Beef and Broccoli Noodles

December is two days away. The vaccine news this week—the FDA authorization—is the first unambiguously good news the floor has had since March. I was on shift when it came through and there was a quality in the break room that I haven't heard since before the pandemic: something like relief, not complete, not triumphant, but a door opening that had been shut for nine months. I've been a nurse for nine years and I've never worked through anything like this year. That door opening mattered.

The Christmas lights went up Sunday. Liam draped one strand over his own head first, which I let him do for exactly as long as it took Sean to get a photo. Nora sat on the rug and watched us string the tree and when we turned the lights on she did the same thing Liam did the first year he saw them: she went completely still and looked at the lights with both hands at her sides and her mouth open. Both of them. The same tree, the same lights, the same first time. I want to write this down right and I'm not sure the words are adequate for it. But this is what it was: two children seeing Christmas lights for the first time and neither time was less than the first.

Short ribs braised on Sunday—the long version, six hours, red wine and thyme—because December needs that kind of cooking and I had the Sunday and the Dutch oven and the will. Ate them over egg noodles at seven-thirty PM and thought: we made it to December. We made it.

The short ribs were the long version — six hours, red wine, the whole thing — but what I keep coming back to is the feeling of eating something slow-cooked over noodles on a Sunday night when the world had finally offered one small piece of good news. If you don’t have six hours or a Dutch oven full of ribs, this beef and broccoli noodle dish gets you to that same place: savory, warming, the kind of bowl that makes you sit down and mean it. It’s become my weeknight version of that same December intention — we made it, so let’s eat something that feels like it.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb flank steak or sirloin, thinly sliced against the grain
8 oz lo mein noodles or egg noodles
3 cups broccoli florets
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
2 green onions, sliced, for garnish
1 tsp sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

Marinate the beef. In a bowl, combine sliced beef with 1 tbsp soy sauce and cornstarch. Toss to coat and let sit for 10 minutes while you prep the remaining ingredients.
Cook the noodles. Boil noodles according to package directions until just tender. Drain, rinse briefly with cold water, and set aside.
Make the sauce. Whisk together remaining 2 tbsp soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and beef broth in a small bowl. Set aside.
Sear the beef. Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat until shimmering. Add beef in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 90 seconds, then stir-fry 1–2 minutes more until browned. Remove to a plate.
Cook the broccoli. Add remaining 1 tbsp oil to the pan. Add broccoli and stir-fry over high heat for 3–4 minutes until bright green and just tender-crisp. Add garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes if using; cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
Combine. Return beef to the pan. Add noodles and pour sauce over everything. Toss well over medium-high heat for 1–2 minutes until sauce coats the noodles and everything is heated through.
Serve. Divide into bowls and top with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Beef and Broccoli Noodles — The Sunday That Carried Us Into December