Recipe: Beef and Broccoli Bowls
These grain-free beef and broccoli Buddha bowls are packed with vegetables and greens and drizzled with creamy miso-ginger sauce.
Serves4
Prep10 minutes to 15 minutes
Cook20 minutes to 25 minutes
Think of these lunch bowls as the wholesome, nourishing version of everyone’s favorite takeout dish: saucy beef and broccoli stir-fry. They have all the same umami-rich, savory flavors, but they’re packed with green vegetables and built on a base of broccoli stems, which I find to be totally underrated and underutilized. Although broccoli stems can be enjoyed in a number of ways, here they’re processed into rice-like grains and quickly sautéed for a tender bite with a mild-mannered flavor.
Meal Prep This Bowl
With some upfront prep, this recipe rewards you with takeout-inspired bowls to get you through the week. Best of all, the components can all be cooked and prepped in advance during a weekend meal prep session. Everything from the beef to the broccoli rice, medley of veggies, and creamy sauce can all be made and assembled in advance. When getting a head-start, it’s a good idea to swap the bowl for a lidded container, like the kind you use for meal prep (this one is our favorite meal prep container!).
Get to Know Riced Broccoli
Riced broccoli is no more than chopped broccoli stems that have been blitzed in the food processor to break this totally edible part of the vegetable into small “grains” that resemble rice. When making your own, peel away the tough outer layer of the stem first. It makes a big difference, leaving you with rice that’s tender rather than tough and chewy.
Portion the broccoli rice between the containers, top it with some beef, and finish with the shredded vegetables, kimchi, sprouts, and scallions. While this version calls for broccoli, you can certainly substitute cauliflower rice, or use a mix of the two.
Keep the creamy miso-ginger sauce stored in a separate container, and drizzle it over the bowl before heading out in the morning (if you’re taking it for lunch) or just before serving. And to keep them crunchy, wait to sprinkle the sesame seeds on top right before you dig in.
About the Buddha Bowls Cookbook
The Buddha Bowls cookbook features 100 one-bowl recipes (including plenty of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free bowls!), 13 essential sauce recipes (with variations for each one), and tons of tips and make-ahead moments. It will help you stock your week with wholesome, nourishing meals, get more veggies on the table, and fill your belly with delicious food. The book is currently available in bookstores and on Amazon.
Buy the book: Buddha Bowls: 100 Nourishing One-Bowl Meals
Beef and Broccoli Buddha Bowls
These grain-free beef and broccoli Buddha bowls are packed with vegetables and greens and drizzled with creamy miso-ginger sauce.
Prep time 10 minutes to 15 minutes
Cook time 20 minutes to 25 minutes
Serves 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
For the Miso-Ginger Sauce:
- 1/4 cup
raw unsalted cashews, soaked overnight and drained
- 1/4 cup
rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons
white miso paste
- 2 tablespoons
water
- 1 tablespoon
chopped peeled fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons
toasted (Asian) sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon
honey
- 1 clove
garlic, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
For the bowls:
- 2 1/2 tablespoons
avocado or extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 pound
lean ground beef
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons
coconut aminos, divided
- 1/4 cup
chopped Thai basil leaves
- 16 ounces
riced broccoli
- 1
large or 2 medium heads bok choy, thinly sliced crosswise
- 2 cloves
garlic, minced
- 1 cup
shredded radicchio
- 4
medium scallions, thinly sliced
Garnish options:
Kimchi
Bean sprouts
Sesame seeds
Instructions
Make the miso-ginger sauce:
Place all the ingredients in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment or a blender and season with pepper. Process continuously until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Thin with additional water if needed to make a pourable sauce.
Make the bowls:
Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the beef, season with salt and pepper, and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the coconut aminos and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil; set aside. Meanwhile, cook the riced broccoli.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a separate large skillet over medium heat. Add the riced broccoli, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is slightly softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Divide between 4 bowls.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the same skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the bok choy, garlic, and a pinch of salt, and sauté, tossing occasionally, until just wilted. Stir in the remaining 1/2 tablespoon coconut aminos and cook 1 minute more. Divide over the riced broccoli.
Divide the beef mixture, radicchio, scallions, kimchi, and bean sprouts among the bowls. Drizzle with the miso-ginger sauce and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
Recipe Notes
Substitutions: Riced cauliflower can be substituted for riced broccoli.
Make ahead: The sauce, beef mixture, riced broccoli, and bok choy can be made up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated in separate airtight containers.
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Reprinted with permission from Buddha Bowls by Kelli Foster, copyright (c) 2018. Published by Harvard Common Press.
