it.
Preach, Julie. And thanks for catching that troll! I hadn’t seen that comment before and now it’s deleted
YUM! I made this for dinner last night, so easy and delicious! I added a tiny bit of honey too, and used sesame oil.
Thank you for sharing!
Everyone loved it, even my fussy 4 year old gobbled it up
So delicious! I didn’t have any sherry on hand and it tasted just fine without it! I made some quick sesame noodles with it and it made for a great meal. Will make again!
This was hands down the BEST beef and broccoli recipe I have ever tried! I omited the sherry and only used half the soya sauce the recipe called for it and I can’t believe how delicious this was. My husband loved it as well. Other recupes I have tried have been too sweet and this was right on. It was like something you would order from a restaurant! 2 thumbs up way up high!
Amazing! Every other recipe has been tooooooo salty! Love this thanks – I’ve shared to my blog and linked back to your page! Thanks for the amazing find!