As summer weather starts to hit the Midwest, I find myself reaching for the recipes that don’t require an oven so my house stays nice and cool. This recipe uses one pan on the stovetop, takes less than 30 minutes to throw together, and is packed with protein, veggies, and flavor!

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Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes

Makes about 4 servings

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 thumb minced fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic (or 2 Tablespoons jar garlic)
• 1/2 cup shredded (matchstick) carrots
• 1 small zucchini, chopped into half moons
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1-1/2 cups shredded green cabbage
• 3 Tablespoons coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 green onion, sliced for topping
• Sesame seeds, optional, for topping
• Rice, optional

• Using a large, deep skillet or wok, brown the ground beef over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper. Cook like you’re making taco meat. Drain the excess fat, leaving about 2 Tablespoons in the pan.
• Using the same pan, sauté the garlic and ginger until fragrant, 1 minute or less.
• Add the carrots, zucchini, and broccoli, and cook for 5 minutes, or until veggies are softened.
• Incorporate the shredded cabbage and cook for another 4-5 minutes, or until cabbage has softened.
• Add the ground beef back into the pan, along with coconut aminos and apple cider vinegar. Stir to cook for another 2 minutes to reheat and allow the flavors to combine.
• Serve topped with green onion and sesame seeds on its own or over rice, whichever you prefer.

• This recipe is gluten free, soy free, Paleo, Whole 30th, and AIP (autoimmune protocol) as long as you do not use rice or sesame seeds, and you use the recommended coconut aminos versus soy sauce. In general, I have eliminated soy sauce from my cabinet anyway because it is very high in sodium. Coconut aminos are a great healthy swap. In a blind taste test, I’m not sure I could tell a difference.
• Full disclosure: I buy the matchstick carrots in the bag to avoid having to shred them myself. It’s tedious and somehow I always manage to scrape a knuckle. For $2, I’ll take the convenience. However, if your grocery store doesn’t have them or is out, you can shred them using a grater or food processor.
• If you buy 93/7 beef, you don’t need to strain any of the fat because it evens out to be about 2 Tablespoons worth anyway.
• The veggies are all guesstimates for how much to add. If you want more broccoli, add more. If you want less zucchini, add less. If you don’t like zucchini, sub it out for colored bell peppers. Really make it your own and add what you enjoy.

This dinner is easy, flavorful, and inexpensive to make, especially if you can plan some other meals for the week out of your remaining veggies. For example, I will have leftover matchstick carrots and cabbage, which means I’ll have half the ingredients for homemade coleslaw that I can make later in the week.

I also love this one because it’s one pan, which makes for easy cleanup. After a busy day, the last thing I want to be doing is spending another 30 minutes cleaning up my kitchen. I can handle cleaning exactly one pan.

This recipe is also warm-weather friendly because it won’t heat up your house too much! This time of year I’m always looking for meals that don’t heat up my home too much (why I avoid the oven as much as possible in the summer months) at the end of the day before we all go to bed.

I hope you enjoy this summer fav as much as I do!

Until next time,