This Easy Veggie Stir-Fry is a quick and simple weeknight meal. Use a mix of colorful vegetables, sautéed in a ginger sauce that takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish! Add tofu or protein of choice and dinner is served!
Recently my refrigerator bid adieu and I had to acquire a new one. Cleaning out the fridge I realized one, I had a lot of condiments, and two, I was wasting some food I forgot I even had! I’ve been trying to do my best in using ‘first in first out’ but as a food blogger admittedly there are times I have too much food on hand for recipe testing. Enter this easy veggie stir-fry that’s versatile with whatever veggies you have on hand and can help us waste less food!
Additionally, call me selfish but I’m always in need of a quick meal that I can ‘heat and eat’. Some people are opposed to leftovers, however, this is how I’ve been surviving my masters. From easy tacos, to tilapia with peppers and onions, these have been staples in my rotation. Sure, if pressed to say they are better freshly cooked, however, they can be reheated successfully. There will be a day when I can cook at leisure, but today is not that day. On to this easy veggie stir-fry!
As a dietitian I’m always looking for ways to up the ante when it comes to vegetables. My belief is sometimes people don’t have a great experience with veggies and/or repeatedly eat them in a way that doesn’t taste good. This easy veggie stir-fry can be filled with all the ones that YOU love. Yes, I’ll write down the combination I used, but know it’s completely versatile and can be switched out with ones you like and/or have on hand. Additionally, this is listed for just two servings, and yes, that’s a ton of veggies. Technically the recipe can be for four people. However, that’s the beauty of veggies, less is more. Eat more WHEN and WHERE you can, which makes this the best recipe ever! Enjoy.
Ingredients: Easy Veggie Stir-Fry
- Mushrooms – Using baby bella mushrooms here, however, any type mushroom would work great, i.e., shiitake, white button
- Peppers – Red pepper was on hand, however, used either red, orange, and/or yellow. Green peppers are not my favorite and have a little bit different flavor profile and the only one I wouldn’t recommend in this dish.
- Carrot – we’re going for colors here and carrots add a nice ‘crunch’ to the mix, along with being a tad sweet.
- Sugar Snap Peas or Snow Peas – I opted here for a green ‘quick’ to cook veggie. Broccoli could be used as well, however, keep in mind, you’ll need to cut the veggies as uniform in size as possible which helps with the cook time.
- Edamame – a great source of plant protein to add to the dish.
- Aromatics – Ginger, Garlic, and Scallions – Amounts are listed, however, as always adjust to your liking. The aromatics add flavor and some punch/kick!
- Stir-Fry Sauce – Low-Sodium Soy Sauce, No-Added Salt Vegetable Stock (or chicken stock), Cornstarch – only using broth and soy sauce here keeps the sauce simple. If you’re looking for spice, add in a teaspoon of hot sauce or sweet chili sauce. The soy sauce here is low-sodium and the broth is ‘no-added salt’ broths/stocks to minimize the salt. Additionally, I didn’t add sugar as some sauces will in with hoisin and/or actual sugar. This quick ‘sauce’ is a starting point, adjust seasonings to your liking.
- Sesame Oil – can withstand high heat and the reason why I chose this oil, besides it adds more flavor with the veggies.
How To Make Easy Veggie Stir-Fry
- Prep the vegetables. Be sure to cut your vegetables in uniform sizes so they cook evenly. You could start with the longer cooking veggies and then add in the quicker cooking veggies as well. The pan will be hot and you want to cook quick and leave some ‘crunch’.
- Make the stir-fry sauce by whisking together the low-sodium soy sauce, no-added salt vegetable stock, and cornstarch. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Once the oil is glistening, add your veggies (all at once or as above) and give them a good toss to coat in the oil.
- Cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables are bright and just tender, ~5-6 minutes.
- Add the sauce to the vegetables and toss to coat. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened (corn starch is what does that), 1-2 minutes more.
- Serve – divide among plates and top with a sprinkle of scallions and sesame seeds. Serve with rice and/or add an extra protein (edamame is added for protein, but additional can be added).
Tips for A Successful Stir-Fry
You want to use a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. If your pan is too small there isn’t enough surface area for the steam to evaporate and the vegetables will not crisp up. Additionally, if your heat isn’t hot enough, the steam will also not evaporate fast enough. No soupy vegetables!
The key is ‘crisp’ vegetables. If you overcook them at the beginning they won’t end up tender crisp and will lose their vibrant color. Once you add the sauce you can cook them for a few minutes longer. Those first few minutes you want high heat and a quick cook. Either have your veggies around the same size and/or start with the longer cooking vegetables at the beginning and then add in the quicker cooking vegetables.
Add-on Proteins
Print Easy Veggie Stir-Fry
This Easy Veggie Stir-Fry is a quick and simple weeknight meal. Use a mix of colorful vegetables, sautéed in a ginger sauce that takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish! Add tofu or protein of choice and dinner is served!16
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Ingredients
- 16-ounces, Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 1 cup snow peas (or sugar snap peas)
- 1 cup edamame, defrosted
- 2 scallions, diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/2 cup no-added salt vegetable stock
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Prep the vegetables. Be sure to cut your vegetables in uniform sizes so they cook evenly. You could start with the longer cooking veggies and then add in the quicker cooking veggies as well. The pan will be hot and you want to cook quick and leave some ‘crunch’.
- Make the stir-fry sauce by whisking together the low-sodium soy sauce, no-added salt vegetable stock, and cornstarch. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Once the oil is glistening, add your veggies (all at once or as above) and give them a good toss to coat in the oil.
- Cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables are bright and just tender, ~5-6 minutes.
- Add your edamame here as it doesn’t require cooking, just heating.
- Add the sauce to the vegetables and toss to coat. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened (corn starch is what does that), 1-2 minutes more.
- Serve – divide among plates and top with a sprinkle of scallions and sesame seeds. Serve with rice and/or add an extra protein (edamame is added for protein, but additional can be added).
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Dinner
1 thought on “Easy Veggie Stir-Fry”
Looks like perfection! Love how you included ‘proteins’ to add at the bottom. Thanks for another great recipe!