January 2020 | Cook Now

Broccoli Stir Fry

This broccoli stir fry makes this green vegetable taste irresistible! Serve it as a tasty side dish, or add a protein and you’ve got dinner.

Want to make broccoli taste irresistible? Try this broccoli stir fry! This healthy green veggie is covered in a sauce that’s so flavorful, you’ll forget that it’s good for you. Really, Alex and I couldn’t stop sneaking bites out of the pan (that’s how tasty it is). The broccoli is accessorized with a few other veggies, garlic and ginger, and an incredibly savory sauce. There’s so much flavor going on, it’s one of the best ways to eat your colorful veggies. You can serve it two ways: as a side dish, or add a protein and serve with rice, and you’ve got dinner!

What’s in this broccoli stir fry?

This broccoli stir fry stars not only broccoli, but three more of the best vegetables you can eat. It’s whole food plant based (WFPB) and full of all the nutrients those colorful veggies bring. Here’s what you’ll find in this recipe:

Broccoli (including broccolini if you can find it: see below!)
Orange pepper
Red onion
Portobello mushrooms
Garlic & ginger
Stir fry sauce with mirin, rice vinegar, and soy sauce

The most time involved in the recipe is chopping all the vegetables! It will take a few minutes to complete, but don’t worry: all that chopping is worth it. Once you’re done chopping, the cooking is a breeze: you’ll stir fry the veggies for about 6 to 7 minutes, then add the garlic and ginger for 1 minute more. Then remove the heat, add the sauce, and you’re done!

Add broccolini if you can find it!

What’s broccolini? While it looks like baby broccoli, it’s actually not! Broccolini is a cross between broccoli and Chinese broccoli. The cross combines the long stems of Chinese broccoli with the florets of broccoli, and has a milder flavor than broccoli. Fun fact: Did you know broccolini was invented in 1993? And here I was thinking it was an elegant Italian ingredient that had hundreds of years of history. Nope, it’s not even 20 years old.

Broccolini is more of a specialty ingredient, so it’s not carried in all grocery stores. It’s usually by the broccoli, so look for a very small bunch of broccoli with long stems. The bunch will feel small, and that’s ok: you’re using it for a fun texture contrast and its elegant look. What if you can’t find it? Substitute 1 more head standard broccoli into this dish.

Idea 1: Broccoli stir fry as a side dish

This broccoli stir fry we designed to work in two ways: as a side dish, or as a main dish when served with a protein! What meals would it work with as a side dish? Here are a few ideas:

Salmon: It’s perfect with Teriyaki salmon, or even a straight up baked salmon.
Fried Rice: It makes fried rice into more of a filling meal. Try Quinoa Fried Rice or Vegetable Fried Rice.
Noodles: It would be fantastic to add more veg to these Quick Peanut Noodles.
Tofu: Serve with your favorite tofu recipe (see below).

Idea 2: Make it into a main dish

If you wanted a broccoli stir fry that makes a main dish, this recipe works too! Because it doesn’t have any filling protein in it, you’ll need to add a protein. Here are some ideas:

Cashews: Throw 3/4 cup cashews into this stir fry when you add the broccoli. This makes a main dish of about 2 to 3 servings. To make it stretch further, make…
Marinaded Tofu: This easy marinaded tofu would be perfect to serve with the stir fry! We’d place each in a bowl separately served over rice (don’t mix together). You also go more free-form and eat it with Scrambled Tofu.
Sauteed Shrimp: Make this recipe but omit the Old Bay and cumin. Use sesame oil instead of olive oil to saute, and lime to brighten.
Serve with Rice: Serve each of the variations above with rice! We like brown rice because it has more fiber and nutrients. Try our White Rice, Brown Rice (the Fast Way), or Instant Pot Rice.

Broccoli nutrition

Broccoli is one of the healthiest vegetables you can eat! It’s a cruciferous vegetable, part of a veggie family that includes cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and kale. When you eat this broccoli stir fry, you’re loading yourself with good things. Here’s what’s great about broccoli:

It’s a great source of fiber. 1 cup of raw broccoli has 2.3 grams of fiber, or about 5 to 10% of your daily need. (Source)
It’s also high in protein for a green vegetable. 1 cup also has 3 grams protein. (Source) That’s a similar level to asparagus and potatoes.
It’s very high in Vitamin C. 1/2 cup has 70% your daily value of Vitamin C! Wow. (Source)

Other broccoli recipes

Finally: do you love broccoli? Outside of this broccoli stir fry, here are some of our favorite ways to eat it:

Best Steamed Broccoli Steamed broccoli is an easy, healthy side dish that turns out bright green and crisp tender every time. Add red onion and feta if you’d like!
Simple Sauteed Broccoli Make your broccoli taste amazing in just 10 minutes! This easy sauteed broccoli highlights its fresh flavor and comes out perfectly crisp tender.
Broccoli Cheese Wild Rice Casserole Enjoy your broccoli casserole style, with white cheddar cheese and chewy wild rice.

This broccoli stir fry recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.

Broccoli Stir Fry (Side or Main!)

(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

5 from 5 reviews

Author: Sonja Overhiser
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 as a side, 3 to 4 as a main with added protein

Print Recipe

Description

This broccoli stir fry makes this green vegetable taste irresistible! Serve it as a tasty side dish, or add a protein and you’ve got dinner.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds (2 large heads) broccoli
1 head broccolini (or 1 additional head of broccoli)
1 medium red onion
1 orange bell pepper
2 portobello mushroom caps
3 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons ginger, grated (about a 2-inch nub)
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil (regular, not toasted)
Kosher salt
For the garnish: sliced green onion, sesame seeds (optional)
To serve as a main dish: Add 3/4 cup cashews with broccoli*, or make Marinaded Tofu or Sauteed Shrimp (with sesame oil and lime) and serve with rice

Instructions

Chop the broccoli and broccolini into large florets (about 6 cups florets total). Chop the red onion into bite sized squares. Dice the pepper into bite sized squares. Remove the stems from the portobellos (if necessary), slice them into strips, then cut the larger pieces in half. Place all of the vegetables in a large bowl.
Mince the garlic. Peel the ginger and grate it. Place them together in a small bowl.
Stir together the mirin, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and Sriracha in a small bowl.
In a large skillet over high heat, and heat the oil. Add the broccoli, broccolini (if using), red onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms and cook 6 to 7 minutes until just starting to brown on edges, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic and ginger cook for 1 minute more, until broccoli is crisp tender but still bright green. Turn off the heat and add sauce; stir until combined. Taste and add additional pinches salt as necessary. Serve immediately. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onion (optional).

Notes

*Adding cashews would serve about 2 to 3 as a vegetarian main; adding tofu can stretch it to 4.

Category: Side Dish
Method: Stir Fry
Cuisine: Asian

Keywords: Broccoli Stir Fry

A Couple Cooks - Healthy, Whole Food, & Vegetarian Recipes

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Wild Rice Casserole

Here’s a modern spin on wild rice casserole! It’s broccoli cheese flavor, easy to make, and a healthy spin that’s heavy on whole foods.

Here’s a modern spin on wild rice casserole that’s cozy and all about whole foods! Why relegate this healthy whole grain only to wild rice soup? There are plenty more ways to serve it, and this one is truly spectacular. It’s broccoli cheese flavor, flecked with savory bits of broccoli, gooey white cheddar, and a creamy easy-to-make filling. While it’s got a vaguely 1970’s vibe, this one is all whole foods and heavy on the plants. (Nope, there’s no cream of mushroom soup!) Ready to get cooking?

What’s in this wild rice casserole?

This broccoli cheese wild rice casserole is all about comfort food! At the same time, Alex and I have tried to keep a healthy spin: it’s got all whole foods, just enough cheese, and no rich roux sauce. Here’s what we’ve got in this vegetarian and gluten-free casserole:

Perfect Wild Rice: Here we’ve used our favorite method of cooking this grain, simmered with vegetable broth, onion and celery. It comes out perfectly moist and tender!
Broccoli: It’s chopped into small florets and sauteed simply on the stovetop with a few spices. It’s our favorite way to eat it as a side dish: which we stole here for this casserole!
Sour Cream: Who wants to dirty another pan to make a cheese sauce? You’ll stir sour cream right into the rice to make it creamy.
White Cheddar Cheese: A sharp white cheddar cheese is perfect here. You can use aged cheese to get even more flavor.
Parmesan Cheese: Adding shredded Parmesan brings just right right complexity!

Did you know wild rice isn’t really…rice?

Did you know that wild rice is not actually rice? (Mind blown, right?) It’s actually the seed from a native grass that grows in lakes and streams in the Northern US and Canada. But since it looks a lot like rice, wild rice is treated as rice in most cuisines! Wild rice was an important staple to Native Americans in the upper Great Lakes area of the US. I’m from Minnesota originally, so wild rice was part of the heritage and history of where I lived growing up!

Wild rice vs brown rice

Though they’re not truly related, wild rice is often compared to brown rice. They are often served in similar ways, and wild rice is a great substitute for rice (like in a wild rice casserole!). Is wild rice healthier than brown rice? Here’s how they stack up:

Wild rice has less calories than brown rice, about 66% less! 1 cup of cooked wild rice has 166 calories and 1 cup brown rice has 248 calories. (Source)
Wild rice has slightly more protein than brown rice. 1 cup cooked wild rice has 6.5 grams protein vs 5.5 grams in brown rice. (Source)
Both wild and brown rice have the same amount of fiber, about 3 grams per 1 cup cooked.

Make ahead tips!

Wild rice takes about 45 to 55 minutes to cook…which is why Alex and I used to avoid it in our recipes! But we’ve learned it’s absolutely worth the time. To make this wild rice casserole seriously simple to prep, here’s what you can do:

Make the wild rice in advance. Make the rice in advance and refrigerate until serving! The day of serving, mix it with the hot broccoli in a bowl, which should reheat it.
The day of, make the broccoli while the oven preheats. Saute the broccoli while the oven is preheating, then mix it with the wild rice to reheat it.

How to serve wild rice casserole

This wild rice casserole can be served as a side dish or a vegetarian and gluten-free dinner main dish! What could you serve with it to make it into a meal? Here are some ideas:

Lemony Steamed Green Beans These zesty steamed green beans are the epitome of an easy side dish: they take just 10 minutes to put together.
Best Ever Sauteed Mushrooms This wild rice casserole doesn’t have mushrooms, so why not serve them as a side! They’re meaty and would add a nice contrast.
Fennel Orange Salad Here’s a refreshing and easy side dish: fennel orange salad! It pairs juicy orange and the subtle licorice essence of fennel with a citrus vinaigrette.
Want more? Here are our Best Side Dishes.

This recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free.