Lighter Broccoli Beef is a gluten free take-out fake-out recipe that's not only easy to make, but much lighter than a restaurant's version!
Craving take out, but not the expense nor tummy-ache afterwards?
Try my irresistible and incredibly delicious, Lighter Broccoli Beef! Because who needs gluten, fat, and sugar-laden take out when you can make it much healthier and gluten-free in less than 30 minutes at home?
Lighter Broccoli Beef
This healthier Broccoli Beef recipe is from my ebook, Gluten-Free for Beginners: 30 Day Meal Plan and Guide for Gluten-Free Success. Of the 10 recipes in there, it’s one of my very favorites and I couldn’t help but share it here with everyone.
Thinly sliced steak and crisp-tender broccoli florets are smothered in a luscious stir fry sauce that’s the perfect balance of savory, sweet, and tangy. Honest to goodness this Lighter Broccoli Beef might be my favorite take out fake out dish on IGE! I love that the entire recipe, which feeds four, calls for just 2 Tablespoons oil and 1/4 cup brown sugar when I can guarantee you a small take out container of the stuff would contain at least double that.
Raise your hand if a small take out container has EVER fed four people? (You better not be raising your hand.)
Ordering Chinese food from the neighborhood take out joint doesn’t exist when you have to eat gluten-free, and at the places it is offered the dish costs an arm and a leg. We’re talking $15+ for an entree. Yikes! My Lighter Broccoli Beef is one that I whip up whenever a take out craving strikes and it totally satisfies. The sauce is made from pantry staples so all I usually need to buy is the beef and broccoli.
Easy, quick, inexpensive (compared to take out, anyway!) and seriously delicious – do not wait another night to make it!
Start with flank or sirloin steak. I used to be able to find flank steak in the $5-8 range but that hasn’t been the case over the past couple of years, which is fine because sirloin tastes just as delicious in this dish.
Whichever cut you go with, slice it into strips as thinly as possible against the grain. Some grocery stores sell pre-sliced stir fry meat, so you could definitely go that direction too!
Add the sliced steak to a Ziplock back with gluten-free Tamari (or soy sauce if not GF) and corn starch OR gluten-free flour then close the bag, squish until everything is coated, and stash in the refrigerator to marinate while you prep the rest of the dish.
The Tamari will season the meat while the flour will create a nice crust on the outside when its stir fried.
Next, whisk together the Broccoli Beef sauce, that’s:
- Reduced-sodium gluten free Tamari
- Corn starch OR gluten free flour
- Low-sodium chicken broth
- Brown sugar
- Rice vinegar
- Sesame oil
- Minced garlic
- Ground ginger
- Red chili pepper flakes
Time for some heat! This recipe cooks in 5-7 minutes – TOTAL – so you’ll want to make sure you have everything on standby so you’re not rushing back and forth while the heat is on.
Heat a large wok or nonstick skillet over high heat then add 1/4 cup water. When it starts to simmer add broccoli florets then stir fry until crisp tender, 2-3 minutes. Scoop the broccoli out onto a plate then set aside.
Next add high heat cooking oil like canola or vegetable oil then, when it’s piping hot, add half the beef into a single layer in the bottom of the wok. Let the beef sit undisturbed for 30 seconds to form a crust on the bottom then stir fry until nearly cooked through — some pink still showing is fine.
Scoop onto the plate with the broccoli then heat another Tablespoon oil in the wok and repeat with the remaining beef.
Last step is to pour the sauce into the wok then let it simmer until thickened and bubbly, 2-3 minutes.
Add all the beef and broccoli back into the wok then stir fry for an additional minute or until everything is heated through.
Scoop the Lighter Broccoli Beef over cooked rice and say see ya’ to the delivery driver! Enjoy!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 lb flank or sirloin steak, cut very thin against the grain
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons reduced-sodium gluten free Tamari, divided, or soy sauce if not GF
- 2-1/2 Tablespoons gluten free flour OR cornstarch, divided
- 3/4 cup gluten free low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger OR 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes, or more or less
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons water, divided
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 2 Tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
- cooked rice, for serving
Directions
- Add sliced steak, 2 Tablespoons gluten-free Tamari, and 1 Tablespoon gluten-free flour or cornstarch to a large Ziplock bag then seal and squish to evenly coat. Place the bag into the refrigerator to marinate while you prepare the rest of the dish.
- Add remaining 1/2 cup gluten-free Tamari, remaining 1-1/2 Tablespoons gluten-free flour or cornstarch, chicken broth, brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons water, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ground ginger/ginger paste, and red chili pepper flakes to a bowl then whisk to combine and set aside.
- Heat a large wok or nonstick skillet over high heat then add remaining 1/4 cup water. Once simmering, add broccoli then stir fry until crisp tender, 2-3 minutes. Remove to a plate then set aside.
- Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in wok then, once very hot, add 1/2 the marinated beef in a single layer. Let sit undisturbed until browned on the bottom, 30 seconds, then stir fry until just barely cooked through (some pink still showing is ok.) Remove to plate with broccoli. Heat remaining Tablespoon oil then stir fry remaining beef and add to plate.
- Add sauce to wok then simmer until slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes. Add cooked broccoli and beef back into the wok then simmer until everything is heated through, 1 minute. Serve over cooked rice.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
First of all… congrats on the new baby!!! He is SO precious. My daughter also has 2 little boys (3 and 1), so I’m tickled you do too! Second…. I just made the Lighter Broccoli Beef tonight for dinner and… oh my gosh!!! SO delicious! My husband and I both love it and are sure to make it again. Thank you so much… love your blog :-) Squeeze those babies because they will be all grown up before you know it.
Made this with chicken yesterday because I didn’t have beef thawed. It was wonderful! My teenage son, who has a favorite takeout place for chicken & broccoli, said this was WAY better! Thanks for helping me get mom points!
I don’t have a wok and tend to grab my cast iron out of habit…the sugars in the tamari made the chicken stick pretty bad, so used a little water to deglaze pan prior to adding sauce…worked great but thinned the sauce too much. Time to invest in a wok!
Congrats on your new arrival! You have a beautiful family.
Wooohooo – so glad to hear it passed the teenage test! ;) I think you’ll really love the wok, too.
Two things: Hy-Vee brand Soy sauce is gluten free and I’ve been using it for years. It isn’t truly Soy Sauce because it isn’t brewed; it’s basically corn syrup and soy but the taste is right. Also, why flour and not corn starch? Are you going for a certain texture on the beef. Thanks!
You could definitely use cornstarch vs flour if you like!
OMG, this looks soooo delish! I will be putting this on next week’s menu for sure!
This looks like Chinese “takeout” I could actually convince my kids to eat. Thanks for sharing =)
This recipe looks delicious and healthy! Love it :D
http://www.skinnybelle.com
Best wishes and good health to you and new baby in your upcoming delivery!
Thank you so much, Tracy, I really appreciate it!! :)
We made this last night, it is a keeper, super easy and kiddos gobbled it up! Thanks for sharing!
Awesome!! So so glad to hear it, Angela, thanks for leaving feedback! :)
I use a gluten free Soya sauce at home. Your family is just the cutest!
Thank you so much, Holly!
Can I use almond flour?
Hi JJ! I tend to think even very finely ground almond flour will be too coarse for this dish, unfortunately!
Is it possible for you to provide nutritional information for all your recipes.
Hi Barbara! I don’t include nutritional information for my recipes since it can vary depending on the exact brand of ingredients used. If you need that information I recommend the Livestrong recipe nutrition calculator: livestrong.com/recipes/create/
Hi IGE,
This looks delicious. I’m getting really hungry now & it’s still 2 hours until lunch.
Congrats on the soon arrival of the newest addition to your family! My daughter, (also a Kristin), is 24 and expecting her first baby in March! So exciting!! She has celiac disease and has learned to adapt beautifully over the past 10 years.
I wanted to say, first, how much I enjoy your blog/recipes. So well done! I also wanted to comment on something about today’s blog. You mentioned that using soy sauce would make the recipe no longer gluten free. While this may be the case with certain brands, several companies are entirely gluten free. La Choy is one example, derived from corn instead of wheat. Tamari is probably the more natural option, but there are mainstream soy sauces that are actually completely safe for those with a gluten allergy. Just thought this might be helpful.
Thank you so much, Nancy! I mostly include the soy sauce disclaimer because nine times out of ten soy sauce is not gluten-free and I don’t want anyone preparing this dish for someone who is gluten-free to mistakenly get the wrong sauce.