This easy cashew veggie stir-fry is loaded with a mix of vegetables including bell peppers, broccoli and mushrooms. Serve it with brown rice.
Weeknight dinner doesn’t get much better than a simple stir-fry. Please don’t tell all the sheet pan meals out there I said that because they’re pretty great too. Any recipe that packs in lots of veggies in very little time always has me coming back. They are what you need on repeat.
When I’m planning my meals and grocery list for the week ahead, I always slot in at least one stir-fry. In the moment they are so wonderful fresh from the skillet, and they make great leftovers that I can work into lunch or another dinner. I never mind a little repetition if it means efficient cooking and eating where nothing goes to waste.
This cashew veggie stir-fry is inspired by my childhood Chinese restaurant favorite, cashew chicken (or shrimp). Except I make it vegan, so it is a lighter version with a less heavy sauce. Anything you make at home is so much easier to guarantee will be healthier than what you order off a menu.
I go classic with the combo of broccoli and red peppers along with mushrooms. The best stir fry vegetables have a mix of flavors and textures. You certainly can make swaps and substitutions depending what you have in you kitchen, but always think about the sizes you are cutting everything and if these veggies will sauté in the same amount of time. It’s ok if you have to give a vegetable a head start before the rest of the group.
Other veggies I love in stir-fries include green beans, snow peas and snap peas. Don’t be shy about throwing in a few extras. It’s a fantastic way to use up whatever you might have in your fridge.
This is what you need for this vegetable stir-fry recipe:
The stir fry sauce is blend of ingredients that I like to keep in my pantry and fridge just so I am prepared when that stir-fry or fried-rice craving hits. I intentionally skip cornstarch to thicken it because I want it to turn out as if the veggies are dressed in the sauce and not fully coated.
This stir-fry is seriously nutty. Never one to be shy about my love of cashews, they are the feature protein for me instead of tofu, which you can add if you want.
Since this is such a quick recipe, I like to make the rice the night before and just warm it in the microwave. That’s because it takes far longer to cook the rice than it does the stir-fry, and I don’t want it to be the reason why I have to wait to eat.
If you are looking for a side dish, I love a cucumber carrot salad or an Asian cabbage salad with almond ginger vinaigrette.
Stir-fries always make great leftovers. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Then rewarm them in the microwave or eat them cold right from the fridge.
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Loved this recipe!! I don’t like mushrooms so I upped the bell peppers + broccoli I included. I also used a premade stir fry sauce that I had. Delicious and made for great leftovers!