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This colorful 20 Minute Sticky Ginger Sesame Pineapple Beef is my secret to busy weeknight cooking. The ground beef is cooked in a spicy-sweet chili garlic sauce before adding fresh broccoli and chunks of sweet pineapple. Serve this simply with steamed rice and a cucumber salad. The Thai chili sauce and pineapple are the key ingredients. This dish is saucy, salty, tangy-sweet, and has just the right amount of spice!
You may not have noticed, but I’m really working to incorporate more beef recipes onto the website. I haven’t shared many beef recipes in the past. But many of you have requested that I work them into the lineup a bit more so I’m having fun with them!
Beef dinners can be so delicious, plus quick and easy too! I love to use ground beef, especially since it cooks up so quickly. I’ll make burgers, tacos, quick skillet stir-fries, and meatballs. So many new recipes to share!
I’ve been loving the combination of pineapple and beef, so I wanted to incorporate the two in a quick dinner served over rice. I wanted to add traditional stir-fry favorites like broccoli, cilantro, and basil.
This dinner takes just minutes to prep and minutes to cook. It’s wonderful to serve family and friends on busy nights.
Another huge bonus – I almost always have these ingredients on hand, either in the pantry or the freezer!! A great “I don’t know what to make, dinner”!
Ingredients
- Ground beef
- Black pepper and chili flakes
- Butter
- Garlic
- Pickled ginger
- Broccoli florets
- Fresh pineapple chunks
- Tamari or soy sauce
- Thai chili sauce
- Chopped green onions
- Sesame seeds
- Persian cucumbers
- Cilantro
- Thai basil
- Lime juice
- Chopped roasted peanuts
Here are the steps
Step 1: start the rice and cook the beef
If you’re not using leftover rice, start a batch of rice. Now, using a big skillet, brown the beef with chili flakes and black pepper. If you have them, I love to use Korean chili flakes for this recipe.
When the beef has browned, some of the fat should have rendered. I don’t usually have much fat, so I add a couple of tablespoons of butter. Next, add the garlic and ginger. I like to use pickled ginger (sushi ginger) for this. It’s so yummy and adds a special touch to the dish.
Step 2: mix in the broccoli and pineapple
When you smell the garlic and ginger, it’s time to add the broccoli and the pineapple. Mix those in. Next comes the sauce.
Step 3: mix in the sauces
I use tamari (soy sauce is a good substitute), then sweet Thai chili sauce, and a few tablespoons of juice from the pickled ginger jar.
Cook until the sauce coats the beef and the beef starts to get crispy. Now you can mix in the green onions and sesame seeds.
Step 4: make the salad
Mix pineapple chunks with chopped cucumbers, cilantro, basil, and peanuts. Then squeeze over the lime juice.
Hopefully, you either started some rice or have some leftover. Now take the beef, broccoli, and pineapple and spoon it over bowls of rice. Then top with the cucumber/pineapple salad.
A note
Since most store-bought sweet Thai chili sauce is full of sugar, I like to make my own chili sauce. I use a mix of honey, chili paste, a touch of ketchup, some garlic, ginger, and lime!! It’s really easy to mix up if you’re looking for a healthier sauce option.
These bowls come together so quickly and have so much flavor! I really appreciate all the color too – the best kind of recipe!
Looking for other quick weeknight dinners? Here are some favorites:
Chili Crisp Chicken Mango Cucumber Rice Bowl
30 Minute Caramelized Shallot Beef Ramen Noodles
Healthier Homemade One Pot Hamburger Helper
Coconut Popcorn Chicken with Sweet Thai Chili Lime Sauce
30 Minute Sticky Thai Meatballs with Sesame Noodles
Better Than Takeout Sweet Thai Basil Chicken
Spicy Chipotle Honey Salmon Bowls
Lastly, if you make this 20 Minute Sticky Ginger Sesame Pineapple Beef, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
20 Minute Sticky Ginger Sesame Pineapple Beef
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 497 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef (or chicken or pork)
- black pepper and chili flakes
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/4 cup pickled ginger (or 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger)
- 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
- 1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Thai chili sauce (homemade in notes)
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 4 Persian cucumbers, chopped
- 2 cups cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 cup Thai basil, chopped
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/3 cup chopped roasted peanuts
Instructions
- 1. In a large skillet, combine the beef, black pepper, and chili flakes. Cook over medium heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the butter, garlic, and ginger. Cook 2 minutes, until the butter browns and the beef gets crispy.2. Mix in the broccoli and 3/4 cup pineapple. Pour over the tamari, sweet chili sauce, and 1-2 tablespoons of ginger juice from the pickled ginger. Cook until the sauce coats the beef, 2-3 minutes. Mix in the green onions and sesame seeds. Remove from the heat. 3. In a bowl, toss 3/4 cup pineapple chunks with the cucumbers, cilantro, basil, lime juice, and peanuts. 4. Serve the beef and broccoli over bowls of rice. Top with the pineapple herb salad. Add the chopped green onions, and if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Homemade Sweet Thai Chili Sauce: Mix 1/3 cup honey, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 1-2 tablespoons chili sauce, 2 teaspoons lime zest, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce, 1 tablespoon grated ginger, and 1 clove grated garlic in a glass jar. Shake or stir well. Use as directed.
This post was originally published on July 5, 2023
A fantastic main dish that I’ve made twice already. I use Impossible’s faux ground beef and everyone’s raved about how delicious this recipe is. They’ve given it a “Gold Star”, meaning that I need to make this at least once a month forever!
Hi Lynn,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it and your feedback!🌼🥑 xx
Such an easy and delicious recipe. I used leftover skirt steak instead of ground beef.
Hi Victoria,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xT
Definitely trying this. I have some leftover pickled ginger from another recipe of yours and we really liked it as an ingredient. The video on IG shows you browning onions with the ground beef, but I don’t see onion in the recipe ingredients except the green onions that are used for topping.
Hey Danita,
Thanks so much!! You can go ahead and follow the recipe as written without onion:) Let me know how this dish turns out for you! xT
Made it last night! Very flavorful and easy dish. I prepped all the veggies and fruit ahead which made the time to cook go very quick. I’m really liking pickled ginger as an ingredient for these types of dishes. It adds a nice flavor to the dishes. I made everything as directed except used ground turkey and I didn’t have Thai basil. I used a store purchased Thai chili sauce that was very good. I used 2 lbs. of ground turkey and just increased everything else accordingly. I did sauté some white onion prior to adding the ground meat as shown in the video. My son was very happy to have leftovers to take home.
Hey Danita,
Happy Monday!!☀️🌊 I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear that it was a hit! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xT
In the ingrediants it calls for candied ginger or fresh ginger. I the directions it says pickeled ginger. Which is the correct one?
Hi Debbie,
You’ll want to use either pickled ginger or freshly grated ginger for this recipe:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the dish! xT
Do you think ground ginger would work? Would just like to use something I already have, thanks!
Hey Cory,
Sure, you could totally use ground ginger! Let me know if you give this dish a try, I hope it turns out well for you! xT
Is there a big difference between Thai basil and regular basil? It’s hard to find the Thai basil.
Thanks!
Hi Michelle,
You could use regular basil if needed:) Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope this recipe turns out well for you! xx
I’m going to try this with ground chicken, anybody else try it already? Think it will work?
Hi Annette,
Sure, ground chicken will also work well for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
This was very fast and painless cooking on a busy night. I did mess around a little with the sauce as we love super spicy. Threw in some other veg too and was even better the next day. We were happy.
Hi Mary,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment! So glad to hear that it turned out well for you:) xT
I love most of your recipes, but the pineapple herb salad was too heavy on the cilantro, and this is coming from one who really likes cilantro!! Also, think I would prefer some sort of cut of beef strips rather than ground beef. Like the general flavor profile though!!
Hi Marie,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it wasn’t enjoyed! Let me know if you give it another try with beef strips! xx
What are the amounts of black pepper and chili flakes in the ingredient list?
Hi Alice,
Those are all to taste:) Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it turns out well for you! xT
You say you love a challenge… Can you work some seitan, tempeh, and tofu into the lineup? Would be great to see recipes featuring those proteins.
Thanks for sharing your feedback Deb! I can try, but to be honest I’m just not into tofu and meat alternatives:) Let me know if you give this recipe a try!! xx
This recipe sounds so good! Do you use fresh or frozen broccoli florets?
Hi Anita,
I like to use fresh broccoli for this recipe:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope this turns out well for you! xT
Can you give an example of chili sauce – it seems like there are so many – some super hot, some with sugar…do you have a preferred brand in general or one that would go well with this particular recipe? Thanks!
Hi Lucinda,
So you can either us a store bought Thai chili sauce. If you want to use my homemade recipe for Thai chili sauce, you will use something like gochujang or sriracha for that recipe. I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions! xT
This looks delicious. You say to brown the beef, but don’t say anything about draining off the fat…but then you add butter….feels like this could end up being very fatty. Are you using super lean ground beef??
Hi there,
I think it depends on the ground beef that you are using, if you feel as though you need to drain it then you should do that, it’s not going to ruin the recipe:) I hope this helps! Let me know if you give it a try! xT
Looks delicious!
Can you please clarify re ginger…candied in ingredient list, pickled in instructions.
Thanks so much!
A
Hey Amanda,
Sorry about that, it’s pickled ginger:) Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this dish! xT