For the past few weeks, we’ve been eagerly anticipating the opening of a new Panda Express restaurant that’s just a few doors down from our studio. (You know you live in a small town when you get excited about a new fast food restaurant.) I’m really looking forward to being able to get Panda’s beef and broccoli whenever the craving strikes!
This had me obsessing a bit about my favorite Chinese food dish, and since patience is not a strong suit of mine, I decided to look for a recipe for beef and broccoli to help tame the craving until the new Panda finally opens. When I saw the words “slow cooker” I was sold!
I’m happy to report that this slow cooker beef and broccoli is easy to make, quite affordable, and totally delicious! I wasn’t sure about steaming the broccoli in the microwave, but it turned out to be our favorite part of the dish. The broccoli was cooked through without losing its texture. Additionally, the sauce is tasty, the beef was tender… I really could go on and on. But how about I just show it to you instead? ;-)
Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 lbs. thin-cut steak (I used sirloin thinly cut for stir-fry)
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 4 Tbsp cornstarch
- 3-4 cups fresh broccoli
- White rice, prepared
- Sesame seeds (optional, for garnish)
Directions:
Add steak, onion, garlic, and ginger to the pot of your slow cooker.
In a medium-size bowl, combine the broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes until brown sugar has dissolved.
Pour the mixture into the slow cooker and stir.
Place the lid on the slow cooker, and cook on low for about 90 minutes, or until the steak is done to your liking.
Then collect 1/4 cup of the liquid from your crockpot and put it in a small bowl. Add the cornstarch to the liquid and whisk until smooth.
Return the broth and cornstarch mixture to the crockpot, and let it cook for an additional 10 minutes or so.
Next, put the broccoli in a glass bowl along with 1/4 cup of water.
Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 4-6 minutes.
Combine the steamed broccoli with the beef mixture in a serving bowl (or right in the slow cooker.)
More Ideas You'll Love
Serve the beef and broccoli with rice, garnished with sesame seeds if desired. No take out containers needed! :-)
If you haven’t ever tried Porter & York Brand Meats (http://porterandyork.com/), you might want to give it a try. They ship their meat out in special packaging designed to keep the fresh, never frozen, beef that has been raised naturally (grass fed, grain finished).
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This looks delicious! If people are afraid of plastic wrap in the microwave they could always do what I do…I just rest a small plate over my crock that I want to steam my veggies in. Works perfectly for me. I can’t wait to try this! I am always looking for new recipes and I love broccoli! :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Oh this looks delicious! I am always looking for new recipes. Thank you! :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.There apparently is a thickened sauce in this recipe–I can’t see it being used at all when serving the rice, beef, & broccoli?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It isn’t a super thick sauce – it’s just thick enough to coat the meat, veggies and rice. :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m with Sue, this format (pictures etc.) is 29 pages long the photos will use up all my ink!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Click on the “Printer Friendly” button towards the bottom of the post, and select the option to “remove images.” :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This recipe sounds and looks delicious. The further I read the more my mouth watered. I LOVE slow cooker recipes because I cannot stand to cook. I will be doing this one on the weekend. TFS.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This looks interesting. We’ve had a Panda Express for a few years in my city. I haven’t been there because I’m not really into Chinese food .Some of the flavors are too intense, so I like being able to adjust things. We’ve used plastic wrap before when microwaving stuff. You just have to a a tiny slit in the plastic for the steam to escape. I hope microwaving the broccoli for that amount of time would be enough to steam it. That’s only way I can eat it. Otherwise it makes me too gassy.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It was really well steamed – I was amazed!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Is there a way to print recipes and other projects without the pictures it uses to much paper? Thanks
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes, just click the green “printer friendly” button towards the bottom of the post. Then select the option to “remove images,” and make the text smaller (if you want). You can easily get the post onto one page! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Does anyone know if there is a way to save this recipe and other things I like in a “favorites” folder on Jillee’s site? There are so many things I love on this site, but I know I’ll forget them. I suppose I could pin them, but it would be great if there’s a way to do it here.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks!
Pin it on Pinterest!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yeah, I guess that’s what I’ll have to do. It would be nice if we could just do it here though. Oh, well…. Thanks!
You can save it to your “Favourites” . I don’t know which browsing system you are using as they all have different methods for doing this. Go into your browser’s “help” and you will find instructions on how to save it to your favourites, even making a separate folder for this column. Hope this helps.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Also, Jillee, would it not be better to dissolve the corn starch in cold water first so it doesn’t lump?
A tip for steaming vegies in the microwave, as I do it for most of the vegies I cook: check your microwave’s instruction booklet on how much water to use. You might find that it is better to use less water.
I like this recipe, will be trying it out soon as this is one of my favourite dishes.
I didn’t get any lumps :-)
I’ve been known to print “to PDF” (which comes with most of then modern operating systems) and save them in a folder for cooking either on my computer or cloud drive. It works great because it still “prints” the credit to the author and website to be accessed again or allows for printing to paper later if you like.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I thought it was very bad to cook with plastic in your Microwave, causes toxins from the heated plastic to be released. Otherwise, looks like a very simple and yummy meal.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes, I’ve heard that too. There are many safe microwave steamers available, or you can use glass casserole dishes instead – leave the lid slightly open, works perfectly! Once you fall in love with microwave steaming veggies you’ll just go buy the proper dish. My absolute favourite is from a Canadian company (coming soon to the USA) called Epicure.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Looks delicious! I hadn’t thought of cooking it in my slow cooker, but definitely will try it, as beef n broccoli is one of our favorites. Thank you, as always!
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