Stir-Fry with Rice
A pound of meat, a bag of frozen vegetables and some bottled sauce stretch into dinner for four. The vegetables go in straight from the freezer, so there are none to chop, and the brown rice cooks on its own while the skillet does the rest.
Quick facts
55 min(5 prep, 50 cook)
4 servings
- Dairy-free
Contains: Soy, Wheat, Sesame
Get it all out
Tick things off as they hit the counter.
- 1½ cups long-grain brown rice, uncooked
- 3¼ cups water
- 1 tbsp neutral oil, like canola
- 1 lb lean ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken or flank steak
- 12 oz frozen diced mixed vegetables, one bag, not thawed
- ¾ cup reduced-sodium stir-fry sauce, a soy-and-sesame one with no fish sauce or oyster sauce
Let 'em cook
Tap Done as you go. Each step lists what goes in.
- Rice first
- 1
Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, until big bubbles break across the surface, about 5 minutes. Stir in the brown rice, cover, turn the heat to low and set a timer for 20 minutes.
- 3¼ cups water
- 1½ cups long-grain brown rice
Timer: 20 min
- Prep the meat
- 2
While the rice simmers, wash your hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds. If you're using flank steak, set it on a cutting board and cut it across the grain (across the lines running through the meat) into slices about ¼ inch thick, then cut the slices into 1-inch-long pieces. If you're using ground meat, leave it in its package for now.
- 1 lb lean ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken or flank steak
- At the stove
- 3
When the 20-minute timer goes off, leave the rice simmering and set a second timer for 20 minutes. Pour the oil into a large skillet that has a lid, add the meat and spread it out. Don't turn on the heat yet.
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 lb lean ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken or flank steak
- 4
Wash your hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds. Wash the cutting board, the knife and anything else that touched the raw meat with hot, soapy water.
- 5
Turn the heat under the skillet to medium-high. Cook the meat, stirring and breaking ground meat into small crumbles with a spatula, until no pink shows on the outside, 7 to 9 minutes. Tilt the skillet and spoon off the fat into a heatproof bowl.
- 1 lb lean ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken or flank steak
- 6
Add the frozen vegetables and the stir-fry sauce and stir to coat. Bring to a boil, until big bubbles break across the surface, about 3 minutes.
- 12 oz frozen diced mixed vegetables
- ¾ cup reduced-sodium stir-fry sauce
- 7
Turn the heat to low, cover the skillet with its lid and simmer for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
- 1 lb lean ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken or flank steak
- 12 oz frozen diced mixed vegetables
- ¾ cup reduced-sodium stir-fry sauce
Timer: 10 min
- 8
When the second rice timer goes off, check that the water is absorbed and the grains are tender. Take the saucepan off the heat and let it sit, covered, for 5 minutes.
- 1½ cups long-grain brown rice
Timer: 5 min
- 9
Push some of the meat into a mound in the middle of the skillet and push an instant-read thermometer into the center of the mound. The thermometer should read 165°F for turkey or chicken, 160°F for ground beef or 145°F for flank steak. If it reads lower, cover and cook 2 minutes more, then check again.
- 1 lb lean ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken or flank steak
- 10
Fluff the rice with a fork, divide it among 4 plates and spoon the stir-fry and its sauce over the top. Put any leftovers in the fridge within 2 hours.
- 1½ cups long-grain brown rice
- 1 lb lean ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken or flank steak
- 12 oz frozen diced mixed vegetables
- ¾ cup reduced-sodium stir-fry sauce