Have you ever been thinking bout what to cook and wanted to do as little grocery shopping for the meal as possible? Or even none at all? I have. This shrimp & broccoli stir fry comes from a moment like that. A couple of weeks ago, I had shrimp in the freezer, a bag of cuties oranges on the counter and a variety of spices in my cabinet. I grabbed a head of broccoli crowns from the produce section and whipped up a delicious (and clean) lunch for the whole week in about 20 minutes. In one pan. The result was a stir fry I paired with brown rice and happily ate for lunch the whole workweek. I documented the process in my Instagram stories and y’all said you wanted the recipe. My coworkers loved the looks and aroma of it so I emailed them the deets so they could successfully recreate it. Now, I’m sharing the full recipe for your eating pleasure. Let’s get into it.
This shrimp and broccoli stir fry is simple and filling yet SO flavorful. That comes from a sauce made with ingredients most of us have in our kitchens and one you might not but totally should: sesame oil. Sesame oil is the secret weapon in many Asian and Asian-inspired meals. I also use it in these wonton power bowls. It adds a nutty flavor–a little something extra that you’ll probably recognize once you try it. If you don’t have sesame oil in your pantry, I encourage you to pick up a bottle on your next grocery run or add it to your next delivery order. You won’t regret it. The rest of the sauce ingredients include crushed red pepper, honey, and orange juice–sweet & spicy made easy!
Of all the things I can skillfully create in the kitchen, a solid pot of boiled rice is not one of them. I almost always seem to burn the bottom. Eventually, I gave up on the traditional method and started using a rice cooker. I don’t boil rice at home very often (maybe part trauma and part preference?) which means the rice cooker didn’t get too much use so when I moved out, I left it with my parents. Recently, I discovered the life-changing magic of boil-in-bag brown rice. 🙂 I cooked up a few cups of that to complete my shrimp & broccoli stir fry for the week but for those of you looking for a low-carb option, the shrimp and broccoli is quite good on its own. You can also add additional veggies, if you so desire–check out this special stir fry from my archives for inspo.
This shrimp & broccoli stir fry is now a major player in my workweek meal prep lineup and it also makes for a delicious quick dinner option. If you want to see more easy meals like this one, just let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
P.S. More one-pan wonders:
Quick stir fry meal packed with protein, fiber, and flavor
- 1 1/2 pound shrimp peeled and de-veined
- 1 large head broccoli crowns or 4 cups frozen broccoli thawed and drained
- 3 cloves garlic chopped or minced
- sea salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- olive oil
- 4 cups cooked brown rice optional
- 1/4 cup honey
- juice of two oranges
- crushed red pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3-4 drops sesame oil
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Season shrimp with salt and pepper then set aside. Cut broccoli crowns into 2-inch pieces. Peel and chop garlic cloves. Mix together all sauce ingredients and set aside.
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Add olive oil to a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add garlic and shrimp to heated pan. Once they begin to sizzle, pour in sauce. Stir until shrimp is cooked through then remove shrimp with tongs.
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Add broccoli to pan to cook until tender (about 5 minutes). Sauce should thicken.
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Add shrimp back to pan and toss with broccoli and remaining sauce.
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Serve with brown rice or alone.
Just what I need for weeknight dinner ideas! This seems simple to make and looks delicious. I love the idea of using fresh oranges in the dish.
This is a perfect easy weeknight dinner and looks delicious!!