This weeknight dinner is a total mom win — flavorful, quick to throw together on a buys night, and officially baby-approved!
If your evenings look anything like mine — juggling homework help, kiddo snacks, baby dinner time, and maybe a dog or two circling underfoot — then you’ll appreciate a dinner that doesn’t require extra steps or fancy ingredients. This one is it.
Tender chuck roll beef, steamed broccoli, and fluffy Minute Rice come together with the sweet-savory glaze of Bachan’s Japanese Barbecue Sauce. It tastes like takeout, but it’s made with pantry and freezer staples and ready in under 25 minutes.
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The Dream Team Ingredients
Here’s what made this easy weeknight dinner come together in under 30 minutes:
• 1 lb Beef Chuck Rolls (I grab the frozen Certified Angus Beef pack from Costco)
• Bachan’s Japanese Barbecue Sauce – The Original
• 1 bag Frozen Kirkland Organic Broccoli Florets
• Minute Rice (fast and fluffy, and the kids can help measure!)
“Fast dinners that feel like takeout but taste homemade are the best kind of weeknight magic.”
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How I made it
1. Marinate the beef: Add the chuck rolls to a bowl and coat generously with Bachan’s sauce
💡 Tip: Let the frozen beef marinate in the skillet as it thaws briefly before turning on the burner – saves dirtying another dish!
2. Cook the beef: Pour everything into a skillet and cook on medium-low, covered, until there’s no red showing and the meat is tender.
3. Start the rice: Get your Minute Rice going at the same time — it finishes right as the beef does. I use a rice cooker – if I’m really short on time or don’t want to wash the rice cooker, I’ll pop a 90sec rice bag in the microwave after I steam the broccoli. Hey, busy mom hacks.
4. Steam the broccoli: Halfway through the beef cooking, pop the broccoli bag into the microwave for 5 minutes.
5. Assemble & serve:
• Kids’ plates: keep the rice, beef, and broccoli separate (because we all know how touching foods can be a dealbreaker).
• Adults’ bowls: layer rice first, top with beef, add broccoli on the side, and drizzle extra Bachan’s over everything.
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💡 Yummy swaps and quick tips
• Swap the broccoli for a veggie stir fry or other veggies your crew prefers
• For extra flavor, sprinkle sesame seeds or sliced green onion before serving.
• The meat and sauce makes amazing leftovers — try it over noodles or in lettuce wraps the next day!
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📸 In the Kitchen
🥄 Recipe Card Recap
Japanese Beef BBQ Bowls
Serves: 4 | Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: 20 min
Ingredients:
• 1 pkg 1lb Beef Chuck Rolls
• Bachan’s Japanese Barbecue Sauce
• 1lb Broccoli Florets
• Minute Rice
Instructions:
1. Marinate beef rolls in sauce in the sauté pan while prepping other ingredients
2. Cook the beef rolls on Medium/Low
3. While beef cooks, start rice
4. Steam the broccoli
5. Assemble & serve! Sprinkle sesame seeds or green onion to garnish.
✨ Final Thoughts
This was baby approved… but Henry, not as much, he’s still deciding. Still, this one’s seriously so good, hubs went for seconds — I’m calling it a win and adding it to our weeknight rotation.
Bon appétit! Loved it? Let us know in the comments below!