clean eating beef and broccoli stir-fry

We have been loving this Clean Eating Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry recipe this winter and I am so excited to finally share it with you today! It is made with lean grass-fed steak, broccoli and peppers and it has a sugar-free and gluten-free five spice sauce that will tickle your taste buds. It’s paleo and whole 30 approved!

I’m just going to come out and say it. I was wrong.

I was wrong in thinking that you need to add maple syrup or another sweetener to stir-fry sauces to balance them. And I was fully prepared to not like this recipe.

But I tried it with zero added sugar, and I was delighted to find it was in fact delicious (and sugar-free) which made me squarely wrong.

How To Make Sugar-Free Clean Eating Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry

• The Beef: I tested this with two different kinds of steak: Sirloin, and NY Strip. I actually preferred the NY strip a little better, because it was easier to cut into the correct sized pieces. But Sirloin is a little less expensive- so feel free to use that if you prefer.
• The Veggies: I used broccoli and peppers to make this super veggie heavy. I wanted this stir-fry over a serving of low carb cauliflower rice to be a hearty belly-filling meal, so I wanted to make sure the serving size was generous. A pound of broccoli crowns, plus 2 bell peppers was really generous!
• The Flavor: I used ginger, red pepper flake and garlic to really season the veggies. I also used Chinese Five spice which gave the stir-fry a lot of flavor and adds a sweet taste without any added sugar. I didn’t believe it was going to be enough, but it really balanced the other tastes beautifully!
• The Sugar-free sauce: I used Balsamic vinegar- which is both sour and sweet (from the naturally occurring concentrated grape sugars in the vinegar) plus a bit of broth and tapioca starch.
• The Thickener: I happened to have tapioca on hand for these gluten-free chocolate cookies and it works just like cornstarch, but it’s paleo and whole-30 approved!

What To Serve With This Clean Eating Beef Stir-fry

Plain cauliflower rice works fine, but if you have the time, making Healthy Vegan Cauliflower Fried Rice is a nice idea. Especially for meal prep. 

OTHER RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE

Try our Traditional Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry with Oyster sauce and thickened with cornstarch.

Clean Eating Curry Butternut Squash Soup

Tofu and Pepper Stir-fry with Cashews

Healthy Maple Tahini Chicken and Broccoli Stirfry

Skillet Pepper Steaks {paleo and low carb}

Clean Eating Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry

• Author: Katie Webster
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 12 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4
• Category: main course
• Method: Stove Top
• Cuisine: Chinese

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

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Description

Clean Eating Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry with Peppers and Chinese 5 Spice. Gather your ingredients, chop your veggies and stir your sauce before you start cooking, because this stir-fry comes together quickly once you start to cook! It is sugar free, paleo and whole-30 approved.

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Ingredients

• 1 pound grass-fed beef NY strip steak or sirloin, patted dry with paper towels
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 ¼ cup reduced sodium chicken broth, chicken bone broth or home-made chicken stock, divided
• 1 tablespoon tapioca starch or tapioca flour
• 2 teaspoons Balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil, divided
• 2 bell peppers, any color, cut into 1-inch squares
• 1 pound broccoli crowns, cut into small florets (about 6 cups)
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
• ½ to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake, or to taste

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Instructions

1. Cut beef into bite-sized strips, about the size of a small domino. Discard any large chunks of fat as you go. Sprinkle with salt and white pepper and turn to coat.
2. Stir ¼ cup broth, vinegar and tapioca in a small dish.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add beef, in a single layer and allow to sear until browned on one side, 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Turn over with a spatula and let sear on the other side, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the beef, and any juices, to a plate and keep warm.
4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the wok or skillet and swirl to coat the cooking surface. Add peppers, broccoli, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring constantly until the garlic starts to brown, about 1 ½ minutes. Add Chinese Five Spice and crushed red pepper and toss to coat. Add the remaining 1 cup broth, stir and cover. Cook, removing lid to stir occasionally, until the vegetabes are crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Re-stir the tapioca slurry and add to the stir-fry while stirring. Continue cooking and stirring until the broccoli just tender and the sauce is thickened. Stir in the beef and juices and cook until heated through, 2 to 5 minutes.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 cups
• Calories: 279
• Fat: 11 g
• Carbohydrates: 16 g
• Fiber: 7 g
• Protein: 31 g