30-minute beef and broccoli

nostalgia in a skillet

Growing up, my siblings and I lived for the nights when my parents would order Chinese takeout from Mr. Lu’s. We thought it was the biggest treat in the world! And getting to drive with dad to pick it up was the cherry on top.

Now that I’m a mother of three, I fully recognize that Mr. Lu’s nights weren’t a special treat for us kids — they were a special treat for my mother. No cooking! Send the kids in the car with their dad to pick it up to get them out of the house for 30 minutes! No cleaning!

But, having just fed my children yet another meal in which they refused all of the vegetables on the plate, I can now recognize another huge win: we absolutely crushed vegetables on Mr. Lu’s night.

Veggie fried rice? Cleared our plates. Stir fried green beans? Oh yeah. But the dish for which we all went back for seconds and thirds?

BEEF AND BROCCOLI! I specifically remember picking through the beef to get to the broccoli. The way the tender broccoli soaks up the sauce is just… heavenly.

The sauce is simple but so insanely flavorful, and I’ve added more vegetables and cleaned up the ingredients a bit to make it really nutritious. It is so quick and easy and packed with flavor, and I can’t wait for y’all to try it.

I’ve talked about these a lot on Instagram lately (AKA since having a third baby and learning to take every single possible shortcut in the kitchen) but these are my three absolute favorite ingredients right now to help make quick, flavorful meals easier. I HIGHLY recommend hunting them down (I know Trader Joe’s, Walmart, and Target carry various brands!) for this and other recipes.

• Frozen ginger cubes — AKA fresh ginger that has been grated, and frozen into a cube! It’s brilliant! You just throw it straight in the skillet for stir fries, or thaw it for dressings/sauces.

• Frozen garlic cubes — Same deal. Minced garlic that has been frozen in cube form. 1 cube = 1 clove. I find myself throwing garlic and ginger into so many more recipes than I normally do (because I’m too lazy to mince them), making my random weeknight meals so much more flavorful!

• Frozen rice — I never understood the allure of frozen rice until I had this third kid. But now I am obsessed. We use a bag of Trader Joe’s (but don’t worry — most grocers carry it) frozen brown rice, or their rice medley, at least 3x a week. I use it to make healthy grain bowls for lunch, I sauté it with kale or spinach as a side dish, I add it to soups, and I serve it with stir fries like today’s recipe.

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beef & broccoli (and lots of other veggies)

Serves 4 to 6 (bulk up your rice portion to stretch it further, or serve without rice to serve less)

Cook time: ~30 minutes