I love stir fry! It’s a great crisper drawer clean out recipe for me, an easy way to use whatever protein I have on hand, and a healthy option that I feel good about eating and serving to my family. Plus, it’s fast!

Round steak is a great weeknight cut — it’s a thin piece that thaws quickly if you haven’t planned ahead (cough, like me!). I thawed mine in a sink basin full of hot water. I’m relieved to hear this is a hack that America’s Test Kitchen says is safe, since I’ve done it for years. More info here if you want details on their method.

While my meat was thawing, I chopped up the veggies that were languishing in my fridge — cabbage, carrots, and green beans. But whatever you have works! I love stir fry with broccoli, peppers, mushrooms … there are so many great combinations.

We also prepped our sauce at this time. Usually I do soy sauce with water or broth, some seasoning, and a bit of cornstarch for thickening. Last night I was out of soy sauce (my 3-year-old’s worst nightmare!!) but my 12-year-old sous chef made a fabulous concoction out of the brine from black olives, chopped pickled ginger, and brown sugar. So anything works!

I like to stir fry each vegetable separately to ensure they get the cook time they need. I set the cooked veggies aside while the other elements come together, then threw it all in the pan for one final warm up before serving.  I also threw in some garlic at the tail end to avoid burning it.

Once my veggies were done, I sliced my round steak in thin slices against the grain and heated some oil in a skillet over high heat.

Grassfed beef cooking tip for you: Either do high heat and quick cook, or cook it low and slow. This stir fry is a great place to apply high heat and a short cooking time.

I seared the round steak on one side, then gave it a few stirs and browned up the other side. Once it was browned on both sides but still pink in the middle — only a minute or two of cooking — I added the veggies back to the pan, poured in some sauce, and heated it until the sauce was thick and everything was hot.

I served it with rice, but stir fry is also great on its own or with noodles, quinoa, or other grains.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Beef stir fry

1.5 lb beef round steak, thinly sliced against the grain
2 cups green beans, trimmed
2 cups cabbage, sliced
4 carrots cut into matchsticks or other small pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
Oil of choice

For the sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup broth or water
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground pepper
2 tsp cornstarch
Whisk all together.

To serve:
Rice, noodles, etc. prepared according to package directions
Sliced green onions and cilantro, if desired

To prepare:

Stir fry each vegetable separately (beans, then cabbage, then carrots, for example) in large skillet over high heat with 1 Tbl. of oil until desired degree of doneness. Set aside into one large bowl. In same skillet, heat 1 Tbl. of oil over high heat and sear round steak on each side, cooking just 1 to 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the sauce to the pan and stir while cooking until sauce is thick and hot. Return cooked vegetables to the pan. Stir. Serve immediately over rice if desired. Top with green onions and cilantro if desired. Enjoy!