Beef and Broccoli Rabe Stir Fry is quick and versatile. Use up leftovers and bits and bites from the fridge. It all comes together with this Sesame Soy Dressing that doubles as a marinade.
This is one of those recipes that you can make one hundred different ways. It's a "pull everything out of the fridge" type of thing. So use it as a guideline. But I can say that this combo of ingredients was delicious! What brings it all together is this Sesame Soy Dressing that acts as both a marinade and a sauce. P.S. It's also a great salad dressing!
The Ingredients
This is the list of ingredients I used but you can mix it up however you like. I added tofu only because I had half a block that needed to be used up and any vegetables can be substituted. Keep in mind that if a vegetable you are using requires a longer cooking time, you may want to consider pre-cooking or adding it earlier to the pan.
- Beef - sirloin, strip loin, flank and hanger steaks are all great for stir fries. If using already cooked (leftover meat) add it closer to the end. If using raw, add it sooner. I used leftover barbecued strip loin cut into thin strips.
- Tofu, extra firm
- Bell pepper, any color
- Snow peas
- White onion, or any onion you have
- Garlic
- Broccoli Rabe, or broccoli
- 1 recipe Sesame Soy Dressing
Equipment
You can use any kind of sauté pan for making stir fries. It doesn't have to be a wok. In fact, I own a good wok but I don't always prefer to use it. My go to sauté pans are my cast iron. They are the most versatile pans and are totally non-stick. A good one to start with is this Pre-Seasoned Skillet. I have 3 different sizes plus a grill pan. I can't live without them now!
Can I Make This Vegan?
It's super easy to convert this recipe to suit a vegan diet. Simply replace the beef with more tofu, tempeh or extra vegetables. Also use sugar instead of honey in the Sesame Soy Dressing recipe
I hope you enjoy this fast, easy and versatile Beef and Broccoli Rabe Stir Fry. Let me know if you have any questions or comments and if you make it I'd love to hear how it went!
More Stir Fry Recipes
📖 Recipe
Beef and Broccoli Rabe Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 200 grams beef steak, sliced thinly. Can be cooked or raw
- ½ block extra firm tofu, cut into cubes
- 1 recipe Sesame Soy Dressing
- ½ bunch broccoli rabe
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil
- ½ large white onion, sliced
- 1 bell pepper, sliced
- 1 cup snow peas, trimmed
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
- Prepare the Sesame Soy Dressing
- Place the strips of beef and cubed tofu in a bowl and pour over the dressing. Set aside.
- Wash and trim the ends of the broccoli rabe. Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the broccoli rabe for 3-4 minutes. Drain and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking and retain the bright green color. Drain well and set aside.
- Wash and prepare the rest of the vegetables, onion and garlic
- Heat oil in a large skillet or wok on medium-high heat.
- Add onion and cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes. Add peppers and continue stirring for 2 more minutes.
- If you are using raw beef add here, with all the dressing, cook for 1 minute. Add snow peas, garlic, broccoli rabe, tofu and (cooked) beef with all the dressing.
- Let dressing come to a boil and continue stirring for another 2-3 minutes or until it starts to thicken.
- Serve immediately.
Amanda Dexter says
Hi Andrea,
Any chance I can use ground beef in this recipe? If so, would I cook the beef in the dressing and then set it aside to do the rest of the recipe? Love all your recipes - honestly, I haven't had a bad one yet - so I really want to try this but I don't have any steak.
Andrea says
Hi Amanda! I would cook the ground beef with half of the dressing and then add it back in with the rest of the dressing in the same place as stated in the recipe to add the cooked beef. I’m so happy to hear how much you’ve been enjoying the recipes here! Be sure to come back and let me know how your stir fry turns out with the ground beef!
Amanda Dexter says
Awesome - thank you so much! Making it tonight so I'll let you know.
Amanda Dexter says
Hi Andrea,
It worked perfectly, thanks so much! Another delicious recipe.
Andrea says
Fantastic! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Deb says
Hi Andrea, I made this sesame soy dressing to marinade chicken as an alternative. If you marinate the chicken too long in the soy dressing, can it make the chicken tough because it's a vinegar dressing? What is the length of time you would suggest to marinate chicken?
Thanks
Deb
Andrea says
Hi Deb! With chicken it depends on whether or not it is already cut up. I would marinate smaller pieces for 30 minutes to an hour and whole breasts or thighs could go longer if necessary - up to 2 hours. Hope that helps and be sure to let me know how it turns out!
Jemmsie says
WOW!!!!! This recipe is so quick, so easy and so delicious! I did a fridge dump so mine has brocoli, sugar snap peas,peppers,onions and I threw in a few handfuls of bagged coleslaw to get the leafy greens in. Thank you for another winner!
Andrea says
Hi Jemmsie! I'm so happy you enjoyed the stir fry! Great additions too! Such a good way to use up stuff from the fridge! Thanks for your comment!
Carell says
Yum Andrea, that was delicious. Easy and quick , I used up the left over veg and beef I had in the fridge. I’m glad I added the cornstarch, made all those yummy sesame seeds stick 🙂
Andrea says
Hi Carell! I'm so happy you enjoyed it!
Cheryl says
The dressing didn’t thicken. What did I do wrong? I turned it into broccoli soup but still loved it!
Andrea says
Hi Cheryl!
It's hard to say but you can always add a small amount of cornstarch, mixed with a bit of water. Stir it into the sauce and add more until it reaches the thickness you desire. Hope that helps and happy you still enjoyed it!
Cheryl says
I’m definitely not a chef. Before Gina Livy I ordered in more times than I can count but I’m trying! I thought about adding cornstarch to thicken it but I won’t tell you what happened when I was making the teriyaki sauce for the teriyaki salmon and misread the quantity of cornstarch to add. It was so thick I could hold it in my hand! I think I’m traumatized by cornstarch - LOL!
Thanks for posting yummy recipes. It really helps when you’re on a new journey
Diane H. says
This was so quick, easy and really tasty. Even though we had to go a little off piste as we didn't have sesame seeds, that marinade was so flavourful. We used raw beef and it was still super quick to make. We will definitely make this again soon!
Andrea says
Amazing! I love it! You can always add some extra sesame oil to bump up that flavour when you don't have the seeds. Happy to hear it was still great!
Donna Fradette says
Hi Andrea. We had leftover flank steak in the fridge and I was wondering what to do with it....and in came your email for this versatile stir fry. We loved your sauce/marinade! Didn’t have broccoli rabe, but had broccoli and all the other ingredients. Was a yummy dish! Thanks!
Andrea says
Great! So happy you liked it and were able to adjust it to your needs!
Lori says
Hi Andrea, we enjoyed your recipe, tonight! Your timing was perfect, with beef leftovers in the fridge. Take care!
Andrea says
Awesome! So happy you liked it! Perfect for taking care of those leftovers