Thai Basil Ground Beef Skillet

Name: Thai Basil Ground Beef Skillet
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 33 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Thai-Inspired
Ingredients: 3.5 lb lean ground beef; 10 cloves garlic cloves; 4 whole Thai or serrano chilies; 3 medium shallots; 1 lb green beans; 0.33 cup fish sauce; 3 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp oyster sauce; 2 tbsp brown sugar; 0.5 cup beef broth; 2 cups fresh Thai basil; 3 cups jasmine rice; 3 tbsp vegetable oil

Garlic-chili ground beef simmered with green beans and basil over jasmine rice

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 18 min
Serves 8
Difficulty: easy

Ground beef browns hard with garlic and chilies, then simmers with green beans in a savory-sweet fish sauce mixture until the sauce reduces and clings, finished with a big handful of basil folded in off heat.

Why crews like it: Tastes like a takeout order but comes together in one skillet — and actually holds if a call pulls the crew mid-cook, because the sauce just keeps reducing instead of overcooking the way a flash stir-fry would.

850Cal

60gProtein

67gCarbs

40gFat

Ingredients

3.5 lb lean ground beef
10 cloves garlic cloves
4 whole Thai or serrano chilies
3 medium shallots
1 lb green beans
0.33 cup fish sauce
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
0.5 cup beef broth
2 cups fresh Thai basil
3 cups jasmine rice
3 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

Cook the rice: Rinse jasmine rice until water runs clear. Cook with a pinch of salt per package directions; fluff and hold covered while the skillet comes together.
Mix the sauce: Stir together fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, and beef broth in a bowl so it's ready to pour in one motion.
Brown the beef: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add beef in a flat layer, let it sear undisturbed 2 minutes before breaking apart, cooking 6–7 minutes until deeply browned with no pink.
Add aromatics and green beans: Push beef to one side, add garlic, chilies, and shallots to the cleared space; cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add green beans, stir everything together, cook 2–3 minutes until beans start to soften.
Simmer until saucy: Pour in the sauce mixture, bring to a simmer, and cook 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender and the sauce has reduced and clings to the beef instead of pooling. This stage is forgiving — it can hold at a low simmer a few extra minutes if needed.
Finish with basil: Kill the heat, fold in basil until just wilted — overcooked basil turns bitter and black.

Tonight's spread

Fried egg station.
Cucumber slices with a squeeze of lime.

Hall tips

Reduce chilies to 2 for a milder version—offer sriracha at the line for heat seekers.
A fried egg with a runny yolk on top makes this feel like a proper Thai street-food plate.
This skillet can hold on low heat, covered, for up to 15 extra minutes if a call comes in—the sauce just reduces further, no harm done.

Meal prep

Chop garlic and chilies ahead. This one can simmer a few extra minutes without ruining the dish. Station: Brown the beef hard first, then let the sauce actually simmer and reduce — this is a skillet that can wait on the stove, not a 90-second flash-fry. Station: Add basil off heat at the very end so it stays bright green, not wilted and black. Station: If a call interrupts after the sauce goes in, just cover and hold on low — it won't overcook the way a stir-fry would.

Leftovers

Reheats well in a skillet or microwave—the sauce keeps the beef from drying out the way a plain flash stir-fry would.
Stuff into lettuce cups for a lighter next-day lunch.

Large deep skillet
Rice pot