What makes this ground beef stir fry recipe unique from the others is its rainbow of vegetables, from red bell peppers to green onions. While the wide selection of vegetables add crunch and different flavors from sweet to bitter, the homemade teriyaki sauce brings it all together with tang and sweetness.
This stir fry only takes about 20 minutes to prepare and the sauce can even be prepped and refrigerated ahead of time.
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Why I Love This Recipe
- This stir fry is vegetable heavy in comparison to other stir fries, such as my kimchi tofu stir fry, which makes it an excellent way to use up the produce in your fridge that's about to go bad.
- You can easily customize the vegetables.
- This meal makes you feel satisfied but doesn't weigh you down.
- It's a quick recipe suitable for busy weeknights.
Ingredients
- ground beef - you are looking for lean ground beef so that the stir fry isn't greasy
- bell peppers- pick your favorite bell pepper colors
- mini corn cobs - these come canned in the grocery store and need to be drained and rinsed
- red cabbage - check out our post on how to expertly shred cabbage
- scallions - also known as green onions
- sesame oil - adds amazing flavor to the stir fry - make sure it's toasted sesame oil
- peanut oil - peanut oil is great stir frying because it has a high smoke point
*Check recipe card for full ingredients and amounts.
Tweaks
- Since there are already red and yellow bell peppers, why not add orange bell peppers for the extra color? If you do not like or cannot find orange bell peppers, carrots are a great substitute for their mild flavor and frequent use in Asian recipes.
- For purple, there is eggplant for its meaty texture, or purple asparagus which has a less fibrous texture than green or white asparagus.
- Now you may be thinking that there are no blue options, but there is a great and easy one. Blue corn tastes the same as yellow corn but is rich in anthocyanin, which gives it its deep color.
With these suggestions, you can make a full rainbow of vegetables.
How to Make it
- Make the sauce. Whisk the chicken broth and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and whisk until combined. Reserve.
- Brown the ground beef. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and crumble the ground beef until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and reserve.
- Stir fry the veggies. Heat the peanut oil in the skillet. Add the green beans, broccoli, cabbage and bell peppers and stir-fry for about 5 minutes (until the vegetables are tender-crisp).
- Return the beef. Turn the heat down to medium. Add the mini corn cobs, green onions and reserved ground beef. Quickly whisk the reserved teriyaki sauce again and pour it into the skillet. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 more minutes, until the sauce thickens.
- Serve. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve over rice, noodles or on its own.
Beverage Pairing
When it comes to drink recommendations, red-based drinks are on the top. They are commonly matched with red-meat dishes.
One of the best alcoholic drink choices for this dish would be syrah or shiraz. This wine has a peppery edge, but will taste different depending on where it is from. It will pair nicely with the ground beef and sweet, dark teriyaki sauce.
If you want a non-alcoholic option, there is club soda with a lemon twist, Moscow mule mocktail or cranberry juice with a splash of apple juice to cut down the tang and tartness.
Ground Beef Stir Fry FAQs
Store any leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
With this recipe, you are going to want to cook the vegetables until they are ‘tender-crisp’. Tender-crisp vegetables are heated and cooked through but they still have a little bit of crunch to them. If you cook the vegetables for too long, they will become mushy and unappetizing.
I like to cook the ground beef before the vegetables, reserve it and then add it back to the vegetables once they're cooked.
❤️More Vegetable Filled Dishes You Will Love
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📋Recipe
Ground Beef Stir Fry
Ingredients
For the Teriyaki Sauce
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh ginger - minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic - minced
For the Stir-Fry
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 1 cup green beans - chopped into 2” pieces
- 2 cups small broccoli florets
- 2 cups red cabbage - thinly sliced
- 1 cup red bell pepper - sliced
- 1 cup yellow bell pepper - sliced
- 1 cup baby corn - drained, rinsed and cut in half
- 2 green onions - thinly sliced
- sesame seeds - to garnish
Instructions
- Whisk the chicken broth and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and whisk until combined. Reserve.
- Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Cook and crumble the ground beef until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and reserve.
- Heat the peanut oil in the skillet. Add the green beans, broccoli, cabbage and bell peppers and stir-fry for about 5 minutes (until the vegetables are tender-crisp).
- Turn the heat down to medium. Add the mini corn cobs, green onions and reserved ground beef. Quickly whisk the reserved teriyaki sauce again and pour it into the skillet. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 more minutes, until the sauce thickens.
- Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve over rice, noodles or on its own.
Equipment
Notes
- With this recipe, you are going to want to cook the vegetables until they are ‘tender-crisp’. Tender-crisp vegetables are heated and cooked through but they still have a little bit of crunch to them.
- Store any leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information on In the Kitch is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may not include toppings and/or sauces.
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