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My family tends to gravitate toward Asian food.  That’s partially because we have several really good Asian all-you-can-eat buffets in our area.  As much as our growing football player eats, these restaurants are our saving grace!  We all love sushi of all varieties, so that’s a plus, too.  But I love the great number of dishes we can choose from at these restaurants.  Even though I pretty much always get the same things.  Walnut Shrimp.  Cream Cheese Wontons.  Tiny Spicy Chicken.  Salt and Pepper Shrimp.

We all love Beef and Broccoli, too.  As I’ve said before, I am blessed to have kids who absolutely love vegetables.  Everything from edamame to carrots to spinach to mushrooms.  They love their veggies!

As much as we love our Asian restaurants, sometimes at the end of the day, I don’t want to go anywhere.  I just want to sit down at the table and eat before collapsing onto the couch!  This is an easy way to do a Take-Out Fake-Out!  It really is delicious.  I could drink the sauce with a straw!  A little salty.  A little sweet.  A little nutty from the sesame oil.  It’s awesome!

Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli

  • 2 pounds of thinly-sliced beef
  • 2 cups of beef broth
  • 1 cup of low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2/3 cup of dark brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons of sesame oil
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely minced or grated
  • 4 tablespoons of cornstarch
  • 1/2 cold water
  • 4 cups of broccoli florets
  • Cooked white rice

In a slow cooker, whisk together broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and garlic.  Add the beef.  Cook on low all day.

An hour before serving, whisk cold water and cornstarch together in a small bowl.  Stir into the beef mixture.  It should begin to thicken quickly.  Add broccoli.  Cook for another hour or until broccoli is as tender as you like it.

Serve over cooked rice.

Well Duh #1:  I freeze the beef strips separately on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. That way, they don’t cook as quickly.  If you’re going to cook yours all day, be prepared for your beef to fall apart.  If you want yours to stay in strips, either freeze it or cook it for just 4-5 hours.

Well Duh #2:  I like my broccoli cooked very tender, so I prefer to steam mine before adding it to the slow cooker.  You can do this a day or two in advance and refrigerate it until time to add it to the slow cooker.

Well Duh #3:  I use minced garlic in a tube.  You can usually find it in the produce section.  I just put in a couple of squirts.

We loved this dish.  There was enough for seconds and even enough for my lunch the next day.  Score!

labeled beef