Without a doubt, a dinner that’s going to check all the boxes when you’re too tired to cook is a veggie-packed stir-fry. This basil beef stir-fry leans hard on summer vegetables, and you can still pull it off on the nights that you’re beat. It’s heavily inspired by classic Thai basil beef (though it takes some liberties to make it faster, less effort, and even more weeknight friendly) and uses a simple four-ingredient sauce that’s just the right balance of savory, salty, and sweet.
While it’s great all year round, I happen to particularly love it in the summer when bell peppers and basil are in their prime and they’re easy to find, extra flavorful, and often less expensive. This dish has easy prep, is quick cooking, and the leftovers are totally delicious for days. You can even get a head start by cutting the pepper and onion a day in advance. And if you’re looking for a lot of leftovers, this stir-fry is easy to scale up.
Why You’ll Love It
- So fresh and flavorful. One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it leans on just a couple of pantry ingredients to deliver big savory flavor. The combo of lime juice, fresh veggies, and herbs keeps it fresh and bright.
- Quick and easy. This is my kind of weeknight meal. You’re looking at no more than 30 minutes all in (that’s prep and cooking) before dinner hits the table.
- The leftovers reheat so well. The leftovers make a great lunch or next-day dinner. The basil does wilt down and lose its vibrant color, so if you want an extra pop of green, consider adding an extra sprinkle of basil leaves when serving the leftovers.
Key Ingredients in Basil Beef
- Ground beef: Not only is it convenient and quick-cooking, but lean ground beef has just the right fat content to balance the richness of the sauce.
- Peppers: Sweet and mellow red, orange, or yellow bell peppers are your best choice here. I love a combo for extra color. The recipe calls for a single bell pepper, but if you want to up your veggie intake and lean into the peppers a little more, the dish can easily be made with two peppers (no need to change any other ingredient amounts).
- Basil: You’ll want a full bunch of basil for this recipe. If you can find Thai basil, go for it. Otherwise Italian basil works just fine and is really delicious.
Helpful Swaps
- Even though ground beef is a main component of the dish, you can easily swap in another type of ground meat. Ground pork is an especially good alternative.
- An equal amount of granulated sugar or honey can be used in place of the brown sugar.
- Rice vinegar can be used as a substitute for lime juice.
- Try swapping in one or two shallots as an alternative for the yellow onion.
Basil Beef
Serves 3 to 4- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (1 1/2 medium limes)
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
- 1 large bell pepper, preferably red, orange, or yellow, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
- 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 packed cup fresh basil leaves (1 small bunch)
- Cooked rice, for serving (optional)
