Ingredients
1 1/2 lb. sirloin steak, thinly sliced
1 c. low-sodium beef broth
1/2 c. low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 c. brown sugar
3 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. sriracha
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 green onions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 c. broccoli florets
Sesame seeds, for garnish
Cooked jasmine rice, for serving
Preparation
Make sure your cornstarch dissolves completely. If the cornstarch isn’t fully dissolved before you stir the slurry back into the rest of the broth in the crockpot, it’s not going to magically dissolve when it hits that hot broth. If you have cornstarch clumps floating in your crockpot, any thickening power the cornstarch has will be trapped within those clumps– it’s not going to thicken anything like that!Boil your broth to activate the cornstarch. Once you’ve stirred the (fully dissolved cornstarch) slurry into the sauce, you must bring the broth to a full boil to activate the cornstarch’s thickening power. If you don’t boil the broth, the cornstarch won’t be able to do anything.
Step 1In a large slow-cooker, add steak. Add beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, Sriracha, garlic, and green onions. Step 2Cover and cook on low until beef is tender and cooked through, 3 1/2 to 4 hours.Step 3When the steak is tender, spoon a few tablespoons of the slow-cooker broth into a bowl and whisk with cornstarch. Pour into slow cooker and toss with the beef until combined. Add broccoli and cook, covered, 20 minutes more.Step 4Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions and serve over rice.
Read on for more tips on how to cook this easy dinner. Or, if you prefer a more hands-on approach, try our Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry. What beef is in beef and broccoli? We recommend sirloin for this recipe, but you could sub in flank, hanger, or even chuck steak if you wanted. Whatever you use, the most important thing is to cut your steak thinly against the grain before cooking it. This helps tenderize the steak. If you’re having trouble getting thin slices, try freezing the steak; this will help you get those thin even cuts. What is beef and broccoli sauce made of? While more traditional versions may include oyster and dark soy sauces, here we’re opting for beef broth, regular soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, sesame oil, and sriracha. These ingredients are easy to find (you probably have most of them in your pantry already!) and still come together to create a rich, flavorful sauce that satisfies all your beef and broccoli cravings. How do I thicken my sauce? In this recipe we’re using a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch dissolved in a little broth separate from the crockpot) to thicken the broth and turn it into a rich gravy. It’s a pretty simple process, but there are a couple things you’ll want to keep in mind:
Make sure your cornstarch dissolves completely. If the cornstarch isn’t fully dissolved before you stir the slurry back into the rest of the broth in the crockpot, it’s not going to magically dissolve when it hits that hot broth. If you have cornstarch clumps floating in your crockpot, any thickening power the cornstarch has will be trapped within those clumps– it’s not going to thicken anything like that!Boil your broth to activate the cornstarch. Once you’ve stirred the (fully dissolved cornstarch) slurry into the sauce, you must bring the broth to a full boil to activate the cornstarch’s thickening power. If you don’t boil the broth, the cornstarch won’t be able to do anything.
Can I use flour instead of cornstarch to thicken this beef and broccoli? Sure! You’ll need to use about twice as much flour as you would cornstarch to get the same thickening power (so for this recipe that would be ¼ cup). We’d still recommend dissolving the flour separately in a little of the broth before stirring it into the slow-cooker, so you don’t get lumps. Made it? Let us know how it went in the comment section below!
