Juicy steak that’s cut into chunks for more flavor versus the traditional thin slices and stir fry veggies all covered in sauce to make a lightened up 15 minute sesame steak stir fry!!
Life is too busy, right? There are too many things going on to make dinner at all let alone a healthy dinner.
What in the world is going on? Why is my life getting busier the older my kids get?
I mean, I know WHY, but that doesn’t change things, I’m tired!
I think the bags under my eyes are even tired. They seem to be carrying their own baggage. Bahahaha!
This sesame steak stir fry is your answer for a quick and easy dinner! And we’ve even lightened it up so it’s healthier for you too! Plus, we share how to make it freezer friendly so you can have dinner on the table in no time at all. No more excuses, my friends! (I’m giving this pep talk mostly for myself!)
It seems like the last sesame steak I had it was fried up in a pan covered in cornstarch and piled on top of lots of rice or noodles. I thought, ya know, what I need is a lightened up sesame recipe so why not skip the carbs and add veggies?!
This dish is super versatile, you can still add rice or noodles if you want, switch out any veggies for ones you love more or even change it to chicken!
It really doesn’t matter as long as you get dinner on the table and lately I’m feeling like that’s a pretty major win in my house.
How to Make Sesame Steak Stir Fry?
We are keeping the prep time for this under 15 minutes so there are just a few easy steps to get this dish on the table.
- Heat the cast iron skillet over medium high heat with the oil.
- When the oil is shimmering, add the steak and stir it around to get a nice sear on all the pieces. Then remove all the steak to a plate.
- Add a little more oil and toss in the garlic. Allow it to cook for about 20 seconds and then add all the vegetables. Stir the vegetables occasionally.
- While the vegetables cook, whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce.
- When the veggies are mostly cooked, add the steak back in and the sauce. Allow it to simmer for about 5 minutes for the sauce to reduce and thicken.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds, serve and eat!
What Kind of Steak Should I Use?
We prefer to use a good ribeye steak for this recipe. It has so much flavor and is so tender. Since you cut it up into small bite size pieces, you only need to buy one or two steaks depending on their size.
If you prefer thin slices of steak, go with a skirt steak or a flank steak.
What Other Proteins Can I Use in Stir Fry?
This recipe is so versatile, any protein will work great in it! You could use chicken, ground beef, ground pork, ham, tofu, pork tenderloin, or ground turkey. Go with what you have on hand or what your family enjoys! You could even skip the protein altogether and just go with all veggies.
What is Stir Frying?
Stir frying is a Chinese cooking technique in which ingredients are fried quickly with a little bit of oil over high heat and stirred frequently. It is usually done in a cast iron skillet or a wok. For this recipe, we like to use our favorite cast iron skillet because it gives a nice sear on the steak.
What Types of Vegetables Go in Stir Fry?
Since we are keeping this recipe quick and simple, we went with a prepackaged bag of stir fry vegetables. This pack included:
- carrots
- broccoli
- snow peas
- sliced brussels sprouts
- kale
You could find any prepackaged vegetable blend that you like or slice up your own vegetables. Other add-in ideas could include:
- bells peppers
- green beans
- baby bok choy
- water chestnuts
- onions
- mushrooms
- scallions
- zucchini or yellow squash
- cauliflower
- baby corn
- asparagus
- spinach
How Can I Freeze Stir Fry?
This recipe uses stir fry veggies that you can keep in the freezer, steak that’s already chopped up at the store and frozen and heck, you can even make the sauce and freeze it in freezer bags!!
We tend to skip freezing everything together because I want the meat to get a nice sear for extra flavor and then dump in the sauce.
When you’re ready to make this for dinner, just pull the steak out and let it thaw overnight in the fridge.
How Long Will Stir Fry Keep?
If stored properly in an airtight container, stir fry will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days. To reheat, I like to add a little oil and stock to our cast iron skillet and warm it up on the stove top. Microwaving tends to dry it out too much for my liking.
We seriously do stir fry once a week in our house just because it comes together so quickly. Whether it’s our chicken stir fry, beef stir fry, Thai basil beef stir fry or this sesame steak stir fry, we have you covered for a quick and easy weeknight meal!
More QUICK AND EASY DINNER IDEAS:
- Healthy Turkey Instant Pot Chili
- Grilled Corn and Roasted Tomato Pesto Pasta
- Crockpot Chicken and Rice
- Garlic Butter Chicken
- 20 Minute Cheesy Pesto Pasta
- Easy Pork Chops and Rice
- Easy Garlic Butter Salmon
- Creamy Herb Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Easy Philly Cheesesteak Bread
- Quick and Easy Ham Lemon Orzo with Parmesan and Peas
- Cornflake Ranch Chicken
- Quick and Easy Shortcut Chicken Parmesan
- Easy Beef Ragu and Pasta
- Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff
- Easy Coconut Curry Chicken
Lightened Up 15 Minute Sesame Steak Stir Fry
Description
Ingredients
- 1 Teaspoon Oil
- 2 Pounds Steak, ribeye is best, chopped
- 4 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 Bag vegetables, stir fry
- 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Ginger, freshly grated or 1/2 teaspoon ground
- 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- 2 Teaspoons Sriracha, optional
- Sesame Seeds, for serving
Instructions
- In a cast iron pan over medium high heat, add the oil and once shimmering add the steak.
- Cook, moving the steak around until seared, and then remove to a plate.
- Add a drizzle more oil and add the garlic and cook for 20 seconds and then add all the vegetables.
- In a bowl, whisk together the sauce while the veggies are cooking.
- Add the steak back in to the pan along with the sauce and stir to coat. Allow to simmer at medium heat for 5 minutes or until the sauce has reduced a little and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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Lisa S.
This was so delicious and so easy! Definitely a repeat recipe.
Sweet Basil
Thank you so much!! I’m so glad you liked it!