Beef and Peppers Skillet
The Easiest Recipe That Will Please Your Tastebuds
If you’re looking for a simple dinner that is not too heavy, this Beef and Peppers Skillet is a winner. The ground beef, green peppers, and red onions are sautéed up and then simmered in a delicious sauce made with soy sauce, brown sugar, and white pepper.
I can say from experience that this is a very affordable and very delicious meal. The sauce can be made spicy if you like things fiery.
Cheap and Tasty Eats
Truth be told, I started making this dish when my food budget was nonexistent. I did not have money for the typical slices of beef that you use to make this dish.
I found that I really enjoyed the texture and flavors of the ground beef when I made this by happenstance. I later learned from the Taiwanese family that I worked for that this is similar to a dish called Lo Ba Bung.
That dish is made with pork instead of beef, however.
The recipe is pretty straightforward, but there may be a couple of ingredients that will be new to some people. Not to worry, they are all very easy to find and great pantry items to keep on hand.
That being said, if you cannot find or do not want to buy any of the items to make the sauce, it will not be detrimental to leave them out. The oyster sauce is one example of an ingredient that adds something special, but will not ruin the dish without it.
The Oyster Sauce
Oyster Sauce is a pretty common ingredient in Asian cooking. If you are wondering if it tastes like oysters, it does not.
It has a caramelized flavor that is very delicious. It is wonderful to use to help thicken the sauce in this dish.
If you made my Mom’s recipe for American Chop Suey and bought the bead Molasses, you can sub that for the oyster sauce in this recipe.
Two Sauces Of Soy
You will see on the recipe card at the end of this post that I use two different soy sauces for this recipe. I like the layers of the two different flavors, but you can easily substitute the dark soy sauce by just using double of the regular soy sauce.
Dark soy sauce is pretty easy to find in most grocery stores in the Asian foods aisle.
Leave Them Crunchy
When you are cooking your peppers and onions, you want to make sure that they are softer but not too soft. I like these veggies to have some crunch to them when you are serving.
Remember that they will soften more when they are being cooked in the sauce with the meat. Do not be afraid to take them out too soon as they will have more time to become a good texture for serving.
Beef and Peppers Skillet Recipe
Served over rice, this is a meal that will hit the spot. This dish also makes for great leftovers as it reheats very well.
Ingredients
- 1 lb of ground beef
- 3 small to medium sized green bell peppers, chopped
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup of soy sauce
- 1/4 cup dark Japanese soy sauce (can sub the regular soy sauce if preferred)
- 2 tablespoons of Chinese Oyster Sauce (pictured in post)
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons of dried chives (can substitute with fresh)
- 1 teaspoon of white pepper
- 1 teaspoon black pepper *or to taste
- 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1 teaspoon of dried, ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon of dried chili flakes *optional
- 3 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 4 cups of cooked rice *I add a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil to the water when cooking the rice
- Chili Garlic Sauce for serving
Instructions
- In a large skillet add 2 tablespoons of the toasted sesame oil and the tablespoon of olive oil, add your peppers and onions and sauté for approximately fifteen minutes. You want the veggies soft and seared but not overcooked. They should still have some crunch to them.
- When the vegetables are cooked, remove from pan and set aside in a bowl.
- Add your ground beef to the same skillet and cook and crumble the beef as you go. I use a really lean ground beef so I do not have to drain. Assess your beef and drain if needed.
- While the ground beef cooks, prepare your rice however you make rice, I add some of the toasted sesame oil when I make my rice. I use an instant pot to make it.
- When the beef is fully cooked, add the peppers and onions back to the beef. Toss together and let cook for a few minutes while you make your sauce.
- In a bowl add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, remaining sesame oil, white pepper, black pepper, garlic and onion powders, dried chives, vanilla extract, ginger, oyster sauce, brown sugar, and the dried chili flakes if you are using. Whisk really well to combine.
- Add the sauce to the meat and peppers mixture, bring to a low simmer while stirring, reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 25 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- At the 25 minute mark, take the cover off and simmer on low five minutes.
- Serve over rice with chili garlic sauce as a condiment.
1 Comments
Cathy Marry Walton
January 4, 2025 at 12:44 pm
The addition of Vanilla intrigues me!