Description
Slow cooker beef and broccoli delivers hearty Asian-inspired comfort straight to dinner tables. Tender beef melts alongside crisp broccoli, creating a simple yet satisfying meal you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1.5 pounds (680 grams) beef chuck roast, boneless, sliced into thin strips
- 3 cups (about 425 grams) frozen broccoli florets
- 14 ounces (400 grams) white or brown rice, cooked
Sauce and Seasonings:
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) beef consommé or beef broth
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) low sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup (75 grams) dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) sesame oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
Thickener:
- 1/4 cup (30 grams) cornstarch
Instructions
- Prepare a savory marinade by blending beef consume, soy sauce, dark brown sugar, sesame oil, and minced garlic in a mixing bowl until well combined.
- Arrange beef strips in the slow cooker, ensuring an even layer, and drizzle the prepared marinade over the meat, gently tossing to coat each strip thoroughly.
- Set the slow cooker to low heat and allow the beef to simmer gently for 5-6 hours, monitoring to prevent overcooking and potential shredding.
- Approximately one hour before completion, extract 1/4 cup of cooking liquid and whisk with cornstarch in a separate bowl to create a thickening slurry.
- Gradually incorporate the cornstarch mixture into the slow cooker, stirring carefully to distribute and enhance the sauce’s consistency.
- During the final 30 minutes of cooking, introduce fresh broccoli florets, ensuring they are nestled among the beef strips to absorb flavors without becoming mushy.
- Once cooking is complete, test the beef for tenderness and the broccoli for a crisp-tender texture.
- Plate the beef and broccoli over fluffy white rice, allowing the rich sauce to cascade over the dish for maximum flavor absorption.
Notes
- Perfectly tender beef depends on choosing the right cut like chuck roast or flank steak with good marbling.
- Cornstarch slurry works magic for thickening sauce and creating glossy restaurant-style consistency without lumps.
- Broccoli timing is crucial – adding too early makes it mushy, so last 30 minutes ensures crisp-tender texture and vibrant green color.
- Low and slow cooking prevents beef from becoming tough, maintaining succulent and melt-in-your-mouth quality throughout preparation.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 392
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 830 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 26 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg