Pepper steak with green bell peppers and rice is one of our favorite meals, healthy, tasty and quick to make. The bell peppers add a delicious flavor.
Pepper Steak Main Ingredients:
- 2-3 Green Bell Peppers (You could use red, yellow or orange, or a combination of all four)
- 1 Clove of garlic
- Chopped onion (to taste – don’t overpower the dish with onions. I slice off a couple of slices, then chop.)
- 1 lb (or so) Round Steak*
- 2 – 3 TBSP of Olive Oil (Enough to coat the bottom of the pan)
- 1 Cup of uncooked rice or 2 Cups of cooked rice
- Various ingredients for the sauce including: BBQ sauce, Teriyaki sauce, Soy Sauce, Beef Bouillon
*For the steak you can use round steak, sirloin, pre-cut fajita steak strips, or just about any lean cut of beef.
Cooking Pepper Steak:
If the beef isn’t already cut into slender strips (about 1 – 1-1/2″ thick) cut it up.
Preheat the olive oil in a frying pan. When ready, add the beef strips. Sprinkle with a generous amount of black pepper. Brown the strips gently. Note: If you have a lot of meat bunched together you’ll get quite a bit of liquid but don’t worry, it will cook off, it will just take longer.
Add some fresh garlic and onions to the pan and sizzle in the liquid (you can add a little water if needed). Be careful not to have the heat too high. You don’t want to burn the olive oil, garlic or onions. Well, you don’t want to burn the beef either, but it can take more heat than the other ingredients in the pan at this point. Pepper steak is easy but you do need to be a little careful with your heat.
Depending on the cut of beef you are using, this could cook within 15-20 minutes, or for several hours. The more tender the beef you use, the quicker it will cook. Generally speaking, the less expensive the beef, the longer it will need to cook so it turns out tender. However, you don’t want it falling apart! So just pay attention to the meat.
You can start the sauce at any time. We like the beef to simmer in the sauce so we make it when the beef is browned and the garlic and onions are sauteed.
Here we are making our own sauce recipe by using different types of bottled sauces: barbeque, teriyaki and a dash of soy, as well as about 3/4 cup of water and a beef bouillon cube. The soy can make it terribly salty so be careful of how much you add, AND only add the soy at the last moment of cooking.
Remember, a good cook always tastes the food. So, taste the sauce once it’s had a chance to cook for a few minutes (but not if the beef is still raw). If it’s too sweet, add a squirt or two of mustard. That always helps tame down sweetness in sauces. No need to mix these ingredients! Just drizzle each over the meat like this…
Once the beef is tender and the sauce has thickened, you can add the chopped green bell pepper. This is also a good time to start the rice (first) because they will take about the same time to cook (20 minutes), though if you like your peppers al dente (firm) let the rice cook for a while first.
And here you have it!
A delicious one-pot dinner: Pepper Steak with Rice…
