Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli Recipe

This Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli recipe has become one of our favorite weeknight meals. Tender strips of beef cooked in a delicious sauce and served with perfectly cooked broccoli.

Although it is most often served with cooked white rice, it pairs perfectly with a variety of other side dishes. For instance, you can serve it with brown rice, quinoa, pasta or make it your go to comfort food meal and serve it with mashed potatoes.

However, if you are looking to keep things healthier in order to keep your new year’s diet on track, serve it with cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, a garden salad or simply eat it as a stand alone meal.

Not only are you going to love the taste of this delicious dish, you will also appreciate how easy it is to prepare. Although it takes under 30 minutes to make Stove Top Beef and Broccoli there are times when using a slow cooker is the better cooking option.

Simply place the strips of beef and sauce in the crock pot. Then go about your day and 20 minutes before dinner, add the broccoli so that it can become just tender. No need to stand over a hot skillet to make dinner.

But the biggest question I get when I share any type of Beef and Broccoli recipe is what type of beef should be used. My answer, you have a few great choices.

What Type of Beef To Make Crock Pot Beef And Broccoli

Traditionally, beef and broccoli, whether it is cooked in a wok, skillet or in a crock pot is made with slices of flank steak. It is a very flavorful cut of meat that is also very lean.

However, when flank steak is cut into thin slices, this tough section of beef can become nice and tender. Just be sure to cut it against the grain.

Another option would be a flat iron steak. It is a tender cut of beef with lots of fat marbling throughout. Although, because it doesn’t need a long cooking process for the meat to break down and become tender, it is best to save your flat iron steak when you need to cook dinner on the stove.

However, when making this recipe over and over again with various cuts of meat, I have found that the perfect steak to use is Top Round Steak. Top round is very lean and tough, and thus it’s one of the less expensive cuts of beef. 

Although, when cooked low and slow, it makes the perfect meat to use in this Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli recipe. When sliced thin and cooked in a slow cooker for hours, the meat becomes nice and tender and takes on the flavors of the sauce.

In addition, it is a great option if you are on a tight budget because it is one of the cheapest cuts of steak. It is most often used to make roast beef slices for sandwiches, but is also fantastic to use as the star attraction in this recipe!

Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli Recipe

*Specific measurements and complete recipe instructions are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to continue to read the tips and tricks to making this recipe below.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1⁄2 lbs. top round steak, thinly sliced across the grain
• 1 cup beef broth, low sodium
• 1⁄2 cup soy sauce, low sodium
• 1⁄2 cup light brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp. Sriracha sauce*
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 cups broccoli florets

*If you aren’t a fan of spicy food, no worries! This Beef and Broccoli recipe is not spicy at all. The Sriracha sauce is included to balance out the sweetness in the recipe only. It does not add any noticeable heat. However, if you are hesitant you can simply leave the Sriracha sauce out of the ingredient list.

INSTRUCTIONS

The first step is to slice your top round steak (or whatever steak you are using) into thin slices. Using a sharp knife, slice against the grain of the steak as you cut the steak into 1⁄4 inch thin strips.

Then put the steak slices into a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker. Next, add the beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, Sriracha sauce, garlic and sliced green onions in with the beef.

Stir the mixture. Set the slow cooker on low heat for 4 hours. If you have a programmable Crock Pot, set the timer and when the cook time is up, the slow cooker will automatically turn to the keep warm setting.

Then 20 minutes before you are ready to eat, remove 1⁄4 cup of the hot liquid and place it into a bowl. Add the cornstarch and whisk until incorporated to make a slurry.

Pour the slurry into the slow cooker and stir until the liquid is uniform in color. This is what will help the sauce thicken as it continues to cook.

Now add the broccoli florets and stir well so that they are coated in the hot liquid. Then continue to let the beef and broccoli cook on the crock pot on the Low setting for 20-30 minutes. You want the broccoli tender, but not mushy.

*If you like broccoli that is mushy (no judging here) you can add the broccoli at the same time that you add the beef and sauce.

Serving Suggestions

Most often Beef and Broccoli is served over a bed of cooked white rice. However there are many ways that you can serve it to make it exactly how you want.

For instance serve it with cooked Jasmine, Basmati, or brown rice. Or you can serve it with cooked quinoa or a brown rice/quinoa mix.

Want to make this your go-to comfort food meal? Serve the Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli with pasta or mashed potatoes.

However, for a lower carb, healthier option, you have other options. Serve it over a bed of cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles or as a stand alone main dish. The choice is up to you!

Enjoy! Mary

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