Good thing we live in California. My husband loves in-n-out burgers. In fact, any time we’re on the road somewhere and have to grab a quick bite, without fail, he rhetorically asks me, “so what do you want to eat…(polite pause)…in-n-out?” In fact, he just asked me this on our way home from Vegas last week, from our impromptu Thanksgiving trip there.
I thought it was fitting to post this recipe as a tribute to Joe since we actually did not end up grabbing in-n-out this time. This dish tastes like a yummy hamburger in a bowl, mainly because the sauce is made with a little ketchup and mustard! Sounds weird, I know, but I guess you can say it’s kind of like my American take on “beef and broccoli.”
On another note, I’m pretty sure that right now, most bloggers are probably writing about what to do with your leftover turkey. But what about the rest of us who ate at a sushi buffet for Thanksgiving and have no leftovers? Oh okay, maybe that’s just us. But in any case, why not take a break from turkey sandwiches and try out an easy hamburger stir fry instead?
So you start out with a little soy sauce.
Then you squirt in some ketchup…
and dijon mustard. If you don’t have dijon, just use good ol’ yellow mustard.
Sweeten it up with some brown sugar. And add a little sriracha sauce and water.
Give it a stir. You will have a glossy thick sauce.
Brown your ground beef in the pan, and just when the pink starts to disappear, add your diced onions. Saute together until the onions are softened.
Then drizzle in some of your sauce to add the flavor! But save the rest for your broccoli.
Make a well in the center of your pan.
And add your florets of broccoli. Ever since I was a kid, eating broccoli always made me feel like I was a giant who was eating trees.
This is where you pour in the rest of your sauce.
Stir and coat until the broccoli is just crisp tender. Mushy brown broccoli is no good. And then you’re done!
Scoop it over some rice and you have hamburger beef and broccoli in a bowl.
It is easy and delicious! So next time you have that package of ground beef sitting in your fridge, instead of turning it into a burger or meatloaf, think about making a stir fried hamburger in a bowl. It’s a quick one-pan dish that also makes use of the condiments in your fridge. Squirt on some extra hot sauce or pull out your kimchi. In any case, it will be a nice change of pace from your mashed potatoes and stuffing, and you will have yourself a “happy meal.”
Hamburger Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 1 cup onion diced
- For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons sriracha sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
- Salt and pepper if needed
Instructions
- Heat a large pan with a little oil and saute the ground beef until just cooked through. Add the onions. Cook together until the onions are soft.
- In a bowl, mix together the ingredients for the sauce. Add 4 tablespoons of the sauce mixture to the pan and cook for 1 minute more.
- Make a well in the middle of the pan and add the broccoli florets. Drizzle on the remaining sauce over the broccoli and then stir to combine. Cook everything together until the broccoli is vibrant green and crisp tender. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper if needed. Serve over a bowl of rice.
TIP: If you want to take the suggestions of some of my readers, you can double the sauce if you tend to like things on the saucier side.
Really Tasty!!!
Hi Nic.
Oops… missed your comment but thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
Good stuff.
I will double the sauce next time.
Simple and good. Great for a weeknight.
Hi Andy.
Yeah go for it… whatever floats your boat! Thanks for your feedback!
Really good. Will make again. But I may like another reviewer double or do 1 1/2 time the sauce. Thanks.
Hi Regine.
Cool! So glad you tried it and liked it. Yeah, go ahead and double that sauce! 🙂
*Very* quick and easy. Even the picky 4-year-old liked it! Thanks!
Hi Christina.
That’s awesome to hear. Glad it satisfied the picky 4 year old! That’s a compliment in itself! 🙂
SO GOOD! Thanks for this recipe! I had no idea what to do with my ground beef and soon to spoil Costco quantity bag of broccoli. This turned out better than I imagined – I’m definitely NOT the cook in my household! Doubling the sauce was a great idea.
Cool! Thanks Naomi for letting me know you tried it. Woo hoo… good job for cooking even if you’re not the cook of the house! 🙂
SERIOUSLY good! I did double the sauce recipe like so many others, but cut the brown sugar to 3 TBSP. I did use the full 4 TBSP of sriracha; although hubby loved it, was a little spicy for me. Very quick and easy to put together…definitely going in the rotation! Thanks for sharing this!
Hi Beth.
Thanks for the feedback. I like how everyone shares their experience so you can all help each other. Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it’s going into your rotation! 🙂
This is soooo good! My whole family loves it! Definitely a keeper around here?. Thanks so much for this recipe Julie!!!
Hi Ragins.
So glad your family likes this recipe. I’m sorry I missed your comment, but just thought I’d respond and say thanks for letting me know!
Made this for my hubby…OMG…delish!!…it was so good, he asked for it the next week! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Hi Angela.
Sorry I missed your comment. I’m so glad you and your hubby enjoyed this dish! Flattered this recipe made it into your rotation!
Oh…and I subbed teriyaki for the soy: )
Hi Angela…
Great! Whatever works! I love when people use whatever they have on hand and make my recipes their own!
Quick, easy and delicious. Discovered this recipe a while back and have made it several times. Everyone loves it. Thanks for sharing one of my favourite go-to’s!
Hi Amanda.
I’m so glad this is your favorite go-to! That’s awesome…it makes me want to make it again too! Thanks for your comment.
Just tried this as written. My thoughts: MMMMmmm. I thought it would be too sweet with the brown sugar (and I don’t like sweet), but it was just right. Great balance with the soy and sriracha. I’m glad I didn’t leave the brown sugar out. I liked the sauce so much, I will double it next time. And probably add it to other dishes. I love to try new recipes, but they rarely go on regular rotation because either 1) I screw them up, 2) too difficult, 3) not interesting enough to keep me from trying other cool, new recipes on my Pinterest board. I LOVE tasty and easy. I love broccoli (will add more with the double sauce next time.) Thank you for this!
Hi Robin.
Nice! Thanks for leaving your feedback. Yeah it seems unanimous that most people prefer doubling the sauce, so go for it! I don’t generally like savory foods too sweet either so I feel ya. I think the mustard ketchup Sriracha combo really helps balance out the sweetness. Flattered this is going into your recipe rotation!
Great recipe!! the family LOVED it! Just one question. How much does your recipe make? …cups? grams? etc…I forgot to measure before everyone scarfed it down.
Hi Candace…
It’s been a while since I last made this so I’m not sure… back then I didn’t really write serving amounts so sorry! I’m guessing it makes enough for about 3 people judging by the ingredient amounts. And most people are leaving feedback that they like doubling the sauce so I guess that would stretch it more.
Thanks Candace, what a nice change. We were in a culinary rut and this broke us out of it while still keeping the kids happy.
Hi Lorinee.
Glad to hear you’re out of your culinary rut… but who’s Candace? 😉
-Julie
Can u use frozen broccoli
Hi Lex.
Sure… why not? Just cook it for less time so it doesn’t get too mushy on you!
-Julie
Hi Lex. Sure! Just add it in last minute so it doesn’t get over cooked and mushy.
Can you leave out or sub the mustard? We have an allergy.
Hi Christi. Yes you can leave it out, but add something slightly tangy like a squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar!
It was 10:30pm when I decided to make this. I wanted something halfway healthy to take to work with me the next day. I did make some modifications to your recipe based on what I had in my kitchen; I used reduced sugar ketchup, spicy mustard, and Frank’s hot sauce. I also, did not use brown sugar, only because I didn’t have any. I was nervous when I had everything but the brown sugar and still decided to make it anyways and I am glad I did!! I can’t wait for lunch tomorrow!
Hi Christina! Yay… I’m glad that not having all the ingredients didn’t stop you. So nice to know it turned out well. Hope you enjoyed your lunch!
Oh my goodness gracious… Thank you soooo much for giving me the smell of in n out! When I was making this I said to myself, “Wow, this smells an awfully like in n out!” It is delicious and I will make it again, especially when I want to smell in n out again!
Hi Emily… I totally agree with you… it has the smell for sure! I miss in n out too! I used to live in CA. 🙂
love this line: Ever since I was a kid, eating broccoli always made me feel like I was a giant who was eating trees.
Hi Julie,
This may seem like a silly question but are you supposed to drain the meat after browning it and before adding the onions?
I am more of a baker and with baking every step is mentioned which is probably why I prefer it because it’s so exact. So I’m not sure with actual cooking if there are certain procedures that are just supposed to be done even if it’s not mentioned in the recipe. For every other recipe I have prepared that calls for browning meat it tells me to drain the meat before proceeding to the next step, so is that just a given or am I supposed to leave it and continue with the recipe.
Thank you =)
Definitely trying this. Wonder about using carrots (pre cooked slightly) with broccoli and or shredded cabbage.
Thank you for this fast and super easy, yummy recipe. My adult son has severe autism and an autoimmune disease. I am always looking for recipes that he will like (picky autism) meets his dietary restrictions (autoimmune disease) and are nutritious for him I need to always modify for his palate and constitution but this recipe was a great start. My notes below were made for his modifications. We tried the recipe as is, (doubled sauce) needs less sugar (perhaps substitute a honey powder), less hot sauce, more broccoli ( at least doubled) for next time. Used a mild dijon.
Did anyone already calculate the nutrition facts on this?
Thanks! 🙂
Trying this tonight but I don’t hadn’t sriracha. What could I use instead or its slipping it ok?
I’m going to try this tonight without the Sriracha. My kids don’t like spicy. Is there some thing I should use instead?
Didn’t have broccoli, so I used bok choy. Also added garlic scapes, as we got a bunch in our CSA. Yummy! Will make again (with broccoli!).
Great idea! I normally stirfry ground beef w/soysauce & vinegar & add in green beans,onions&garlic. This recipe tastes similar but w/ a kick of mustard flavor!😊 Well the nearest market ran out of broccoli so i substituted it w/Cabbage & added chopped garlic to it! Forgot to add the brown sugar but It was still so delicious!😁💕🍽
Yum… sounds good! Chopped garlic would be fantastic and yes, I can see how it would taste similar to the soysauce/ vinegar recipe you make!
This is now a go to recipe for me!
Our picky family loves this! Easy to veganized too, for those of us that don’t eat meat. Thank you for this recipe!