Szechuan Pork and Green Beans
with cauliflower rice
Taking inspiration from the Szechuan region of China, this is a spicy dish of ground pork and green beans in a savory tomato-based sauce. Serve the saucy stir-fry in bowls over cauliflower rice which will balance out the spice.
Ingredients
- Cauliflower - 1 lb, chopped
- Butter - 1 Tbsp
- Garlic - 4 cloves, chopped
- Ginger - 3 tsp, grated
- Green beans - 1 1/2 lb, trimmed and chopped into 1" / 2.5cm pieces
- Bragg's / coconut aminos - 3 Tbsp
- Chili-garlic sauce - 1 Tbsp (sub any hot sauce)
- Green onions - 2 stalks, chopped, green and white parts separate
- Oil, sesame - 2 Tbsp
- Tomato paste - 3 Tbsp
- Stock, any type - 1 cup
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
- Pork, ground - 1 lb
- Lime juice - 2 tsp
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Garlic / Ginger / Green beans - Prep as directed and store separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Make Szechuan sauce - Combine garlic, ginger, aminos and chili-garlic sauce. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Cauliflower rice - (Skip if cauliflower rice was made ahead on Tuesday.) Chop off florets. Pulse in a food processor until it reaches a rice-like consistency. Place cauliflower into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 5 minutes, stirring midway through. Mix in butter and season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be done up to 4 days ahead)
- Green onions - Prep as directed. Store green and white parts separately. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
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Make
- Heat a wok over medium-high heat for green beans. Add sesame oil then green beans to heated oil. Saute for 6 to 8 minutes, until browned and blistered. Set green beans aside.
- While green beans cook, whisk tomato paste into stock.
- Return wok to medium-high heat and add cooking oil. Add white parts of green onions and Szechuan sauce. Saute until fragrant, ~2 minutes. Add ground pork and saute, breaking it into small pieces, until it begins to brown. Drain any excess liquid or oil from wok and return to heat.
- Pour tomato paste / stock mixture over pork and bring to a simmer. Stir in green beans. Simmer for 1 minute to let the flavors come together. Taste and add additional chili-garlic sauce if you'd like it to be more spicy.
- If cauliflower rice was made ahead, warm in the microwave.
- Serve pork and green beans over cauliflower rice. Top with lime juice and green parts of green onions. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
47 reviews
I was a fan, but the boys didn’t really like it. I cut the spice down so it wasn’t too much for them.
0 HelpfulThe whole family loved this one. I only used 1/2 t. of chili garlic sauce because I was worried about the spice, and it was just right for my little ones. Also baked the tofu first to give it a little more crunch and flavor, using this recipe: http://cookieandkate.com/2016/how-to-make-crispy-baked-tofu/
0 HelpfulVery good! I also used hoisin sauce instead of bean sauce. Also, I made about 1.25-1.5 times the Ma Po sauce to ensure all of the flavor was abundant in both the green beans and the main dish.
0 Helpful