Have you ever tried Garlic Noodles? They’re a super rich, buttery, salty-sweet, umami filled dream. I usually serve them as a side dish, but this week I decided to just go ahead and turn them into a full meal. Because it’s so much easier to just cook just one dish for dinner than a main and two sides. Ammiright? So, to make dinner a little easier, I give you Garlic Noodles with Beef and Broccoli!
What is Oyster Sauce?
This recipe revolves around one ingredient—oyster sauce. It’s a thick, rich, salty sauce that packs a huge umami punch. But don’t worry, this sauce doesn’t taste fishy at all. It’s just salty, rich, and good. You can find oyster sauce in the international aisle of most major grocery stores, near the other Southeast Asian ingredients. It’s usually fairy inexpensive, but you’ll be able to get an even better deal if you go to an Asian market. Scroll down to the step by step photos below the recipe to see the kind of oyster sauce I used.
Can I use Hoisin Sauce Instead?
I’ve had several people comment on my original Garlic Noodles recipe stating that they have used hoisin sauce in place of the oyster sauce and enjoyed the results, but I have not tried this swap myself. While the two sauces are similar in color and consistency, they differ quite a bit in flavor. Hoisin sauce is much sweeter and not nearly as rich, so your end results will definitely be different.
Can I Freeze Garlic Noodles with Beef and Broccoli?
I wouldn’t suggest this dish for freezing, as the sauce would probably absorb into the noodles and become dry.
Is This Recipe Spicy?
No. The Garlic Noodles themselves are not spicy at all (I often suggest them as a non-spicy alternative to my Dragon Noodles), but if you top them with red pepper flakes, as I did, you will get some heat. If you prefer a totally non-spicy dish, simply skip the crushed red pepper flakes at the end.
Garlic Noodles with Beef and Broccoli
Servings 4Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp oyster sauce ($0.40)
- 3 Tbsp butter, divided ($0.30)
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.12)
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.12)
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil* ($0.30)
- 1/2 lb. ground beef ($2.65)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 1/2 lb. frozen broccoli florets ($1.30)
- 8 oz. spaghetti ($0.55)
- 4 green onions ($0.40)
- 2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes ($0.05)
Instructions
- Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a bowl (microwave for about 20 seconds) then add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil. Stir to combine, then set the sauce aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, add the spaghetti and continue to boil until the spaghetti is tender (about 7 minutes). Drain the spaghetti in a colander.
- While the spaghetti is cooking, begin the beef and broccoli. Add the remaining tablespoon butter to a large skillet and melt over medium heat. Add the ground beef and continue to cook over medium heat until the beef is cooked through (5-7 minutes). If you're using a higher fat content beef, drain the fat before moving onto the next step (I used 10% fat and there wasn't enough to drain).
- While the beef is cooking, mince the garlic. Add the garlic to the skillet with the browned beef and continue to cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes more, or until the garlic has softened slightly.
- Add the frozen broccoli florets to the skillet with the beef and garlic. Continue to sauté over medium heat just until the broccoli is no longer frozen. The broccoli will continue to cook in the next steps, so it does not need to be completely heated through at this point.
- Finally, add the cooked and drained pasta and the prepared sauce to the skillet with the beef and broccoli. Continue to cook and stir until everything is combined, coated in sauce, and heated through.
- Slice the green onions and sprinkle over top just before serving, along with a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down to see the step by step photos!
How to Make Garlic Noodles with Beef and Broccoli – Step by Step Photos
Begin by preparing the sauce. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a bowl, then add ¼ cup oyster sauce, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 3 Tbsp brown sugar, and 1 Tbsp sesame oil. Stir to combine. Set the sauce aside.
This is the bottle of oyster sauce I used. It’s very inexpensive and can be found at most major grocery stores in the International aisle, although you’ll probably get a better deal (and better product) if you go to an Asian grocery store.
And this is the toasted sesame oil I used (from ALDI). Toasted sesame oil can also often be found in the International foods aisle. Don’t confuse this with untoasted sesame oil, which has a much more mild flavor and a light straw color. Once you start using this super potent nutty oil, you’ll want to add it to everything!
Bring a large pot of water to boil for the spaghetti. Once boiling, add the spaghetti and continue to boil until the pasta is tender (about 7 minutes). Drain the spaghetti in a colander.
While the spaghetti is cooking, you can prepare the rest of the dish. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to a large skillet and heat over medium. Once melted, add ½ lb. ground beef and continue to cook until the beef is cooked through. If you’re using a higher fat content beef, drain the excess fat. Mince 4 cloves garlic, then add them to the browned beef and continue to sauté for 1-2 minutes more.
Add ½ lb. frozen broccoli florets to the skillet and continue to cook over medium just until the broccoli is no longer frozen. The broccoli will continue to cook in the next steps, so no need to cook to the point where it is heated through here. Just cook until it is no longer frozen.
By this point the spaghetti should be finished and drained. Add the drained spaghetti to the skillet along with the prepared sauce. Continue to cook and stir everything over medium heat until everything is combined, coated in sauce, and heated through.
Slice four green onions and sprinkle over top just before serving. If you like a little spiciness, add a pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes on top as well.
Enjoy that big ol’ plate of rich noodles!!
What side dishes do you recommend to go with this dish?
I would probably consider this an all-in-one meal, but if you want to add more try my Crunchy Cabbage Salad with Sesame Dressing. :)
Love this. I used ramen (3 packets, threw away the seasoning) because we had it on hand, chopped up two large grilled chicken breasts, and used a large bulb and greens of spring garlic that came in our produce box in place of the garlic cloves and green onion. As others have said, we don’t care so much for the sweet profile, so I left out the brown sugar. This will definitely be the basis for a lot of good meals, as the protein and veg options are so wide.
Everyone in my family loved this! It’s definitely going to be in our weekly rotation. Fast, cheap, and delicious! Thank you!
This was awesome and a good way to use up oyster sauce. I subbed ground turkey. Perfect salty/sweet balance and the red pepper pulled it all together.
I use fresh broccoli and 1lb of ground beef, which is just the way my ground beef is portioned for the freezer. This is the second time I have made this since the pandemic started and I have to say my family likes this recipe. I don’t know if it would have enough beef if I made it with only the 1/2lb that the recipe calls for, but I do appreciate that most of your recipes call for only 1/2lb of meat since we may be facing a shortage. We have been trying quite a few new recipes so we don’t get bored but this one will go into my regular rotation. Thank you so much.
Made a double-batch and it turned out great! Next time, I’ll upgrade to some flank steak, and add one rough-chopped onion to add more bulk. :) Thanks for posting!
This was really good! I made some modifications to it though (hence the one less star). First, I did 1.5x times all the sauce ingredients except the brown sugar, of which I used scant 3 tablespoons. I like mine saucier that called for which I guessed because I’ve made the regular garlic noodles before, which I love.
I also subbed the beef for 1/2 pound mushrooms to make it pescatarian. I used fresh broccoli and so I just sauteed the garlic, then added the mushroom and raw fresh broccoli florets to the pan at the same time and added some water to the skillet to help steam/soften the broccoli. I covered it partially with a lid that doesn’t really fit just to keep in some of the steam for the broccoli while letting the mushrooms release their moisture.
When I added the noodles, vegetables, and sauce together, I also found it was a bit too sweet and sesame-y as some other comments noted. So, I added probably around 1-2 tsp (I eyeballed it, so I’m not sure, try to taste) of balsamic vinegar and then sauteed some red peppers to try and add some acidity. That balanced it really well. So I’ll either keep doing that in the future or cut some of the sugar and toasted sesame oil. Next time, I also want to add carrots or other vegetables.
Thanks for this and all your other great recipes, Beth + Team Budget Bytes. Really appreciate the time you’ve also taken with Corona-situation considerate posts and stuff. It’s really clear how much effort you put into everything, including the meal plans! It’s really made a big difference in my life/budget and helped me learn how to cook. I know a lot of my friends feel the same. Cheers!
I would use less spaghetti. For 4, it’s says 8 oz. I’d probably cook 6 oz and add lots more fresh broccoli or veggies. I increased from 4-6 garlic cloves and still not enough garlic flavor to call it garlic noodles. I used vegetarian oyster sauce and sweet (Malaysian) soy sauce as swaps.
I used Hoisin sauce instead of oyster sauce. Because the hoisin sauce is sweeter than oyster sauce, I’ll use less brown sugar next time. So delicious!
I used hoisin instead of oyster sauce. Definitely still good, but if you do this, use less hoisin than the 3 tbsp directed for oyster sauce and/or cut down/out the brown sugar!
I made this last night and it was fast and easy. The sauce for this IS SOOOOOO GOOD that I immediately doubled the batch after tasting it. I found this recipe on your post of 15 pantry recipes (thanks for that post too). I’ll be adding this to my repertoire of easy, tasty pantry meals! Your Italian Wonderpot already makes frequent appearances there. :)
So easy, so good. Used chicken instead of beef, angel hair pasta bc it’s all I had, and added mushrooms. Cut the butter some and almost doubled the sauce. Forgot to add sugar so I drizzled a little honey over the whole pan at the end but probably could have left it out. Will make again! Think I’ll add spinach next time. Thanks for another hit
My family loved this! Loved that everything was from the pantry or freezer. Will def make again!
Nice basic recipe but pretty sweet. If I make it again I will cut the amount of sugar.
I love this! I didnt have any housin sauce or oyster sauce so I used soy sauce, maple syrup, and vinegar.
I agree. I am making this for the second time tonight but will be reducing the amount of sugar.
I substituted ground turkey for the beef and used half of the butter. Served with Sriracha sauce. Very tasty!
Can I use fresh broccoli?
Yes you certainly can!