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This easy beef and broccoli recipe freezer meal is a weeknight miracle! Tender beef and fresh veggies are tossed in a scratch-made, sweet-and-savory brown sauce. For a quick meal, serve with Instant Pot freezer rice. Only 30 minutes or less to cook when thawed!
Recipe Overview: Beef and Broccoli Freezer Meal
- Ready In: 10 minutes to prep for freezer, 30 minutes to cook.
- Serves: 4
- Calories: 301 kcal (approximately)
- Main Ingredients: Steak, broccoli, sherry, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar
- Dietary Notes: For gluten-free, use tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce
- Why You’ll Love It: This beef and broccoli freezer meal delivers takeout-style flavor with simple ingredients while making busy weeknights easier thanks to its make-ahead, freezer-friendly option. It’s easy to customize with extra veggies or chicken. And you can quickly serve it over rice or noodles.
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS RECIPE ON
This easy beef and broccoli freezer meal has all the classic beef and broccoli takeout flavors without the questionable ingredients and extra expense.
For a quick dinner on busy nights, I serve it with Instant Pot freezer rice or noodles. It’s so easy and delicious!
If freezer meals are a staple in your meal planning, you’ll also enjoy my baked ziti freezer meal and honey garlic chicken freezer meal.
Jump to:
- Recipe Overview: Beef and Broccoli Freezer Meal
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations
- How to Make Beef and Broccoli Freezer Meal
- 5 Instant Pot Recipes That Save Time
- Tips for Success
- Serving Suggestions
- Storing
- Beef and Broccoli Freezer Meal FAQs
- More Easy Dinner Recipes
- Beef and Broccoli (Freezer Meal Option)
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Delicious: After making this simple beef and broccoli recipe, you’ll never go back to takeout again. It’s just too easy and delicious!
Healthy: This recipe uses pantry staples, lean beef, and fresh veggies.
Freezer or Serve Right Away: You can either freeze it for later or cook it right away.
Quick: Once thawed, it takes only 30 minutes to get this dinner on the table. Versatile: Serve this over Instant Pot rice, Instant Pot millet, slow cooker wheat berries, or noodles.
Key Ingredients
Steak: Use any steak in your budget. Flank steak, skirt steak, or any thinly sliced cut will work.
Veggies: You will need broccoli, carrots, onion, and garlic.
Chili Garlic Sauce: Feel free to add more or less, or skip it altogether if you don’t like heat. If you don’t have chili-garlic sauce, red pepper flakes are a good substitute.
Sherry: This is the secret ingredient! If you don’t have it, you can skip it. But I encourage you to try sherry in this sauce.
Rice Vinegar: This adds a touch of acidity to the sauce and a hint of the flavor most people expect from Chinese takeout.
Sesame Oil: Be sure to use toasted sesame oil.
Get the full list of ingredients and measurements on the printable recipe card below.
Variations
Chicken: Replace the beef with sliced chicken. Or skip the meat when freezing and toss in shredded Instant Pot frozen whole chicken or easy roasted chicken when cooking.
Extra Spicy: Add red pepper flakes or extra chili garlic sauce to the sauce.
Extra Veggies: Load up the veggies and include your favorites, such as bell peppers or snap peas.
How to Make Beef and Broccoli Freezer Meal
Step 1: In a small bowl, combine all of the sauce ingredients except the cornstarch. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Pour into a small freezer-safe ziplock bag. Seal completely and set aside. (Double-bag the sauce to prevent leaks.)
Step 2: Slice the steak into thin strips.
Put the steak into a gallon-sized freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible and seal. Set aside.
Chop the broccoli, onions, carrots, and garlic. Transfer to a bag.
Step 3: Then, toss all three bags (sauce, beef, and veggies) into another gallon freezer bag and freeze them.
Step 4: To cook: Thaw your freezer meal in the fridge overnight, or place it in a bowl of water to thaw quickly.
Heat a drizzle of sesame oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.
Cook the steak in the hot sesame oil until browned and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Remove from the skillet and set aside.
Step 5: Add the broccoli, onions, carrots, and garlic to the same skillet. Stir-fry for 4-5 minutes, or until the veggies are tender-crisp.
Once the veggies are ready, add the cooked beef back in.
Note: If cooking the same day, add the garlic once the veggies are tender-crisp. Then, add the garlic and cook just until it is aromatic.
Step 6: Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl to make a slurry.
Warm the prepared sauce ingredients over medium heat. Bring to a low boil, then add the slurry.
Bump up the heat and boil, constantly stirring until the sauce thickens.
Pour the sauce over the steak and veggies, and mix together.
Step 10: Serve with rice, ramen, or udon noodles. If you are feeling fancy, garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Tips for Success
- Slice the beef against the grain for a tender texture.
- Freeze the bag flat to save space in the freezer.
- Make sure you remove as much air as possible from the bags to prevent freezer burn.
- To keep dinnertime stress-free, don’t forget to take your freezer meal out to thaw at least a day in advance or quick-thaw it in a bowl of water.
Serving Suggestions
Egg: Pair with an Instant Pot boiled egg for extra protein.
Broth: Serve with a small mug of sipping broth made with home-canned chicken stock.
Grains or Noodles: Serve over rice, noodles, or your favorite grains.
Storing
- If you have cooked leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- If you are freezing the uncooked ingredients, keep them tightly sealed in a ziplock bag for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Beef and Broccoli Freezer Meal FAQs
Yes, you can cook it in advance and freeze it for up to 3 months. I recommend keeping the sauce separate.
Flank steak and sirloin are both tender and hold up well in freezer meals.
Yes, use gluten-free soy sauce or coconut aminos.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
If you tried this Beef and Broccoli Freezer Meal recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks, y'all!
Beef and Broccoli (Freezer Meal Option)
Equipment
- Small ziplock bags
- Gallon freezer-safe bag
- Small Saucepan
Ingredients
Sauce Ingredients
- 1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sherry
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
- 12 oz steak, sliced thinly
- 4 cups broccoli, bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 medium onion, sliced
- 2 carrots, halved and cut into long slices
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
FREEZER MEAL PREP
- In a small bowl, combine all of the sauce ingredients except the cornstarch. Mix until thoroughly combined. Pour into a small freezer-safe ziplock bag. Seal completely and set aside. (Double-bag the sauce to prevent leaks.)1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari, 2 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce, 2 tablespoon brown sugar, 2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, 1 tablespoon sherry, 1/4 cup water
- Slice the steak into thin strips. Put the steak into a gallon-sized freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible and seal. Set aside.12 oz steak
- Chop the broccoli, onions, carrots, and garlic. Transfer to a freezer bag.4 cups broccoli, 1/2 medium onion, 2 carrots, 2-3 garlic cloves
- Then, toss all three bags (sauce, beef, and veggies) into another gallon freezer bag and freeze them.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
- Thaw your freezer meal in the fridge overnight, or place it in a bowl of water.
- Heat a drizzle of sesame oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Cook the steak in the hot sesame oil until cooked through and browned, around 3-4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the skillet and set aside.Salt and pepper to taste
- Add the broccoli, onions, carrots, and garlic to the same skillet. Stir-fry for 4-5 minutes, or until the veggies are tender-crisp. Note: If cooking the same day, add the garlic once the veggies are tender-crisp. Then, add the garlic and cook just until it is aromatic.
- Once the veggies are ready, add the cooked beef back in.
- Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl to make a slurry.2 tablespoon cornstarch
- Warm the prepared sauce ingredients over medium heat. Bring to a low boil, then add the slurry. Bump up the heat and boil, constantly stirring until the sauce thickens.
- Pour the sauce over the steak and veggies, and mix together.
- Serve with rice, ramen, or udon noodles. If you are feeling fancy, garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Notes
- Slice the beef against the grain for a tender texture.
- Freeze the bag flat to save space in the freezer.
- Make sure you remove as much air as possible from the bags to prevent freezer burn.
- To keep dinnertime stress-free, don't forget to take your freezer meal out to thaw at least a day in advance or quick-thaw it in a bowl of water.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is auto-calculated and may not reflect your final product. Please verify independently if needed.
This is one of my favorite meals to make. I usually make a double batch: one for dinner and one for the freezer.