Ground beef stir fry is loaded with veggies in a fragrant homemade, quick teriyaki sauce. Perfect healthy meal for a busy weeknight.
Why Make This Ground Beef Stir Fry
This dish is simple to whip up. Full of great flavor and feel good ingredients and nutrients. You can easily customize this meal with veggie swaps or use ground turkey in place of the beef. This meal gets better as leftovers, the flavors marinate wonderfully. This meal can be served in so many different ways, over a salad, wrapped in romaine lettuce or served over rice.
Ingredients Needed
- Lean Ground Beef. The based of this recipe. It pairs so wonderfully with the homemade teriyaki sauce.
- Seasoning. Salt and red pepper flakes.
- Mushrooms. I use baby bella or cremini mushrooms work great.
- Carrots. You can grate your own or cut down on the time and work by using pre shredded carrots.
- Bell Pepper. Any color will work for added veggie and crunch in the beef stir fry.
- Onion. I like to use yellow onion. It's nice and mild in flavor.
- Zucchini. I love fresh sliced Zucchini in this recipe. You can also use yellow squash.
- Broccoli. I love fresh broccoli in here. It adds so much color, fiber and nutrients.
- Fresh Ginger. This is a must for this recipe it adds such a uniquely peppery flavor.
- Green Onions. Optional for garnish!
Teriyaki Sauce Ingredients
- Soy Sauce. This is the base of the teriyaki sauce. I use low sodium soy sauce.
- Rice Vinegar. This vinegar is found with all the other oil and vinegar at the grocery store. Rice vinegar is just a touch sweeter than regular white vinegar.
- Hoisin Sauce. This is a sweet/salty condiment found in the international aisle at the store. This adds a really deep unmatched flavor.
- Brown Sugar. Light or dark brown sugar will work. You can also use calorie free brown sugar if needed.
- Garlic. Minced garlic for depth and aroma.
- Cornstarch. This is to thicken the sauce a bit. It will be mixed with a little water to create a slurry.
- Red Pepper Flakes. optional, but I find them great in the teriyaki sauce.
- Sesame Seeds. I like to use white sesame seeds in the teriyaki sauce and as a garnish to this dish.
Steps To Make This Recipe
Step One. Heat a large pan or wok on medium/high heat and start to brown ground beef. While the beef is browning, make the teriyaki sauce. In a medium saucepan, combine, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, hoisin sauce, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Start rice if serving.
Step Two. In a small bowl whisk the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water together to make a slurry. Lower the heat to the teriyaki, add the starch/water slurry to the saucepan and stir occasionally until desired thickness of sauce comes about. Set aside.
Step Three. Once the ground beef is browned, drain the oil and add the beef to a bowl, set aside. Add chopped veggies to the hot pan you used for the beef. Add oil if needed. Sauté onions, garlic, ginger, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, broccoli for about 5-8 minutes or until the veggies are fragrant and softened.
Step Four. Once the veggies are softened and fragrant, add the beef back into the pan/wok with the veggies and pour the teriyaki sauce over everything. Bring it to a simmer, mix well and serve over rice or lettuce cups.
Tips & FAQ's
Teriyaki is actually a Japanese stir fry sauce, so technically yes.
Yes, both ground turkey and chicken would be a great substitute for this recipe.
No wok is needed, you can just use a skillet or frying pan for this recipe.
Recipe Variations
Ground Beef. You can substitute ground beef for chicken or turkey.
Veggies. You can add or take away what you want. Mini corn, baby bok choy, yellow squash, kale are all great subs for veggies as well.
Soy Sauce. Amino acids, tamari or coconut aminos would be a good substitute.
Brown Sugar. You can also use honey.
Recipe Pairings.
Serve this stir fry over rice of choice. You can also make lettuce cups with it (so yummy). If you want to serve it with a side, try it with my Asian Cabbage Salad.
Make Ahead & Storage Tips
This is a great meal to meal prep. It keeps well, heats up perfect and gets better as it sits. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze in a ziplock or airtight container for up to 3 months.
Other Japanese Inspired Recipes
If you loved this recipe let me know! Also, follow me on Instagram & Pinterest for even more fun recipes to make you feel good from the inside out. Thanks for being here!
Ground Beef Stir Fry
Equipment
- large frying pan or wok
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp olive oil for sautéing the veggies if beef grease isn't left in pan
- ⅓ cup yellow onion, chopped
- 6 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 1 small bell pepper, chopped
- 1 broccoli crown, chopped
- 1 small zucchini, sliced
- 1 cup carrots, grated
- 1 inch ginger, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tbsp green onions optional
Teriyaki Sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce *see notes
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp rice vinegar or white vinegar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp Sriracha
Instructions
- Heat a large pan or wok on medium/high heat and start to brown ground beef, sprinkle with the salt. While the beef is browning, make the teriyaki sauce. In a medium saucepan, combine, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, hoisin sauce, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Start cooking rice if serving.
- In a small bowl whisk the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water together to make a slurry. Lower the heat to the teriyaki, add the starch/water slurry to the saucepan and stir occasionally until desired thickness of sauce comes about. Set aside.
- Once the ground beef is browned, drain most of the oil and add the beef to a bowl, set aside. Add chopped veggies to the hot pan you used for the beef. Add oil if needed. Sauté onions, garlic, ginger, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, broccoli for about 5-8 minutes or until the veggies are fragrant and softened.
- Once the veggies are softened and fragrant, add the beef back into the pan/wok with the veggies and pour the teriyaki sauce over everything. Bring it to a simmer, mix well and serve over rice or lettuce cups.
Leave a Reply