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    Home ยป Low Calorie Meal Prep

    Chinese Beef with Garlic Sauce and Broccoli

    LAST UPDATED: November 11, 2023 | PUBLISHED: November 10, 2021 | BY: Kim | 2 Comments

    4.34 from 9 votes
    Jump to Recipe

    This Beef with Garlic Sauce is rich and flavourful, with thin strips of tender juicy steak smothered in a sticky garlic sauce with sesame seeds and green onion. On the table in under 15 minutes.

    Perfect for busy weeknights, serve it with rice or noodles and some stir-fried veggies. Forget takeout, this simple stir fry uses easy-to-find ingredients for that authentic flavor.

    Beef in Garlic Sauce with chopsticks

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    This dish is simple to make in under 15 minutes and is perfect for meal prepping and busy week night dinners.

    Recipe Highlights

    • The sauce is thick, sticky and perfectly coats the meat
    • One of the easiest low calorie meal prepping dishes youโ€™ll ever make
    • Simple ingredients using pantry staples and no added sugar
    • Perfect for garlic lovers
    • Easy to add more or less garlic flavour to suit your preferences
    • Easy to add in different flavourings such as ginger and chilli for an extra kick
    • If using a non stick wok, no oil is needed!

    Ingredients

    Basic ingredients for beef with garlic sauce
    Sauce ingredient for beef in garlic sauce

    Making dinners under 500 calories is my specialty, with many of my most popular being low calorie chicken recipes, low calorie meal prepping recipes and low calorie slow cooker recipes.

    Ingredient Notes

    Beef:  the beef will cook very quickly so buying good quality beef is important.  . Rump steak, flank steak, sirloin steak, flat iron steak and even scotch fillet are all good options.

    Garlic: Since garlic is one of the main ingredients, use good quality garlic. Fresh garlic is best, but minced garlic from a jar also works. You'll also need garlic powder for lots of garlic flavor.

    Fresh Ginger: this adds a slight heat and zing to the garlic sauce. Ginger paste or bottled ginger can be used in place of fresh ginger.

    Oyster Sauce: Adding oyster sauce to beef in garlic sauce isn't just about flavor; it brings a rich, savory kick and a glossy texture that takes the dish to a whole new level!

    Tip for slicing beef:  When slicing the beef, cut against the grain, slicing into thin (ยผ inch) slices, so that the mean the meat fibers are all going in the one direction.  This makes for more tender meat.

    Shaoxing Wine / Chinese Cooking Wine:  if you canโ€™t find this in the Asian section of your supermarket, you can use cheap dry sherry or even apple cider vinegar instead.

    How To Make

    1. Prepare Beef: Add beef, vegetable oil, and1 teaspoon each of fresh ginger and garlic to a bowl and mix to combine
    beef strips in a bowl with garlic
    1. Make Sauce: Add all the sauce ingredients to a jug and whisk vigorously to combine, making sure there are no white lumps from the corn starch which acts as a thickener.  Set Aside.
    whisking garlic sauce in a jug
    1. Cook Beef: Heat oil in skillet over high heat.  Add beef to large skillet and cook until just browned and liquid is reduced. 
    cooking beef strips in a pan
    1. Add Sauce to Beef: Give the sauce another whisk and pour over the beef, stirring through for 1 minute.  Note:  the sauce will thicken very quickly on the heat.  If it becomes too thick, add a tablespoon or water at a time to reach desired consistency.
    2. Once sauce is at desired consistency, remove from heat immediately and serve.
    garlic beef in a pan with sauce

    Serving Ideas

    • Microwaveable minute rice for a quick option
    • Pre-cooked noodles with baby spinach or spicy noodles
    • Low-carb alternatives: zucchini noodles, fried cauliflower rice
    • Mix of small chopped green vegetables for a high-fiber, low-carb option
    • Cabbage noodles for a unique low-carb twist
    beef in garlic sauce with rice and broccoli in a bowl

    Variations

    • Option 1:  swap beef strips for ground beef and serve in lettuce cups
    • Option 2:ย  swap beef strips for chicken breast strips, or check out my Chinese Garlic Chicken or this Thai Garlic Chicken
    • Option 3:  Swap beef strips for field mushroom strips
    beef in garlic sauce in a bowl with chopsticks

    Recipe Tips

    • Slicing the Meat:  Use a sharp knife, and aim for a thickness of around 2mm for succulent tender beef strips that soak up all the garlic sauce.  Make sure to slice the beef against the grain for best results. It helps if the meat has been chilled in the freezer for 10 minutes or so as it makes it easier to slice thinly.
    • Adding Spice:  Add fresh diced red chili sprinkled on top to serve, or a little dried red pepper flakes or black pepper. 

    Storage

    Store leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge for 3 days, without the rice or noodles as they will soak up all the sauce. Its best to add the rice or noodles at serving.

    This Chinese Garlic Beef takes barely any effort to make and is super quick to make.   

    This is easily one of my go to meal prepping dishes, not to mention those garlic beef strips make an excellent filling stuffed in a wrap with a handful of Asian slaw.

    More Quick Dinner Ideas

    • a bowl of chinese garlic chicken with rice
      Chicken with Garlic Sauce Chinese
    • a bolw of beef satay curry with cauliflower rice
      Beef Satay Curry
    • teriyaki salmon bowl with greens and rice
      Teriyaki Salmon Bowls
    • Szechuan Style Beef in a bowl with chopsticks
      Szechuan Style Beef
    Beef in Garlic Sauce with chopsticks

    Chinese Beef with Garlic Sauce and Broccoli

    Kim MorrisKimKim
    This Beef with Garlic Sauce is rich and flavorful, with thin strips of beef smothered in a punchy sticky garlic sauce. Simple to make in under 15 minutes and is perfect for meal prepping and busy weeknight dinners
    4.34 from 9 votes
    Print Save Saved!
    Course Dinner
    Servings 2 people
    Calories 413 kcal
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 5 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 minutes mins

    Ingredients
     

    Stir Fry

    • 500 grams/1 pound Quality steak - sliced thinly (see notes below)
    • 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil (or olive oil)
    • 1 teaspoon Garlic, crushed
    • 1 teaspoon Fresh ginger, minced

    For the Sauce

    • ยผ cup Beef Stock/Beef Broth
    • 1 tablespoons Garlic, crushed
    • 1 teaspoon Ginger, minded
    • 1 teaspoon Chill paste
    • 2 tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce
    • 1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
    • 2 tablespoons Shaoxing Wine / Chinese Cooking Wine
    • 1 tablespoon Brown granulated sweetener
    • 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
    • 1 tablespoons Cornflour/cornstarch
    • 2 tablespoons water
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Add beef, vegetable oil, and1 teaspoon each of ginger and garlic to a bowl and mix to combine
    • Add all the sauce ingredients to a jug and whisk vigorously to combine, making sure there are no white lumps from the cornflour/cornstarch which acts as a thickener. Set Aside.
    • Heat oil in skillet over high heat. Add beef to pan and cook until just browned and liquid is reduced.
    • Give the sauce another whisk and pour over the beef, stirring through for 1 minute. Note: the sauce will thicken very quickly on the heat. If it becomes too thick, add a tablespoon or water at a time to reach desired consistency.
    • Once sauce is at desired consistency, remove immediately from heat and serve with steamed rice and broccoli (or other greens).

    Notes

    1. Beef:ย  the beef will cook very quickly so buying good quality beef is important.ย  Rump, flank, sirloin, t-bone and scotch fillet are all good options.
    2. Tip for slicing beef:ย  When slicing the beef, cut against the grain, slicing into ยผ inch/1/2 cm thick slices.ย  This means that when you look at the mean the meat fibres are all going in the one direction.ย  This isnโ€™t a deal breaker, just a tip to make the beef a little tenderer on cooking.
    3. Shaoxing Wine / Chinese Cooking Wine:ย  if you canโ€™t find this in the Asian section of your supermarket, you can use cheap dry sherry or even apple cider vinegar instead.
    4. Adding Spice: Add fresh diced red chilli sprinkled on top to serve, or a little dried red chilli flakes.ย  If everyone eating the dish likes a little heat, you could stir some fresh chilli through at the last minute of cooking.ย  Or add a little chilli paste to the sauce
    5. Adding Ginger: A teaspoon of freshly grated ginger will add a little heat, and zest to this dish.ย  Forย  milder ginger flavour, you could use the bottled ginger which is a little less intense.
    6. Meat Swaps:
      1. You could try making this dis using ground beef which is perfect if you want to skip the meat slicing, or canโ€™t be bother with it
      2. Instead of thinly sliced beef, try is with thinly sliced chicken breast for an equally delicious result
      3. If youโ€™re feeling a little more adventurous, try it with meatballs, either store bought, or home made (like these turkey meatballs for instance)
      4. Omit the meat completely, and instead use field mushrooms cut into strips

    Nutrition

    Calories: 413kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 51gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 5gFiber: 4gSugar: 5g

    Note: Sugars contained in this recipe are from naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables or other natural sweeteners. Calories have been calculated for your convenience using My Fitness Pal and are based on the ingredients listed in the recipe card.

    Wanna learn my secrets to maintaining a Sugar Free Lifestyle for the past 10 years?Get my FREE 5 Day email series where I'll show you how to master sensible snacking, how to create sugar free dessert truffles and how to make the perfect low calorie no sugar banana bread, plus more!

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    Comments

      4.34 from 9 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Kathryn B says

      March 26, 2025 at 5:36 pm

      5 stars
      This has a fantastic flavour (minus the chilli for my family). It was so quick I had dinner ready before 6pm! Definitely a good meal for a busy day.

      Reply
    2. Andreya says

      October 26, 2017 at 2:50 pm

      5 stars
      wow!!! it looks so spicy and delicious. I loved it. Thanks for sharing the recipe ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply

    Hey I'm Kim

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