Quick and Easy Stir-Fry

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Over the years, I’ve had a number of friends approach me who are just getting into cooking, and are looking for a good recipe to begin with. My recommendation to them (and anyone else looking for a quick meal) is always . . . stir-fry!!!

Without a doubt, stir-frys are one of my favorite go-to meals. They’re quick, fresh, well-balanced, healthy, affordable, easy, and (perhaps my favorite!) they are the perfect way to use up ingredient leftovers!!! Just round up whatever veggies are in the house, and add in some protein or noodles if you’d like (or you can go vegetarian or carb-free!), and within minutes you can have a delicious, flavorful dinner ready to go. It’s really hard to go wrong.

I’ve included all sorts of ideas below for various veggies, proteins (meat/seafood/tofu/etc.), and carbs (pasta/rice/etc.) you can use. And then also typed in a yummy Asian sauce recipe (although you can use just about whatever sauce/seasonings sound good). In the dish pictured above, I used up some leftover broccoli slaw that I had on hand (a fantastic kitchen staple I’d recommend!), and then also threw in some sliced yellow onion and shrimp. Super-quick and delish!!!

So grab your skillet and get to stir-frying! You’ll be glad you did! :)

Quick and Easy Stir-Fry

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 2-3 servings 1x

Description

You’ll love this fresh and delicious, quick and easy stir-fry recipe that is ready to go in about 20 minutes!

Scale

Ingredients

For Stir Fry:

2–3 cups veggies of your choice. (Pictured above is broccoli slaw and yellow onions. I often also use broccoli, scallions, carrots, onions, peppers, spinach, squash, tomatoes, zucchini and/or various other veggies. Just about anything works.)
1/2 lb. of pasta or 1 1/2 cups rice (whatever is enough to make 3–4 cups of finished pasta/rice)
1 1/2 cups protein (beef, chicken, pork, shrimp, seafood, tofu, etc.)
2 tbsp. olive oil

For Sauce:

2–3 Tbsp. soy sauce (to taste)
1 Tbsp. brown sugar (more if you want a sweeter stir fry)
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. sriracha (optional – add more/less to taste)
freshly ground black pepper, toasted sesame seeds, and/or chili flakes (optional)

Instructions

Prepare noodles or rice according to directions.
In a small saucepan, add in each of the sauce ingredients and whisk together. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the brown sugar is dissolved. Do not burn.
Meanwhile, stir-fry your protein (meat, tofu, etc.) in a large skillet or wok with olive oil over medium-high heat until cooked. Remove protein from skillet and set aside.
Add veggies to skillet, and stir to coat in the remaining oil. (Add 1/2 Tbsp. oil if need be.) Stir-fry the veggies in the skillet over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes. Then add in the (drained) noodles or rice, along with the cooked protein. Pour sauce evenly over stir fry and stir to coat. Cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Add sesame oil and sriracha (optional). Then garnish with sesame seeds and freshly ground black pepper, and serve!

Notes

Recipe adapted from Kohler Unlimited.

Ali’s Tip:

Feel free to also toss in a bag of frozen veggies to make your stir-fry! Grocery stores now sell a zillion delicious varieties. So just pop the frozen veggies in the microwave to thaw out a bit (or thaw them in the fridge), drain, and then add to the skillet. Now that’s quick and easy! :)

posted on June 23, 2010 in Entrees / Main Dishes, Pastas

8 Comments »

8 comments on “Quick and Easy Stir-Fry”

Brooke — June 25, 2010 @ 11:19 am Reply

Yum, yum, yum! I made this for my lunch today with the same ingredients as you…shrimp, broccoli slaw and onions. It was delicious. I really liked the sauce, much better than greasy take-out! Thanks.
Tracie — June 29, 2010 @ 6:23 pm Reply

Made this for dinner tonight – so good! I used your ingredients and added some bell pepper. This recipe is a keeper!
Audrey — October 18, 2010 @ 8:56 pm Reply

Love your blog! As a poor college student, I make stir fry all the time! I love this sauce recipe though; can’t wait to try it!
Audrey — October 20, 2010 @ 4:22 pm Reply

I just made this…didn’t have any rice vinegar, but it came out delicious! Great recipe I will definitely use again and again!
Sadye — May 11, 2014 @ 3:27 pm Reply

This was just what I needed to find when I had a handful of different leftover veggies! I added about 1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and didn’t feel it was very spicy (maybe just a bit warm) for anyone who is curious.
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David — August 16, 2017 @ 4:32 pm Reply

This was delicious. Thanks!

★★★★★
Katie — February 25, 2019 @ 7:45 am Reply

I’ve made this twice now with sliced mushrooms, zucchini, bok choy, and tofu. First with rice noodles then with leftover rice from the day before. Its soo easy that I’m starting to really love stir frys! They’re a great way for getting your veggies and for using fridge leftovers. Delicious!

★★★★★

Quick and Easy Stir-Fry