A lighter version of a takeout favorite, these yummy Easy Beef and Broccoli Meal Prep Bowls are packed full of flavor, high protein, nutrition and will yield 4 lunch bowls in just 35 minutes!
This Easy Beef and Broccoli Recipe is such tasty quick Meal Prep lunch or weeknight dinner. The flavors are so delicious that you would think it was take out! But instead this is a healthy home-cooked alternative to a greasy takeaway meal. I love the flexibility of this recipe. It taste amazing straight from the wok onto your plate or prepped in advance yielding 4 servings for lunch through out the week.
Now the secret to this recipe is one step I would not skip! Ever wondered how your meat is super tender when eating Asian restaurant dishes/take out BUT when you make similar stir frys at home its just not quite the same? Well the secret is Baking Soda! …..
Is Beef & Broccoli healthy?
Each bowl Meal Prep Bowl of Beef and Broccoli contains only 293 Calories per serving. With the average plate Chinese takeaway stacking up to 1500+ calories! Makes this recipe a great lightweight alternative. See how you can achieve this below;
Cut of Beef
Use a lean cut of sirloin for your beef and broccoli and ensure to cut of the thick rind of fat on the steak. This drastically reduces the saturated fat within the dish and also lowers the calorie intake.
Rice
I love to serve my Easy Beef and Broccoli Meal Prep Bowls with jasmine rice . It’s a great ac-compliment to soak up the yummy savory sauce from the dish. For an even lower carbohydrate option you could swap the jasmine rice for cauliflower rice. 1 cup/185 grams of cauliflower rice only has 25 calories compared to 242 calories in traditional white rice. However if you are not keen on cauliflower rice then sway the rice side dish for lots of steamed or stir fried vegetables. For example Pak Choi, sugar snap peas, mangetout etc
How to make tender Beef and Broccoli
Now the secret to this recipe is one step I would not skip! Ever wondered how your meat is super tender when eating Asian restaurant dishes/take out BUT when you make similar stir fry at home its just not quite the same? Well the secret is Baking Soda!
…..I know now stay with me now, there some science behind this theory. The baking soda alkalizes the meat fibers which result in the protein fibers staying and not “tight/chewy” once cooked. Here are some steps below for the preparation of the beef sirloin in this recipe;
- Slice your beef into bite size pieces. This increases the surface area of the beef ready for tenderisation and also physically cuts through the muscle fibers.
- Place the sliced beef in a bowl, add the baking soda then mix until each piece is lightly covered.
- Cover the bowl and place into the fridge for 5-10 minutes , the longer you marinade in the baking soda coating, the more tender your beef will turn out. Don’t over do it though, i find the beef can lose all its texture together if you go past the 10-15 minute mark, you still want a bit of bite in your final dish!
- Remove from the fridge and rinse the beef under cold running water from a tap, to remove all the excess baking powder completely. Drain the beef and pat dry with kitchen towel. Your beef is now ready for stir frying!
I hope you enjoy this recipe. Trust me you will be IMPRESSED with the restaurant quality Beef & Broccoli with a fraction of the price spent & less calories too!
Catherine 🙂
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Easy Beef and Broccoli Meal Prep Bowls
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4
Description
A lighter version of a take out favourite, these yummy Easy Beef and Broccoli Meal Prep Bowls are packs full of flavour, high protein, nutrition and will yield 4 lunch bowls in just 35 minutes!
Ingredients
Beef
- Sirloin steak – 2 x steaks finely sliced with the fat removed
- Cornflour – 2 teaspoons
- Baking soda- 3 teaspoons
Sauce Marinade
- Cold water – 150ml
- Light soy sauce – 75ml
- Sriracha sauce – 1 teaspoon
- Garlic – 3 x cloves finely chopped
- Fresh ginger – A thumb-size amount finely chopped
- Honey – 1 teaspoon
- Sesame seed oil – 2 x tablespoons
- Spring onions x finely sliced
Additional Ingredients
- Whole fresh broccoli – 1 x chopped into chunks/florets
- Instant microwaveable Jasmine Rice – 2 x 250g packets
- Spring onions – 1 x stalk finely sliced for garnish – optional
- Chopped green chilli – optional
Instructions
- Add the sliced sirloin steak and baking soda to a bowl then mix. Cover the bowl and place into the fridge for 5 minutes to tenderise the meat.
- In a separate bowl add another 2 teaspoons of Cornflour and mix with 3 tablespoons of water until dissolved into a paste. In the same bowl then add the Cold water 100ml, light soy sauce, Sriracha sauce, chopped garlic, chopped ginger, honey, and sliced spring onions.
- Add your wok/saute pan to the stove and preheat to a high heat.
- Remove the beef from the fridge and run under a cold tap removing the baking soda coating. Drain the beef with a sieve and pat down with some kitchen towel. Add the beef back to the bowl then mix in 2 teaspoons of Cornflour.
- Add your two tablespoons of sesame seed oil to the pre heated wok/pan, keep on a high heat. Place the beef in the pan and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Then pour over the sauce marinade, add the chopped broccoli, reduce for a further 6-7 minutes and stir frequently.
- Once cool add equal amounts of beef and broccoli, cold instant Jasmine rice to 4 meal prep bowls. You can also add some chopped spring and green chilli for extra flavor. When ready to eat microwave for 4 minutes. Your meal prep boils will keep in the fridge for 5 days and freeze well also.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 20
Keywords: Meal Prep, Asian, Take Out, Takeaway, Lunch Bowl, Stir Fry, Beef
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