WPRM Test Recipe
Say hello to this weeknight beauty! It is full of protein, green broccoli goodness, and sticky-sweet garlic and ginger flavor, and it has been fueling me through these long end-of-winter days.
PrintChicken Meatballs
Some chicken meatballs for your sauce.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp salt
Instructions
- From frozen, bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
- Serve with literally anything – personal fave includes some kind of pasta, red sauce, and a salad.
Notes
Make this, it’s tasty.
This is sesame beef and broccoli – sesame because it’s got a tablespoon of sesame oil in the sauce (LUSCIOUS) and beef and broccoli because of the, well, beef and broccoli.
I was initially going to call this recipe easy – and it is easy, I guess – but also, there are several steps and lots of high heat and sometime searing meat business can feel like a bit of a job, so just trust me when I say while you should probably wear an apron, this is still 100% weeknight material.
The prep time is minimal, the ingredients are mostly pantry staples, and the total time is low.
AND THE RESULTS ARE SAUCY AND AMAZING.
A few things I’d like to point out about this Beef and Broccoli:
PLEASE SEAR THE MEAT
This is very important. You do not want the meat to simmer or steam – you want it BROWNED. In order to get the browning without overcooking, you’re going to have to work with a very very very hot pan. I used a cast iron skillet for this which worked really well.
MARINATE, BUT NOT WITH SAUCE
Whenever I marinated the meat in a little sauce to improve its flavor, there was so much excess moisture from the sauce that came into the hot pan with the beef that it essentially went into simmering / steaming mode. Not good.
To prevent this but still get the flavor, I “marinated” the meat with just dry salt. Just sprinkled it with salt and let it rest. This worked beautifully because the meat you put into the skillet is dry, which is what you want to get a really nice sear on it.
If you want to get reeeally detailed about your salting, your searing, and all that goes into getting your steak perfectly cooked… this post is great.
THE SAUCE IS YOURS
Honestly, I made the sauce just slightly different every time I made this. If you want more or less sweet, adjust sugar. Or salt, or vinegar, or whatever suits your fancy. The sauce is flexible!
The cornstarch is important, though, because it helps the sauce thicken into that yummy consistency that coats the beef and broccoli perfectly, so that should stay as-is.
VEGAN OPTION
I love this recipe with sliced tempeh. Made it several times that way! YUM. Only difference is that you *should* marinate your tempeh in the sauce because it needs the help for better flavor!
Sesame beef and broccoli is bold and big and just all-around here for us in this season. It’s saucy seared meat, it’s tender-crisp veggies, it’s fresh, feel-good flavor. Get after it!
