Beef Stir Fry Recipe with Noodles

Stir Fry Sauce Ingredients

• Water – Instead of broth or stock, here we use water + chicken base (Better Than Bouillon is my go-to). If you prefer, feel free to omit the water and chicken base and use broth or stock instead. Any kind of broth or stock is fine, chicken, beef, or vegetable.
• Low-sodium soy sauce – This adds salty, umami flavor. You can also use regular soy sauce (instead of low sodium) if that’s what you have on hand, or use gluten free tamari sauce, coconut aminos, or liquid aminos.
• Light brown sugar – Brown sugar adds sweetness with a touch of rich molasses flavor. You can also use coconut sugar or honey.
• Rice wine vinegar – Also just called rice vinegar, this adds a bit of tanginess to help create a balanced flavor profile.
• Garlic and ginger – These are classic ingredients in many stir fry sauce recipes. For the most intense flavor and aroma, use fresh garlic and ginger here.
• Mirin – Mirin is a Japanese cooking wine made of rice. It has a golden color, low alcohol content, and sweet, tangy, umami flavor. If you don’t have this on hand, you can omit it.
• Toasted sesame oil – Another key ingredient in this sauce, toasted sesame oil adds rich, nutty complexity. A little goes a long way!
• Cornstarch – After heating, cornstarch thickens this sauce and gives it a glossy sheen.
• Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base – Instead of using broth or stock, I like to use water + chicken base because I always have this on hand. It adds rich savory flavor that gives great depth to this sauce. Instead of chicken, you can use any flavor of Better Than Bouillon or any kind of soup base you like (or omit the soup base and use broth or stock instead of water).
• Crushed red pepper flakes – This adds a little kick to the sauce. Feel free to adjust the amount, or omit it if you prefer.
• White pepper – White pepper is optional. It adds earthy depth that complements ginger’s pungency and brings out soy sauce’s umami flavor.

Beef Vegetable Stir Fry

• Soba noodles – I used soba noodles here, but you can use any kind of noodles you like. Soba noodles are a type of thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour that’s sometimes mixed with whole wheat flour. Buckwheat is gluten free (as well as a decent source of fiber and protein), so if you’re looking for a healthy gluten free noodle option, go for 100% buckwheat soba noodles.
• Oil – When you’re making stir fry, it’s important to use oil with a high smoke point so it doesn’t scorch. Some of the best healthy oil options are avocado oil or light olive oil (don’t use virgin olive oil here because if its lower smoke point), but vegetable oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, or canola oil also work well because of their high smoke points.
• Beef – One of the nice things about stir fry is that it’s a budget friendly meal; you don’t need an expensive cut of beef for it to taste great! Affordable beef cuts like flank steak, skirt steak, and sirloin are all good options for stir fry. Just make sure to thinly slice the meat across the grain and don’t over-cook it.
• Onion – Adds savory flavor and aroma.
• Carrot – Bumps up the nutrition and lends a subtle sweet, earthy flavor and pretty pops of orange color.
• Broccoli – I used frozen broccoli florets in this recipe because that’s what I had. I like to keep frozen broccoli stashed in my freezer because it’s versatile and great for a go-to veggie when I haven’t grocery shopped in a while. And stir fry is a forgiving dish so it works well here! To use frozen broccoli florets, thaw, drain, and microwave them for 2 minutes before adding to the stir fry along with the cooked noodles. To use fresh broccoli, cut it into florets and add it along with the onion and carrot.
• Scallion – Adds a punch of fresh savory flavor and a pop of bright green color.

Optional Garnish Ideas

• Sesame seeds
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Sliced scallion