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Make a healthy dinner packed with 28 grams of protein in just 20 minutes with this Ground Beef Stir Fry Recipe. It comes together in one pan and doesn’t use any oil or high-sodium ingredients.
Quick Summary: Ground Beef Stir Fry
- What it is: A simple ground beef and green bean stir fry packed with protein and flavor. There’s minimal prep work, and it’s ready in less than 30 minutes.
- Nutrition: High-Protein, Low-Calorie
- Time: 15 minutes
- Method: Quick stovetop stir-fry
- Best for: Dinner, Meal Prep
- Tip: Have all the ingredients ready to go because the cooking process moves quickly once the skillet is heated.
This simple beef stir fry is only 238 calories with loads of protein and 4 grams of fiber. The calories are lower due to the use of lean ground beef and skipping the oil. Instead, it uses low-sodium chicken broth to sauté the green beans.
This meal is a healthy alternative to takeout on a busy weeknight, and it takes less time to prepare than it would take you to pick up something else! If you like easy ground beef dinner recipes, you will love my healthy meatloaf recipe or low-calorie Korean beef bowls!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No Oil: Instead of oil, the vegetables in this stir fry are sautéed in low-sodium chicken broth. This reduces the calories and also makes the veggies more flavorful.
- Made With Simple Ingredients: This recipe is way less complicated than other recipes because it only uses green beans and onions instead of loads of other chopped vegetables. The sauce is only 6 simple ingredients, including soy sauce, honey, ginger, and chili garlic sauce.
- Perfect Weeknight Meal or Meal-Prep: Since this recipe doesn’t require a lot of prep work and is ready in 20 minutes, it’s perfect for dinner on a busy weeknight! It’s also great for meal prepping your lunches without spending hours in the kitchen batch cooking.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Ground Beef: Use lean ground beef to keep the fat content low while still getting the protein and calories. A 90/10 or 93/7 ratio is the leanest and produces less grease.
- Green Beans: You can use fresh or frozen green beans for this recipe. If you use frozen beans, I recommend thawing them and then patting them dry so they don’t water down the stir-fry sauce.
- Soy Sauce: A low-sodium soy sauce is best for this recipe. You could also use coconut aminos if you want to avoid soy or my stir fry sauce without soy sauce.
- Honey: Sweeten the sauce with a touch of honey, which pairs well with the umami flavors of soy sauce.
- Chili Garlic Sauce: Add a little extra spice and flavor with a bit of chili garlic sauce. Use more or less of the chili sauce to adjust the spiciness of the meal.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations & Dietary Modifications
- Gluten-Free Substitutions: Make this simple ground beef stir fry sauce gluten-free by using coconut aminos or gluten-free tamari soy sauce instead of regular soy sauce.
- Add More Veggies: One of the best things about a stir fry is that you can add so many different vegetables to it! Try it with broccoli, sugar snap peas, carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, or bok choy. Like the green beans, cook these separately at the start of cooking and add back in at the end.
- Try with a Different Protein: Instead of ground beef, you can also make this stir fry with ground chicken or ground turkey. You could also use boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1” cubes, though the cutting adds prep time to the recipe.
How to Make Ground Beef Stir Fry
This ground beef and green bean stir fry makes for the perfect quick and easy dinner any night of the week. It comes together in just 20 minutes, and all you need is a hot skillet or wok.
- Step 1: Saute Green Beans. Heat the broth over medium-high heat. Then add the green beans, onion, and garlic. Saute them until they develop a little char. Transfer the green beans to a bowl and set them aside for later.
- Step 2: Brown the Ground Beef. Add the ground beef to the skillet and break it up with a spatula. Cook the beef until it’s fully browned.
- Step 3: Make Stir-Fry Sauce. While the ground meat cooks, combine the soy sauce, honey, chili garlic sauce, and ginger in a small bowl.
- Step 4: Add the Sauce. After the ground beef is fully cooked, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the green beans back to the pan. Pour the sauce over the stir-fry and stir it to completely coat everything. Simmer it for 2-3 minutes, then serve it with steamed rice or homemade cauliflower rice.
Expert Tips
- Prep Before Heating the Skillet: Be sure to have all of your ingredients prepared and ready to be added to the stir-fry before you heat the skillet. This dish cooks extremely fast once you get started, and being prepared will help you avoid overcooking it.
- Don’t Overcook Green Beans: The green beans will turn mushy and less appetizing if you cook them too long. Be sure to remove them from the skillet once they develop a bit of char to avoid overcooking them.
- Storing & Reheating: Keep leftover stir fry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the stir fry for 3 months. Reheat leftovers in a hot skillet for about 5-6 minutes or in the microwave in 60-second increments until it is heated through. Be sure to thaw frozen leftovers in the refrigerator for 24 hours before reheating them.
Serving Suggestions
This Asian ground beef stir fry pairs perfectly with a side of white rice or rice noodles. It can also be served with other Asian-inspired dishes to make a large meal for a crowd. You can easily customize it to fit your dietary needs and help you accomplish your health goals while satisfying your takeout cravings at home.
- Pair your beef stir fry with this cauliflower fried rice recipe for a meal that feels like you just ordered takeout.
- Try serving this stir fry with an Asian broccoli salad to pack more veggies into the meal.
- Healthy lettuce wraps are always a hit for dinner parties and pair so well with this simple stir fry.
Ground Beef Stir Fry Recipe FAQs
The green beans can release a lot of water as they cook. Cooking them separately helps but be sure to pat them dry before sautéing them. If you use frozen green beans, thaw them and then pat them dry to cut down on the excess water.
The most likely reason for dry ground beef is overcooking it. Be sure to have your ingredients ready so that you can make the sauce and add it to the meat and veggies as soon as they finish cooking through. This helps you avoid overcooking the meat.
This dish is best cooked fresh and it really goes together pretty quickly. If you want to get a head start, you can prep the vegetables so they’re ready to go right into the pan, and mix the ingredients for the stir fry sauce up to 2 days in advance.
More Delicious Healthy Stir Fry Recipes
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Ground Beef Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Low-Sodium Broth
- 1- pound Green Beans, trimmed and chopped (thawed if using frozen)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- ½ cup White Onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Garlic, minced
- 1- pound Lean Ground Beef, or ground turkey
For the Sauce:
- ¼ cup Low-Sodium Soy Sauce, or coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 2 tablespoons Chili Garlic Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Ginger, grated
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the broth over medium-high heat. Add the green beans with salt, pepper, onion and garlic.
- Sauté the green bean 5 minutes until they get a little char on them. Transfer the green beans to a bowl and set aside.
- Add the lean ground beef to the skillet and cook until browned, breaking the meat up with a spatula as it cooks.
- While the ground meat cooks, mix the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low then add the green beans back to the pan and pour the sauce over it. Stir well to completely coat the meet and veggies with the sauce. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes then server warm over cooked rice.
Notes
- Prep all of the ingredients before heating the skillet. Once the pan is hot, the cooking process moves quickly.
- Remove the green beans after they cook before you add the ground beef so they don’t turn soggy.
- Nutrition values do not include the rice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If you’re looking for a quick meal that’s simple and delicious, this ground beef and green bean recipe is it. It’s delicious while being easy. It will soon be a staple in your weekly dinner rotation!