This pepper steak bowl served over rice is a hearty meal, perfect for busy weeknights. It's ready in less than 30 minutes!
★ Why You'll Love this Recipe ★
Bite-sized pieces of tender steak are seared and then cooked in a thicken, gravy-like sauce flavored with beef and vegetable stock, bell peppers, onion and tomato, seasoned with garlic, pepper and spices.
This beef, peppers and gravy combination, served over white rice, create a complete meal that makes an excellent dinner or lunch.
This meal is freezer-friendly so it's great for meal prepping or repurposing leftovers.
★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
There are no fancy ingredients here, just a collection of 12 basic ingredients that work together to create amazing flavor and texture.
Here's everything you need:
- Vegetable oil. You can also use olive oil, grape seed oil or any high-heat oil you prefer.
- Bell peppers. I like to use tri-colored peppers. Red, orange and yellow peppers tend to be sweeter than green peppers. However, you can add or use all green peppers if you prefer.
- Onion. White or yellow onions both work well for this dish. White onions are a little more mild so if you want to tone things down, that's a better choice than yellow which tends to have more bite.
- Steak. Stir-fry steak cut into squares work well, or see the Tips & FAQs section below for other beef cut options.
- Steak seasoning. Go with your favorite steak seasoning. I really like Kinder's Prime Steak Seasoning w/ black garlic and truffle.
- Vegetable broth. You can use beef broth if you prefer but I like the richness of flavor that vegetable broth adds. I think of it like adding the flavor of carrots, onion and celery without having to actually chop or sauté anything.
- Worcestershire sauce. This helps bring out the natural beefy flavor of the steak.
- Beef bullion. This adds even more beefy flavor.
- Tomato paste. This thickens and adds a layer of acidity which creates a yummy sauce!
- Corn starch. This is used to create a slurry to thicken your sauce to a gravy-like consistency.
- Cooked white rice. You can use brown rice, quinoa or even pasta or mashed potatoes if you prefer.
★ How to Make this Recipe ★
This recipe is made fresh, all in one large skillet other than the rice which you can make in advance, or opt for pre-cooked rice that you can easily heat in the microwave to save time.
I like to make a big batch of rice and freeze it in 1 or 2-cup portions in sandwich bags so I can easy just plop it into a bowl and heat it up to use it for recipes like this.
The full recipe can be found below but here are the basic steps:
- Sauté onion and bell peppers.
- Add beef and steak seasoning.
- Stir and sear.
- Whisk corn starch and broth to form the slurry.
- Add broth, slurry, tomato paste, beef bullion and Worcestershire sauce.
- Stir to form sauce.
- Serve pepper steak and gravy over cooked rice.
That's it! Pretty simple steps. Yet delicious results!
★ Tips & FAQs ★
What's the best cut of beef to use?
Since we aren't slow cooking this beef, you want to start with a cut of beef that is already tender or has been tenderized so it doesn't come out chewy.
The following cuts are good choices:
Sirloin, tip, rib, top loin (a.k.a. strip), tenderloin (cut from both the loin and sirloin), and shoulder petite tender which is a specific area of the chuck region of the cow.
These cuts vary in flavor but all are decent choices to use as they are less tough than other cuts.
You can just go with beef labeled for stir-fry and cut it into pieces if you don't want to think about it!
White Rice Substitutions
You can substitute white rice with brown rice which is a little more nutritious. Or replace the rice with quinoa which is high in protein as well as rich in nutrients. More protein will keep you feeling full longer so this is a great option if you are looking to portion control.
Storage
Refrigerator
Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezer
This dish can be prepared and fully cooked then cooled and portioned, then stored in an airtight container for up to 3 months in the freezer. I recommend using glass containers with a lid for the ease of re-heating.
To reheat from frozen, remove lid and cover with a paper towel then heat for 2 minutes. Stir then heat for an additional 2-3 minute or until heated through.
★ More Recipes You'll Love ★
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Pepper Steak Rice Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 tri-colored bell peppers chopped
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 lbs stir fry or cube steak cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tablespoon steak seasoning w/ garlic
- 32 oz vegetable broth divided (use some for slurry)
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 2 teaspoon beef bullion
- 4 cup cooked white rice
Corn Starch Slurry
- 2 tablespoon corn starch
- 2 tablespoon vegetable broth
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add bell peppers and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While peppers are cooking, create a corn starch slurry by combining corn starch and 2 tablespoon of the vegetable broth in a small bowl, stirring together with a fork. Set aside.
- Add onions to the skillet then add steak. Sprinkle steak with steak seasoning. Stir and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes or until steak is browned on all sides and onions are translucent and slightly caramelized.
- Add remaining vegetable broth, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, beef bouillon, and slurry to the skillet. Bring to a boil. Stir until well-combined sauce forms then remove from heat.
- Serve beef, peppers and sauce hot, over cooked white rice.
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