Sesame Garlic Beef and Broccoli Noodles

This Sesame Garlic Beef and Broccoli Noodles dish is packed with bold flavor and ready in just 30 minutes. Tender steak, crisp veggies, and chewy rice noodles get tossed in a savory-sweet sauce that’s better than takeout.

If you’re craving a quick, flavorful meal that tastes like your favorite takeout but comes together in just 30 minutes, these Sesame Garlic Beef and Broccoli Noodles are it. Thinly sliced flank steak is seared until golden, then tossed with tender-crisp broccoli, sweet red peppers, and scallions in a rich, garlicky sesame-soy sauce with just a touch of honey for balance. Rice noodles soak up all that saucy goodness, making every bite irresistibly savory with a hint of sweetness and a kick of fresh ginger.

Not only does this dish deliver on flavor and texture—from juicy steak to chewy noodles and crunchy veggies—but it also wins on convenience. The prep is minimal, the cooking is quick, and cleanup is a breeze. It’s a great way to get veggies and protein into a kid-approved meal, and it’s naturally dairy-free too. Perfect for busy weeknights when you want something satisfying without the fuss.

Simple Ingredients and Substitutes

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Sauce Ingredients

• Fresh Garlic cloves, minced – Fresh is best in this simple recipe, but you can buy the pre-minced garlic sold in a small jar or use dried garlic flakes or garlic powder.
• Fresh Ginger minced – I love to buy the fresh root and then mince it in bulk in the food processor, so that I can freeze and always have it on. If you do not have fresh ginger, you can substitute ginger powder.
• Soy Sauce – I used regular Soy Sauce, but you can also use light soy sauce, low sodium, or Gluten Free. If you don’t have Soy sauce, you can add Worcestershire sauce or beef, chicken, vegetable, stock or broth.
• Honey – Honey brings natural sweetness. You can substitute the same quantity of white granulated sugar or even brown sugar. There are other sweeteners, such as pineapple juice or orange juice that will work too.
• Sesame Oil – Sesame Oil is really for flavor and a little goes a long way. If you don’t have it, just eliminate it altogether. Or you can substitute with another deep umami ingredient, such as oyster sauce.
• Cornstarch – Cornstarch is mixed with cold water to create a cornstarch slurry to help thicken the sauce. You can leave it out for a thin sauce.

Other Ingredients

• Flank Steak – Flank steak is really the best steak for this recipe, as it’s thin and so easy to slice into perfect pieces for tacos. However, if you cannot get flank steak, you could also use skirt steak or even ground beef. You can also use Chicken or Ground Chicken. If you go with ground beef or ground chicken, you can skip the marinade step and simply cook the beef, then add the sauce to reduce it is and have the beef absorb it.
• Soy Sauce – This is a simple marinade.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – This is for searing the flank steak to prevent it from sticking to the pan or wok.
• Veggies – I used Broccoli Florets, Red Bell Pepper, and Scallions. You could also use cauliflower florets, carrot sticks, green bell pepper, onion, zucchini, celery, bok choy, or any other veggies you like.
• Rice Noodles – You can substitute with regular spaghetti in a pinch. You can also swap in white rice.
• Toasted Sesame Seeds – Black or White sesame seeds are both fine.

See recipe card for quantities.

Simple Equipment

Mincing garlic is made super easy with a Garlic Press.

You can grate the fresh ginger root using a grater or microplane.

You could also use a mini food processor for the sauce (see the tip below in the orange box).

For the rice noodles, a medium sized pot is fine.

Finally, you will need a large frying pan or wok for stir frying. I use my absolute favorite 12″ Ceramic Pan, which is great because food really does slide right off with minimal oil and I don’t have to worry about food sticking and burning. 

Time Saving Prep-Ahead Steps

We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are steps you can prepare ahead to save time on busy nights! (See the full recipe below) 

To get ahead for this Beef and Broccoli Noodles recipe, you can slice and marinate the flank steak.

Slice the flank steak into ¼ inch slices against the grain.  Put into a bowl or plastic bag.  Add ¼ cup Soy Sauce and mix.  Set aside or refrigerate until ready to cook.

You can also make the sauce by first mincing the garlic and ginger, then mixing with the soy sauce, sesame oil water and cornstarch.

And cut the broccoli florets and red pepper for the stir fry. Cut some of the scallion in larger pieces for the stir fry and slice some of the greens for garnish.

Store everything in the fridge in airtight containers.

Cooking Steps for Beef and Broccoli Noodles

First, you can cook the rice noodles in boiling water, for just 3-4 min until they start to soften, but are still al dente (have a bite). Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.

Preheat a large frying pan, skillet, or wok over high heat.

Add a teaspoon Olive Oil.

Using tongs, transfer the flank steak to the hot pan in a single layer to sear for 2 minutes. Flip the steak and cook for 1 more minute. Transfer the steak plus any juices to a clean bowl.

To the same pan, add teaspoon of olive oil, broccoli, scallions, and red pepper. Cook for 4-5 min. Transfer veggies to the steak plate.

Add the sauce and simmer for 2-3 minutes while whisking until it has thickened.

Add the veggies, steak, and noodles back to the pan. Mix and cook for 4-5 minutes until warmed through.

If you worry there is not enough room in the pan to mix the noodles, you can add the noodles back to their pot with a small amount of the sauce/stir fry to moisten them while they warm through. Serve the stir fry over/with the noodles, garnish with sesame seeds.

Have you tried this recipe? If so, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe below! I love to hear your feedback and your rating helps others to find this recipe. Thanks so much!

Sesame Garlic Beef and Broccoli Noodles Recipe

Carrie Tyler

This easy Sesame Garlic Beef and Broccoli Noodle recipe comes together in just 30 minutes and is full of vibrant flavor! Juicy slices of flank steak, crunchy broccoli, red pepper, and scallions are tossed with rice noodles in a savory-sweet blend of soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and honey. It’s a fast, fresh weeknight dinner the whole family will love—finished with a sprinkle of sesame seeds for extra crunch.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Chinese

Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients

  

Sauce Ingredients

• 3 Cloves/teaspoons Garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons Ginger minced
• ¾ Cup Soy Sauce
• 3 tablespoons Honey
• 1 tablespoons Sesame Oil
• ¾ Cup Water
• 2 tablespoons Cornstarch

Other Ingredients

• 10-12 ounces Flank Steak
• ¼ cup Soy Sauce steak marinade
• 1 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Cups Broccoli Florets
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 4 Scallions
• 10 ounces Rice Noodles
• 2 teaspoons Toasted Sesame Seeds

Instructions

 

Prep Ahead Steps

• PREP STEAK. Slice the flank steak into ¼ inch slices against the grain. Put into a bowl or plastic bag. Add ¼ cup Soy Sauce and mix. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to cook.
• MAKE THE SAUCE. TIP: if garlic and ginger are fresh, it’s easiest to use a blender vs. mincing by hand. Add the minced garlic and ginger to a bowl (or rough chopped to a blender) with the soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, water, and cornstarch. Whisk or blend to combine. Set aside.
• PREP THE VEGGIES. Thinly slice the red pepper. Cut the scallions into 1 inch pieces. Cut off the broccoli florets . Set aside until ready to cook.

Cooking Steps

• Bring a covered large pot of water to a boil, about 5-8 minutes. Add the rice noodles and cook for just 3-4 min until they start to soften, but are still al dente (have a bite). Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
• COOK STEAK. (While noodles cook) Preheat a large skillet on high heat. Add a teaspoon Olive Oil. Using tongs, transfer the flank steak to the hot pan in a single layer to sear for 2 minutes. Flip the steak and cook for 1 more minute. Transfer the steak plus any liquid to a new clean bowl.
• COOK VEGGIES. To the same pan, add teaspoon of olive oil, broccoli, scallions, and red pepper. Cook for 4-5 min. Transfer veggies to the plate.
• COOK SAUCE. Add the sauce and simmer for 2-3 minutes while whisking until it has thickened. Then add the veggies and the steak back to the pan.
• MIX & SERVE. Mix in the noodles and cook for 4-5 minutes until warmed through. OR you can add the noodles back to their pot with a small amount of the sauce/stir fry to moisten them while they warm through. Serve the stir fry over/with the noodles, garnish with sesame seeds.

Keyword Flank steak, steak, stir fry