Sesame Beef And Broccoli Wraps Recipe

Certain flavor combinations are natural matches and are worth revisiting in a multitude of presentations. Take the takeout favorite beef and broccoli.. While the duo is delicious when served with rice, Tasting Table recipe developer Tess Le Moing takes it a step further. Her sesame beef and broccoli wraps are an absolute delight and an easy option to serve for lunch or dinner. The wraps are stuffed to the brim with rice, ground beef, and broccoli, offering a nutritious meal that will keep you satiated. "It's got equal parts protein, vegetables, and grains, making for a perfectly balanced and satisfying meal," Le Moing says.

Considering its heartiness, you don't even need to prepare additional sides. However, if you want to switch it up, Le Moin suggests a side salad — try our Asian-inspired slaw – cucumber salad, or a mixed green salad. Meanwhile, if you want to bulk up the broccoli, she suggests including stir-fried or roasted veggies or edamame. Finally, this recipe suggests serving the wrap with soy, chile crisp, and sesame oil, but hoisin, sriracha mayo, peanut sauce, or teriyaki sauce are other great alternatives.

For this recipe, you'll need vegetable oil or another neutral oil, ground beef, minced garlic, minced ginger, soy sauce or tamari, honey, and crushed red pepper flakes. "I recommend that you splurge on some nice ground beef from your local butcher, if you can," Le Moing advises. "If you're cooking lean beef, use a little extra oil in the skillet" (fattier beef doesn't require this addition). This recipe works well with ground chicken, turkey, or tofu, too. 

Roughly chop broccoli florets and mince scallions, separating the white and green parts. For a quicker option, Le Moing suggests pulsing the broccoli a couple of times in a food processor. If you prefer to use frozen broccoli, just make sure to thaw it first, then drain and chop it. Since the frozen vegetables are pre-cooked, you'll just need to heat and season them. 

Next, you will need toasted sesame oil, kosher salt, spinach tortillas, cooked white or brown rice, and toasted sesame seeds. Spinach tortillas add a nice color, but any type will do except for corn tortillas, which are more delicate. For additional flavor, Le Moing recommends making seasoned rice. "It adds another layer of flavor and color to your already gorgeous wrap," she says. If desired, grab sesame oil, chile crisp, and soy sauce, for serving. 

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the ground beef and cook, using a wooden spatula to break up the meat into small pieces, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 more minute, until fragrant.

Add the soy sauce, honey, and crush red pepper flakes and cook until the liquid reduces, about 2 minutes.

Transfer the cooked beef to a bowl. Leave about 1 tablespoon of rendered fat in the skillet. Discard the rest.

Add the broccoli and ½ cup water to the pan with the beef fat.

Cover and cook until al dente, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the scallion whites, sesame oil, and salt.

Transfer the broccoli to a bowl.

Wrap the tortillas in paper towels and place them on a plate. Microwave for 15 to 30 seconds, until warmed through.

Spread ½ cup ground beef, ½ cup rice, ½ cup broccoli, and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds evenly across the center of each tortilla.

Working with 1 wrap at a time, fold the left and right sides over the filling, then fold up the bottom and roll it tightly around the filling.

Slice the wrap down the middle and serve with extra soy sauce, sesame oil, and chile crisp, if desired.

Although this meal is ready in under 30 minutes, that's too long on some evenings. Thankfully, Le Moing offers some easy tips to prepare this even . For starters, dealing with fresh produce adds extra time to your prep, so you can swap out the fresh broccoli for a bag of pre-cut and washed veggies.

This recipe adds pre-cooked rice to the wraps. If you're making the rice at the same time as the rest, it will add extra work and time to the preparation. Cook the rice ahead of time, or make more for dinner the previous day. Make sure to heat it for 30 seconds in the microwave so that all the contents of the wrap are warm. 

If you really want to meal prep this dish, Le Moing instructs, "You could prep all the components in advance — the beef, broccoli, and rice. Store them in individual containers and assemble them when you're ready to eat." Just make sure to heat the foil-wrapped wraps in the oven at 350 F for 15 minutes before serving, as they taste best warm. Finally, if the assembly process proves one step too many, then just skip the wrap, add the different elements to a bowl, and dig in. 

If you don't regularly cook ground beef, there are plenty of tips and tricks to guarantee success. It starts in the store: "If you're using store bought, choose a beef that's 80% lean and 20% fat. That's the best balance of flavor and juiciness," Le Moing explains. If you're shopping at a butcher, you can simply provide these parameters. Next, avoid adding the beef to the skillet in a large block. "Break it up into smaller pieces before cooking. This ensures even cooking," Le Moing says.

Your cookware is also important here. Le Moing recommends a heavy-bottomed skillet or non-stick pan to prevent burning and sticking. Warm it first to medium-high heat so that the meat starts cooking the moment it hits the pan. Leaner beef might require a bit of extra oil if it starts to stick. For optimal browning, make sure to spread the ground beef evenly in the pan so that it can sear for a few minutes right away. Then, use a spatula to move it around and cook it through. It's important to transfer the cooked beef to a bowl and let it sit for a bit, as this is the key to a juicy result.