Beef and Bok Choy Stir Fry

This simple,15-minute Beef and Bok Choy Stir-Fry tastes like a classic Chinese dish without all the unnecessary fat and calories. It's packed with thinly sliced sirloin, bok choy, and mushrooms in a savory stir fry sauce. Serve it with some Healthy Fried Rice or Healthy Chow Mein for the perfect Chinese takeout inspired meal.

Do you ever have nights where you can't seem to find even 30 minutes of time to get dinner on the table? Who am I kidding, that feels like basically every night of my life. Some days just bleed from morning to afternoon to night without my even thinking about it and before you know it, it's time to get dinner started and by the time I realize it, I always seem to find myself with less than 30 minutes to get dinner on the table.

So typically I'm left running around while everyone stares at me, ravenous for dinner while I end up staring into the fridge thinking about what I can make in the shortest time possible. The answer? Usually stir-fry! In fact, stir-fry is almost always the answer. Because nearly everything is cooked at a high temperature, it's ready in no time, and it is one dish that everyone loves.

I've found that the key to a good stir-fry is the sauce and it just so happens that this one is packed with flavor. The oyster sauce, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic make a flavorful Chinese-style sauce that works with nearly all proteins and veggies. Personally, I like to pair it with beef, bok choy, and mushrooms to really kick up that delicious umami flavor.

How do you make Beef and Bok Choy Stir Fry?

The first thing I do when making a stir-fry is to cut up the sirloin into strips and the veggies as well. (If you are able to do this beforehand, even better.) From there, I mix up the sauce by adding the broth, both sauces, garlic, ginger, and cornstarch in a small bowl and whisk until it's combined thoroughly.

Next, I add half of the oil to a pan or wok and turn the heat up to high. The beef gets cooked first for 1-2 minutes until it's just browned on all sides. It doesn't need to be done all the way through at this point. I remove the meat from the wok and set it aside.

I add the rest of the oil to the pan (still at hot heat), then add the vegetables, cooking those for about 3-4 minutes until they start to soften. From there I turn the heat to medium and add the sauce to the pan with the veggies, cooking for another 3-4 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken and the veggies get even more tender (but still crisp).

Finally, add the beef back to the pan and cook it for just 1 minute longer or until it's cooked through. Serve right away.

Ways to Serve this Beef Stir Fry with Bok Choy

• I like to serve this over rice — white or brown, cauliflower or wild, doesn't matter, all rice is good and a little goes a long way.
• Serve this dish over an Asian noodle, like ramen, udon, soba, or rice.
• Top low-carb or high-fiber pasta with the bok choy and beef stir-fry and sauce.
• This would go great over veggie noodles too. Zucchini, yellow squash, sweet potato, or other hardy veggies will do just fine.
• Eat this as-is in a bowl with a splash of your favorite hot sauce. My preferred hot sauce is Sriracha but you can use whatever you like!
• This Beef and Bok Choy Stir-Fry is also good over a bed of other roasted veggies. You'll get to eat a big, satisfying dinner and most of it will be nutrient-packed with all those veggies.
• Top a grain like quinoa with a generous serving of stir-fry.

Ideas for Customizing Beef Stir Fry

The best thing about stir-fries is not only are they quick to put together but they are easy to customize as well.

• Swap out bok choy, mushrooms, and green onions for whatever vegetables you love or have on hand. Some of my favorite stir-fry vegetables (besides those in this recipe) include bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, mini corn, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, snow peas and snap peas, shelled edamame, asparagus, red or yellow onions, green beans, and shredded red or green cabbage.
• If you don't want to use sirloin, you can use another thin cut of beef or thinly-sliced chicken or pork.
• Use shrimp if you want a seafood dish or tofu or chickpeas for a vegetarian dish.
• You can also have an all-veggie stir-fry, there's certainly nothing wrong with that!
• Make this dish spicy by cooking with hot peppers such as thai chili or jalapeno slices. Or add red pepper flakes while you're cooking or upon serving. You can also add your favorite hot sauce to the sauce mixture or add it on after you're done cooking.

Tips and Tricks for Making Stir Fries

• Cut your meat thinly for quick cooking. Diced meat will take a little longer to cook than slices.
• Cook your meat before your veggies as it will take longer to cook.
• Also, remember to cut up your veggies about all the same size if possible so that they all cook evenly as well. You'll want the veggies to be tender yet crisp and not mushy.
• Some veggies, like broccoli and cauliflower, take longer to cook so you might want to give those a 1-2 minute head start on cooking before adding the other veggies.
• The oil in the wok or skillet will get hot fast, so be sure to add the meat or veggies right away to avoid too much splattering and the possibility of oil burns.
• Make sure to cut up your vegetables before your meat if using the same cutting board, or use two separate cutting boards (and knives) for cutting up each to avoid cross-contamination. Or, you can wash your cutting board and knife in hot, soapy water before using it to cut your vegetables.

No matter how you slice it, stir-fries are an easy way to get dinner together on those busy nights.

Calories 278, Total Fat 10g, Total Carbohydrate 9g, Protein 37g, Serving Size 2 cups

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