Cauliflower rice makes a wonderful substitute for white rice in this quick, healthy stir-fry. Stir-fried beef with peppers and snow peas cooks in minutes in a single skillet—perfect for busy weeknights.
I usually avoid food trends, but I have to be honest about one: I don’t like zoodles. If you haven’t tried them, zoodles are spiralized zucchini noodles—popular online and all over Pinterest. I’ve enjoyed cold preparations, like Asian-style zucchini noodle salads, but warm sauces on zucchini noodles just don’t work for me. I want real, hearty pasta. I made zucchini noodles as a linguine substitute recently and ended up skipping dinner rather than eating them.
That said, I have had great results spiralizing other vegetables—squash in a chicken-and-butternut noodle soup was excellent. Cucumbers also work well raw in salads. But for warm dishes where you want a rice or noodle feel without the carbs, cauliflower rice is my go-to. It lets you pile your plate high without the guilt and is simple to make: a few pulses in a food processor and you have “rice.”
One tip from experience: don’t make large batches of cauliflower rice and store them uncovered in the fridge. Cauliflower gives off strong odors as it sits; stored tightly, it can produce an unpleasant smell. I once made too much and had to discard a portion for that reason. Freshly prepared cauliflower rice tastes great and reheats well, so make what you need for a few meals and enjoy it fresh when possible.
The stir-fried beef with peppers and snow peas is an ideal topping for cauliflower rice. The dish balances sweet, spicy, and gingery flavors and comes together quickly. It’s great for dinner and even better for a next-day lunch—no sad desk meals here. Below is the recipe presented clearly so you can make it at home.
Stir-Fried Beef Peppers and Snow Peas with Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients
- 1/2 head cauliflower, quartered
- 1 1/2 lbs skirt steak, cut across the grain into 1/2 inch strips
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili paste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch strips
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch strips
- 1/2 Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cups snow peas, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Instructions
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Pulse the cauliflower in a food processor until it resembles rice, about 2–3 minutes. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet, add the cauliflower rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to lightly brown. Turn off the heat, cover and keep warm.
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Toss the sliced beef with the cornstarch and set aside.
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Whisk together garlic, ginger, sesame oil, fish sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin and chili paste in a small bowl and set aside.
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In a large skillet or wok, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over high heat. Add the onions and cook until they begin to brown. Add the bell peppers and snow peas and cook for about 2 minutes. Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan and add the beef to the center. Cook the beef 3–4 minutes until done, then add the sauce and stir until it thickens and coats the ingredients.
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Serve the stir-fry over the cauliflower rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.