Looking for the perfect recipe for leftover steak? You can't go wrong with Easy Beef and Broccoli stir fry with homemade ginger-soy sauce—it is a perfect leftover steak recipe that goes from fridge to table in under 30 minutes. This tasty stovetop meal can also be made with leftovers from London broil, flank steak, skirt steak, or any other firm cut of beef.
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📹 Video
⏲️ Time needed
Beef with Broccoli is a quick skillet meal using cooked steak—prep is 10-15 minutes and cook time is about 10 minutes. This meal can be on the table in 20-25 minutes.
🥘 Ingredients
Beef with Broccoli uses leftover steak mixed with broccoli florets in a homemade ginger-soy sauce served over rice.
I love this leftover steak idea because it is easy, flavorful, and can be a full meal by itself. It's perfect when made using leftovers from grilled steak or leftover London Broil from our Easy Crockpot London Broil recipe.
I like to plan leftovers (cooking extra for the purpose of using the leftovers in recipes like this) into my meal plans instead of chancing whether I will have leftovers or not.
Start with:
- leftover steak, London broil, round steak, skirt steak, or another firm cut of beef
- broccoli florets
- cooked rice
Thickener:
- cornstarch
- water
- garlic powder
Ginger-soy sauce:
- vegetable oil
- soy sauce
- brown sugar
- ground ginger
- sesame oil (optional)
💭 Tips & FAQ
Leftover steak lasts 3-4 days in the refrigerator, so it's a good idea to plan this leftover dish into your meal plan within that time frame. Our planned leftover system typically calls for planning a steak dinner early in the week and 2 days later using the leftover steak in the stir fry.
It's important to add the cornstarch as directed. If mixed directly into the hot liquid in the pan, it will clump and not thicken. Making a slurry with cold or room temperature liquid before adding to the heat will prevent clumping.
This recipe is easy to make even if you don't have leftover steak. Simply use a firm cut of beef sliced into bite-size pieces, and reverse the steps for coating the beef: sauté the steak in oil first, cooking it an additional 4-5 minutes, then mix and add the cornstarch slurry. Cook for about 1-2 minutes, then remove from the pan and follow the rest of the recipe as directed.
Not only is broccoli a great pairing for steak, but it is also highly nutritious. Using raw broccoli is best; a ½-cup serving of raw broccoli provides almost 70% of the daily value of Vitamin K1 (source - https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/broccoli#:~:text=almost%2070%25%20of) and is an excellent source of Vitamins C and A (source - (https://www.nutrition-and-you.com/broccoli.html).
You can use frozen broccoli, but you should plan to steam and drain it first. Putting frozen vegetables directly into a stir fry adds too much moisture, resulting in boiling rather than sautéing.
Substitutions and variations
What else can I add to the stir fry?
If you are looking for more variety, you can add sliced onions, carrots, fresh mushrooms, bell peppers, and other veggies to this dish. The ginger-soy sauce is best paired with large slices of hearty vegetables.
Can I use noodles instead of rice?
If you prefer a noodle stir fry, soba or rice noodles would make a delicious substitution for the rice. When we lived in Japan, we loved switching things up with yakisoba (Japanese fried noodles) instead of eating a stir fry over rice in the Chinese style. In a yakisoba stir fry, the meat, vegetables, and sauce are cooked with the noodles rather than served on top. Soba noodles are available at most grocery stores in the Asian aisle.
To make this into a beef and broccoli yakisoba, you should cook, rinse, and drain the soba noodles according to the package instructions first, then add them to the stir fry a couple of minutes before adding the sauce. It is important to dry the noodles well before adding them to the stir fry.
📋 Instructions
Make a slurry with cornstarch, water, and garlic powder in a large bowl. Add the leftover steak and toss until well coated.
Heat oil in a large skillet (add a few drops of sesame oil if you wish) and add the steak. Stir fry until reheated, about 1 minute. Use a light hand here since the steak is already cooked and only needs to be reheated.
Remove the reheated steak from the skillet. Heat the remaining oil in the same pan and add the broccoli. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and remaining cornstarch and water. Add the soy mixture and the steak to skillet.
Cook for 2-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve over cooked rice.
🥗 What to serve with Easy Beef and Broccoli
A green salad with carrots, wonton strips, and Japanese ginger dressing (Makoto Ginger Dressing is my go-to dressing) is a perfect complement to this hearty stir fry.
🥩 What else can I do with leftover steak?
Steak sandwiches are another great way to use leftovers: try Carne Asada Tortas with homemade guacamole, cheese, and tomatoes, or Cheesesteak Sandwiches with sautéed onions and bell peppers.
📖 Recipe
Easy Beef with Broccoli using Leftover Steak
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
- ½ cup water plus 2 tablespoons water, divided
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pound leftover steak, London broil, or firm cut of cooked beef, sliced and cut into bite size pieces
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 cups rice, cooked according to package directions
Instructions
- Combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water, and garlic powder in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Add sliced leftover steak and toss until well coated.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet; add leftover steak and stir fry until reheated, about 1 minute.
- Remove meat from skillet. Heat remaining oil in pan; add broccoli, stir-frying for about 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and remaining 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and remaining water; add soy mixture and cooked beef to skillet.
- Cook for 2-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Serve over cooked rice.
Andree
Trying this tonight. Adding onion, green pepper carrot peas, mushrooms, water chestnuts and sprouts as well as sesame oil and seeds and a bit of red wine.
Mary Ann
I hope you enjoy it!
Luke Linnell
I too doubled the sauce recipe and used fresh ginger and garlic. I also added an about 1/4 t Asian five spice and 1/4 t crushed red pepper. It was a hit.
Mary Ann
Thanks for the feedback - fresh ginger is always delicious!
Kate
Great recipe to repurpose leftover protein! Added a bit of sesame oil and swapped rice for udon noodles. So delicious.
Mary Ann
I bet it was great with udon noodles!
Kurt
Made it tonight. Excellent. My brother was also impressed.
Mary Ann
I'm so glad you liked it—thanks for letting me know.
April
This was so simple to prepare and yummy! We had a some nice porterhouse leftover. We loved it. Simple and prepared in less time than the rice took to cook. 20-25 min.
Mary Ann
Thanks for sharing!
Mel
So yummy!! The sauce is absolutely delicious! What a fantastic recipe to use up leftover steak! Thanks so much for the recipe x
Mary Ann
I'm so glad you liked it!
Susan Klementz
I used leftover pork steaks. Next time I’ll double the sauce and reduce the cornstarch a little. Also will add some frozen peas and carrots. Great way to use leftover meat because I used to toss my leftover meat
Mary Ann
I'm glad you liked it! I love repurposing leftovers like this.
Nancy Travers
Surprised at how wonderful this tasted! I doubled the sauce and added carrots and peas to the beef and broccoli. My adult son said it tasted restaurant quality! Thanks for a “keeper” recipe!
Mary Ann
I'm so glad you liked it! Thanks for leaving feedback.😊
Linda
What a great way to use left over steak, which we always have now there are just the two of us.
Mary Ann
So glad you liked it!
Maria
Spectacular. I will say that 1T of oil wasn’t enough to stir fry the broccoli and so I added about 1/4c of water to the pan, covered with a lid and let it steam just a bit then uncovered and continued with the rest of the recipe. Added sliced yellow pepper. Also, this sauce rocks and so I doubled it. What a great idea for leftover steak!
Mary Ann
Thanks for sharing, and I'm glad you liked it!
Alice
Maria, I would do the same thing, adding water to steam the broccoli is really a great idea. I was also thinking of Julianne Carrots would add such a sweetness.
Jeff
Very good and easy recipe. Used leftover hangar steak and included other veggies with the broccoli...added onion with the broccoli, then after a couple minutes added yellow and green squash which is plentiful this summer. Increased sauce (water + soy sauce) by ~ 50% since we like plenty of sauce with our stir fry + rice! Will def make again!
Mary Ann
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing, and I'm so glad you liked it.
Margers
This was so easy and delicious! I made with a vegetable medley and everyone went back for seconds. Thank you for sharing!
Mary Ann
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for letting me know.
Amy S.
Sooooo delicious, quick and easy! Used fresh ginger in place ground and added a tablespoon of Shaoxing wine to the sauce. Awesome use for leftover ribeye steak. Will definitely be making again.
Mary Ann
I'm so glad you liked it!
Alisha Thomson
Would you change anything if you used fresh steak not leftover?
Mary Ann
Hi Alisha - I actually just made this last night using thin-sliced fresh ribeye. The only thing I did differently is to cook the steak longer until it was done. I didn't time it, just based it on when the steak looked done to my preference.
Deann
SOOOO GOOD! I added last night's onions and mushrooms for the last 3-5 minutes (just to warm them up) and this meal was filling and delicious!
Mary Ann
Thank you!
Linda
What about using leftover/precooked ground beef? Or even fresh (raw) ground beef?
Mary Ann
Although ground beef is not typically used in stir fry, you could certainly try it. The beef should be cooked first.
Jennifer
Easy, fantastic recipe I substitute it all fresh ingredients from the local market instead of powder and it came delicious thank you for posting
Mary Ann
I'm so glad you liked it! Fresh ginger makes everything better, and I recently found out that you can keep it in the freezer. The texture suffers a bit, but the flavor is still fantastic.
Kim Bresette
How much fresh ginger would you add? We are trying this recipe tonight :)
Mary Ann
Fresh ginger goes a long way, so I would start with 1-½ to 2 tablespoons. You may not get it right the first go round, but you'll know how to adjust for the next time.
Julie Schehr
Thank you for telling me what the two of us can do with London Broil leftovers. This was a delicious meal and just had to thank you very much! Easy and tasty!
Mary Ann
I'm so glad you liked it! Thank you for your comment.
Susan
Outstanding.Even my husband, who isn’t a big fan of this cuisine, asked me to make it again. Thanks for sharing this!
Mary Ann
I'm so glad you both liked it! Thanks for letting me know. 😊
Jennifer
Very tasty and easy! I had leftover chuck steak and a chicken breast that needed to be cooked soon, so I used both. I also paired with soba noodles instead of rice. The sauce was really good!
Mary Ann
That sounds delicious!
Hunter
Tasty and simple
Mary Ann
Glad you liked it, Hunter!
Sally Lilly
Had some leftover Ribeye and Sirloin. Also added some left over diced chicken breast. Along with the broccoli, I added orange bell pepper and zucchini. I omitted the vegetable oil and used sesame oil and Mongolian fire oil. I also doubled the sauce, and served it over jasmine rice. It was absolutely wonderful.
Mary Ann
Hi Sally - that sounds wonderful! I love sesame oil and find that it adds so much depth of flavor. I've never heard of Mongolian fire oil — sounds like something I need to check out!
Lucia Hartwig
Made this last night, super quick and easy and my family loved it!! Thanks for sharing! I have one question does the calories per serving include the rice or is that without rice?
Mary Ann
Hi Lucia - Glad you liked it! the rice is included in the calories per serving. Anytime an item is in the ingredient list, it is included. If we suggest serving over something but it is not in the ingredient list, that item would not be included in the nutrition data (we will usually put something in the notes indicating that it is not included in that case).
Robin Miller
Loved it!!! The perfect use for leftover steak.
Mary Ann
Thanks, Robin! I'm so happy you liked it. 😊
Carla Shuffield
Quick and yummy! I used a left over rib-eye steak. Used a mix of broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, and snap peas. Threw some cooked Thai noodles in at the end instead of serving over rice. Added a little crushed red pepper to my bowl.... So easy and thankful I found this recipe!
Mary Ann
Sounds wonderful! Thanks for your comment. 😊
Sheryl
Absolutely delicious! Very quick and easy to make! I used leftover roast beef, brown sugar Truvia and also used minced garlic and ginger instead of powder. Also, cut the water in half for a thicker sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds. My picky husband loved it too! Will definitely be adding this dish to our rotation!
Mary Ann
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know that leftover roast beef worked well, and how great that you had fresh ginger on hand - it is always better.
Vicki
Leftover strip steak and broccoli. Added thinly sliced carrots
I didnt have any ginger, but did have a Hawaiian marinade, which had ginger, along with a splash of sesame oil.
It was very good and will do again.
Mary Ann
Those options sound great! Glad you liked it. 😊
Debbie
This was really good and easy! I had left over London broil and it turned out great! I did use sesame oil and added red pepper flakes and onion powder w/ the garlic powder out of habit. I will definitely make again and maybe add in carrots and water chestnuts like you suggested. Thank you my husband also liked it and commented on how good it was too!
Mary Ann
I'm so glad that you both liked it! Thanks for sharing how it turned out. ❤️
Jamie
This was excellent! I made this tonight with leftover T-bone steak and it was delicious. I also added some fresh ginger and sesame oil to the sauce. I added quartered white mushrooms, which I stir fried before doing the broccoli. Fake out take out!
Mary Ann
Sounds delicious! I'm glad you liked it.
Elaine
This recipe was so quick and easy! Turned out yummy but seems to be missing something but not sure what would make it better. Thank you:)
Mary Ann
Thanks for the feedback, Elaine. Sometimes I use a tiny bit of sesame oil in stir-fry, so you might try that next time if you think it needs something. A little goes a long way, though, so not a lot. :)
Stephanie
We loved this recipe! My husband will eat anything I make, but often doesn't comment on it. Boy oh boy did he comment on how much he liked this! Thanks for such a quick, easy, and accessible way to make one of my favorite Chinese take out dishes!
Mary Ann
I'm so glad that your family liked it! it's such a great recipe for planned leftovers or on its own with fresh beef strips. Thanks for commenting!