I love using ground (minced meat) because it’s more forgiving to cook and tends to be more affordable.
Beef, Broccolini & Basil
Ingredients
- 2 bunches broccolini or 2 heads broccoli
- 450 g ground (minced) beef
- 1-2 small red chilli peppers (fresh or dried), optional
- 1-2 lemons
- 1 bunch basil leaves picked
Instructions
- Chop broccoli / broccolini into bite sized chunks. Heat a little oil in a large frying pan or wok. Cook broccolini, stirring until no longer super crunchy.
- Remove veg from the pan. Add a little more oil and cook the meat and chopped chilli peppers (if using) on a high heat until well browned.
- Return the broccolini to the pan. Taste and season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon. Serve with basil leaves on top and lemon halves.
Variations
pantry-friendly – frozen broccoli. Lemon = 1T each vinegar and soy sauce. Skip basil or serve with pesto.
vegan / vegetarian – replace meat with cooked lentils or chickpeas – I especially like French-style or ‘puy’ lentils here. And serve with a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to stop it being too dry. A splash of soy sauce will also help give more complexity. Black beans or tempeh would also work.
different veg – replace broccolini with broccoli, zucchini, asparagus, green beans or even cauliflower.
different meat – most ground (minced) meat is good here. Even chicken or pork. And sliced tender cuts such as beef fillet, lamb backstraps or chicken breast can also be used – just be careful with the cooking time.
budget – serve on a bed of cooked lentils to make your meat go further.
different herbs – replace basil with flat leaf parsley or coriander (cilantro).
carb lovers / more substantial – serve with Perfect Fluffy Rice, rice noodles or pasta.
more substantial (low carb) – extra egg. Extra Avo.
more veg – extra broccoli or other stir fry veg (see different veg for ideas).
Waste Avoidance Strategy
broccolini or broccoli, beef, chilli – freezer.
lemons – keep in a plastic bag in the fridge for months.
basil – use for another meal or make pesto or basil oil (just pack leaves into a jar and cover with extra virgin olive oil.
Prep Ahead
Yes. Cook beef and broccolini as per recipe. Don’t add the lemon or basil. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze. To serve warm in a pan with a little oil. Season with lemon juice and toss in basil just before serving.
Add to my Old Favourite Recipes
Made this for dinner last night, Jules – it was absolutely delicious and was ready in no time at all. Enjoyed leftovers for breakfast (why not?)! It’s just amazing how so few ingredients can taste so good! Thank you for simplifying the way I cook, Jules. You are a Godsend!
My pleasure Fiona! And can imagine it was a fantastic breakfast. Yum!
Jules,
for the 1st time, my meal look like the photo in the recipe! Sure, it was left over broccoli and snow peas with some red capsicum strips instead of broccolini. But by the time we had raided the garden and tossed in some basil, parsley and oregano it was close enough.
But what surprised me was just how quick everything came together once the garden expedition was complete.
Thoroughly enjoyed it thank you.
Wonderful Allan – lucky you having all that fresh produce in your garden 🙂
What I like is having just a few ingredients and then the possibilities of adding what one has to hand keeping to the original ideas for balance. I added broccoli, a little finely chopped red pepper and a dash of sweet chilli sauce as no chillies. A little leftover rice and it was a very nice supper. Thank you.
Sounds lovely Jenny!
Quick note: I selected ‘1’ instead of the default ‘2’ for number of people. Came up 225 grams, as it should be for 1/2 pound. But ‘1 pound’ is hardwired to the text. Might be a problem if someone isn’t checking the conversion.
Thanks for letting me know Lytle! Have updated the recipe so it’s not confusing 🙂
As is now usual for me, I used half the amount of mince and added about the same amount of lentils, red this time. Instead of broccolini, I used 1 head of broccoli and 1/4 of a red cabbage that I had left over. I added 2 anchovy fillets for a flavour boost, plus plenty of veg stock powder, lashings of black pepper, and the juice of half a lemon. Instead of basil I used fresh oregano from my garden. Good.
ooh I’m making this tonight and have some red cabbage that needs eating up – Will live dangerously Mark and use 2 vegetables in the one dish 😉 Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Paul wrote –
This one’s going into my favorites. Used jalapenos. I can’t get fresh herbs now so I’m using dried. Do you have a conversion chart? Also, in your video, what size is your covered pan? Is it 3 or 5 quart if you know?
Answer:
No I don’t have a conversion chart for dried herbs – but I’d start with 1 teaspoon and add from there.
The other option is to use pesto instead of basil. Or just skip the herbs.
And I’m afraid I don’t know the quart size of my pan. But I’d recommend using your largest pan because it will have a bigger surface area (so more contact with the heat) so everything will cook quicker and more evenly.
Glad you like it!