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This Ground Beef Stir Fry recipe is easy, healthy, and delicious!! Packed with protein and vegetables, it’s a savory dish with a hint of sweetness that’s highlighted by crunchy broccoli, carrots, and a jammy egg, which are all great for brain health.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This recipe comes from a dish that my friend Brooke brought over when we first got home from the hospital with our baby. It was SO good and we loved how much of it there was. It fed us for several days! It was also light but flavorful – so perfect for both lunch and dinner.
- This ground beef recipe is inexpensive, filling, and great for the whole family.
- Easy for meal prep.
- It can be fast or slow! If you’re in a hurry, just leave out the roasted sweet potatoes. It’s still great but it makes this a true 30 minute meal.
- It’s full of nutrients that are great for brain health – beef, broccoli, carrots, and quinoa.
- It meets a number of dietary allergies – it’s gluten free, paleo, Whole30, migraine diet friendly, and dairy free.
Ingredients
Ground beef – I usually like to choose 85/15 just for flavor, but 90/10 will also work. Grass fed is ideal, but just choose the best you can afford!
Quinoa – I like to use the tri-colored quinoa from Trader Joe’s, but any quinoa will work. Just follow the directions on the package if you want to mix it up.
Broccoli, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes – The veggies are completely customizable, but I recommend keeping at least the broccoli and carrots. If you have more time to cook, roasted sweet potatoes are worth the effort.
Coconut Aminos – A soy sauce substitute, this is made from the sap of a coconut blossom and is suitable for those on a gluten free diet or migraine diet who need soy-free. I also find it adds just enough sweetness to get that perfect stir fry flavor without added sugar.
Egg – This is totally optional, but great for added protein and I love mixing the jammy yolk with the other flavors of the bowl.
How to Make a Stir Fry with Ground Beef
- Begin by cooking your quinoa, which will take the most time, aside from roasting the sweet potatoes. This is generally 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water or broth. Broth can add a little bit more flavor, but don’t worry if you don’t have it on hand. (Step 1)
- Sweet potatoes add time to this recipe and aren’t officially part of the stir fry, but they are delicious! Roast them at 425 degrees F for about 20 minutes, flip and roast another 15-20 minutes until everything is lightly browned and crisping. You can also prep these ahead!
- In a large pan, cook the ground beef over medium heat and drain any excess fat. Add the sesame oil, coconut aminos and garlic and bring to a simmer. Add the broccoli florets and carrots to the same pan and cook over medium heat till softened, stirring frequently – about 6-7 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. (Step 2-4)
- Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to a boil and add eggs. Boil for exactly 6 1/2 minutes, remove the eggs and run under cold water or dunk into an ice bath. Peel very carefully so you don’t have any yolk spillage!
- Add quinoa as your base in a serving bowl, top with the vegetables, ground beef and sauce, and top with the jammy egg. Add sea salt, sriracha, chopped green onion, and any other seasonings you like.
Recipe Tips
- Breaking the broccoli florets into even smaller pieces will help everything cook much faster and evenly. I buy pre-packaged broccoli florets to save time and effort, and then pull any large chunks apart with my fingers.
- It’s so easy to buy matchstick carrots, but if you can’t find them, either chop or invest in a matchstick PEELER. SO COOL!
- You can substitute quinoa with brown rice or cauliflower rice.
- This stir fry keeps for 3-4 days (2-3 for those on a migraine diet) and also freezes well. Great for meal prepping.
Easy Ground Beef Recipes
For more great easy recipes like this ground beef stir fry, check out these posts! Also see this post for Mongolian Beef recipe that’s still gluten free and migraine diet friendly.
Beef
Beef Protein Bowl
Beef
Ground Beef Nachos
Beef
Easy Homemade Sloppy Joes (without Ketchup)
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Ground Beef Stir Fry
Ingredients
Quinoa
- 2 cups quinoa
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
Ground Beef Stir Fry
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 3/4 cup coconut aminos
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 10 oz broccoli florets, torn into smaller pieces
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 4 green onions, sliced
- kosher salt and pepper
Optional Roasted Sweet Potato
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
Instructions
- If roasting the sweet potato, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roast for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through, till browned on all sides.
- Start by preparing the quinoa (or brown rice), bring quinoa and 2 cups of broth and 2 cups of water to a boil, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and it's fluffy. Season with salt and pepper to taste
- In a large pan, add ground beef and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until cooked through – about 5 minutes. Drain any excess fat. Add sesame oil, garlic, and coconut aminos and bring to a simmer. Stir in broccoli and carrots, mixing often. Cook until softened about 5-6 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Meanwhile heat a small pot over high heat until boiling. Carefully lower in eggs with a spoon and boil for 6 ½ minutes. Remove and dunk into an ice bath or under cold water. Carefully peel the egg, making sure to not puncture the yolk.
- Spoon quinoa into a bowl and top with the ground beef, vegetables, and sauce. Cut egg in half and top with green onion. Garnish with sesame seeds, if desired.
Notes
- This recipe makes 6 very large portions. Enough for a filling lunch or dinner.
- I like to use 80/15 ground beef for this recipe, but choose whatever you prefer.
- If in a hurry, skip the sweet potatoes for a quick 30 minute meal.
- Salt balances the sweetness of the coconut aminos, so if you think it’s too sweet, add more salt or some acidity, like vinegar.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Looks great, but I believe Coconut aminos are fermented, which wouldn’t make them compliant on this diet.
Not all brands are fermented, and I find people tolerate them really well. White vinegar is fermented and is still allowed on the diet.
I don’t tolerate them well, but I am also sensitive to histamine, which may be why vinegar in general doesn’t agree with me.
I just found your website, and I’m really looking forward to trying many of your recipes.
Do you know what it is in onions that’s a problem? I plan to try the shallots and see if they give me any trouble. Onions definitely make me dizzy, but I love them.
Thanks for sharing your recipes and knowledge with us!
If you can tolerate molasses there’s a soy sauce sub you can make at home in this post for the egg roll bowl. I usually call it out in the post, but feel like I do it all the time and must have forgotten in this post. Shallots are actually closely related to the garlic family from what I’ve learned in cooking school. If you think about it, they come in pods like garlic and have a mild garlic flavor to them. I hope you enjoy some of the recipes and are able to edit to what works for you!
Thanks for the link to the molasses soy sauce sub. I will definitely try that! And that makes sense about shallots being more closely related to garlic.
I just ordered your cookbook and Heal Your Headache. Looking forward to reading both and hopefully feeling more “normal” soon. Thanks again!
How do you think this would be without quinoa?
It would still taste great, just wouldn’t be as filling of a meal.
Could cauliflower rice substitute for the quinoa?
Of course!
This is a new favorite! The recipe was pretty easy and packed with amazing flavors! I couldn’t get enough! The sweet potatos are a must!
I only had ground pork and had to make scrambled eggs bec hubby doesn’t like yolk.
Thank you for another wonderful dinner!
Thank you, Donna! Scrambled is a great idea!
Delicious! Packed full of good for you ingredients too!
I was on the fence about trying this recipe with the family, but oh my gosh you shouldnt be. It is so full of flavour and in combination with the greens, sweet potato and quinoa there is something about this recipe that just hits the spot. Thanks for this super easy weeknight feel Alicia.
Thank you Alicia!!
Delicious!
Made tonight and it was easy and great.