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Ground Beef Stir Fry in a skillet with a brown sauce and vegetables.
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Ground Beef Stir Fry

This Ground Beef Stir Fry recipe is easy to make with fresh or frozen vegetables! It has a delicious brown sauce to serve with rice or noodles for a healthy 30-minute meal!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 437kcal
Author: Stephanie

Ingredients

Meat Seasoning

  • A generous ¼ teaspoon each: garlic salt, onion powder, celery salt, black pepper

Sauce

  • 3 Tablespoons cornstarch + 3 tbsp. cold water
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • ¼ cup honey can sub brown sugar
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • ¼ tsp ground ginger

Stir Fry

  • 1 ¼ lbs. ground beef see notes
  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil can sub olive or vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup dry white wine or beef broth. See notes
  • 2 cups broccoli florets
  • 1 cup green beans
  • 8 oz. mushrooms
  • 1 small yellow onion sliced
  • ½ cup carrots julienned
  • ½ red bell pepper sliced
  • 1 rib celery diced

For Serving

  • 3 cups cooked rice any kind. See notes.
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prep Work

  • Combine cornstarch + cold water in a covered container and shake to combine. Set aside in a cool place.
  • Combine remaining sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.
  • Measure out additional ingredients before beginning.

Cook the Beef

  • Sprinkle the beef with seasoning. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook and crumble until browned and cooked through. Drain grease and set aside.

Make the Stir Fry

  • Add the white wine and set the heat to medium. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom and sides of the skillet. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
  • Add a splash of additional oil if needed. Add the broccoli, green beans, mushrooms, onions, and celery and toss to coat. Cook for 3 minutes, until slightly softened. Add the carrots and bell peppers and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add sauce mixture and bring to a gentle boil. Let it simmer/reduce for 2-3 minutes. Take the cornstarch mixture and shake it well. Slowly stir the cornstarch slurry into the bubbling sauce until desired thickness is obtained. Reduce heat to low.
  • Add the ground beef back to the skillet along with any juices from the plate. Mix it into the sauce and let it heat through, about 2 minutes. Add desired garnishes and serve with rice or noodles.

Notes

Pro Tips
  • Beef: An even pound of ground beef can be used for this recipe, I like to make a little extra. Ground turkey or ground pork may also be used.
  • Wine: Wine: Chardonnay and Pinto Grigio are great wine options to deglaze the pan with. An equal amount of chicken or beef broth may be used if you don’t cook with wine.
  • Broth: While it may seem counterintuitive to use both chicken and beef broth in this recipe, it actually adds a really nice depth of flavor. If preferred, all beef broth can be used.
  • Veggies: Frozen vegetables may be used instead of fresh if needed.
  • Hot Sauce: The hot sauce in this recipe doesn't make it hot/spicy, it's just a small amount that is used to enhance the other flavors. I use Frank's Hot Sauce.
  • Topping Options include green onions, roughly chopped peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, and crunchy Chow Mein noodles.
  • 7 oz. of stir fry noodles or thin spaghetti can be added to the sauce at the end instead of serving with rice if preferred.
  • Peanut Butter: If you like a little peanut flavor in your sauce, feel free to add a few Tablespoons of it to the sauce!
  • Sodium: To control the sodium in this recipe: Consider using low sodium soy sauce and/or broth.
Storage:
  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.  Leftovers do freeze well. 
  • Leftovers are also great in lettuce wraps.
My process for perfectly cooked rice:
  • Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. (I add 2 chicken bouillon cubes to the water for enhanced flavor.)
  • Add 1 cup of white long grain rice and let the liquid come back up to a boil.
    Cover tightly and reduce heat to a gentle simmer for 15 minutes. (I set my heat to low.)
  • Remove from heat and let it stand in the pot for 10 minutes with the lid on, any rice stuck to the bottom will release.
  • This yields 3 cups of flavorful, perfectly cooked rice. I use a Dutch oven for this which conducts heat well.
  • Note that other varieties of rice may require different liquid measurements and/or cooking times.
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 4 servings in this recipe. The optional white rice is not included.

Nutrition

Calories: 437kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 1353mg | Potassium: 1132mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 3620IU | Vitamin C: 69mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 5mg