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!!
Really good!
This was delicious, but as noted by another commenter, this lacked a bit of flavor. So I recommend adding some chopped onions along with the beef while you’re cooking it which I did.
I’m dying to make this but my husband had a dairy allergy. Would EVOO be an OK substitute for the butter? Thanks!
It’s definitely going to change it some because you won’t have the creaminess that comes with the butter, but I think it’s worth a try!
I made it for a vegan friend with vegan butter (margarine?) And hoisin. And it was great
So my husband and I cook almost exclusively from budget bytes. I cooked this tonight but I wasn’t excited about the ground been in the recipe. I picked up some skirt steak and cooked it first with a little bit of corn starch. I also added about 1/4 of an onion when I added the. Broccoli. Very tasty! Thank you!
Same! All my recipes now stem from this website.
I am a Budget Bytes groupie, but this recipe was only a mixed bag in our household. I thought it lacked flavor. On the other hand, every single person at the table ate it and our “picky eater” went back for a second and then a third (giant) serving, so I guess maybe “bland” isn’t always a bad thing. The rest of us loaded it up with extra soy sauce and sriracha. Don’t get me wrong – it was fully edible! It just didn’t have the punch we were looking for. Will I make it again? If I do, I will definitely add sliced mushrooms, sliced onion, more soy sauce, some sriracha, possibly a spoonful of peanut butter, and maybe use a thinner noodle or a rice noodle or ramen.
I doubled your recipe for a family of four with hopes of leftovers. It was very good, fast and while I had leftovers those too were eaten the next day. I used linguine noodles which I will do again, I also only had fresh broccoli crowns which I par-boiled in my pasta water before adding to beef mixture. Next time I will add more broccoli and possibly reduce brown sugar/tweak. Very good and fast! Thank you so much for the delicious recipes, I do love to cook but honestly it feels like a job lately and I need inspiration and your website has been very helpful.
Delicious! So quick and easy. Will make again soon.
I did not have any beef so I used a chicken instead and I had some garlic that was getting old and needed to be used so I added more garlic. Turned out great! That is one thing thatI like about the recipes on this site – more often than not they are flexible enough to allow for substitutions (that you might need due to circumstance or budget).
This will be supper tonight!
I made this exactly as written – the house smelled AMAZING and the final result was FREAKIN AWESOME!!!! Budget Bytes recipes are so well written, easy to follow, and EVERY recipe I’ve tried on this site works out perfectly and tastes (saying it again) AMAZING!! Many of your recipes are on repeat. Thank you for the recipes and all the wonderful photos and inspiration to cook healthfully.
Do you have any suggestions for vegetable substitutions? I love this recipe as is, but my dad hates broccoli. I was thinking mushrooms and carrots, but would that change when I put them in?
Mushrooms would be awesome! You can add those to the pan at the same point that I added the broccoli, but you’ll need to cook them a little longer. You could add the carrots at that point, too, but you’ll want to cut them very small or even shred them so they don’t take forever to cook. Spinach would also be good, and that can be added just before the sauce, since it wilts quickly.
That all sounds delicious! Thank you so much!
Any suggestions on an alternative to oyster sauce,?
Some people use hoisin instead, but hoisin sauce is quite a bit sweeter than oyster sauce, so it will change the flavor profile.
If I use fresh broccoli instead of frozen, should I just add it a bit later? Thanks!
Fresh broccoli actually takes longer to cook, since frozen broccoli is par-cooked before freezing. I suggest steaming it separately to the point that you like, and then tossing it in toward the end. :)
Thanks! I did just that and it came out great!
We loved this recipe. My daughter is a Type 1 diabetic, so we made some shirataki noodles for her beef and broccoli to go over. She wished we had made more because it was so yummy.
Thank you so much for this low-cost version of broccoli beef, which my family loves but doesn’t get very often any more with the rise of beef prices. I doubled the recipe since my ground beef is packaged in one pound increments and added some fresh ginger that I had in the fridge. No other changes and wow, did they eat it up!!