Being Nutritious

  • All Posts
  • About
  • Services
  • Media
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Nutrition Needs
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Services
  • Media
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Nutrition Needs
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Services
  • Media
×
  • Casserole dish with stuffed peppers in it.
    No Bake Chickpea Stuffed Peppers
  • Overhead image of whole eggless quiche in a pie plate.
    Eggless Quiche with Spring Veggies
  • Three small jars of smoothie, with straws.
    Banana Beet Smoothie
  • Bowl of lentil and mushroom stew, garnished with parsley.
    Instant Pot Irish Stew with Lentils and Mushrooms
  • Whole, unsliced loaf of bread, sprinkled with oats.
    Irish Wheaten Bread
  • Two tall glasses of a smoothie, garnished with a fresh strawberry.
    Pink Smoothie
  • Single muffin on a dish. A stack of muffins is visible in the background.
    Cinnamon Raisin Muffins
  • 5 peanut butter cookies with chocolate kisses in them, on a serving plate.
    Healthier Peanut Butter Blossoms
  • Bowl of white chili, garnished with sliced avocado, a lime wedge, and chopped cilantro.
    White Bean Veggie Chili
  • Overhead image of a bowl of cooked red cabbage.
    Slow Cooker Red Cabbage (German Style)
  • Overhead image of Halloween pasta salad in a dish.
    Halloween Pasta Salad with Spooky Mushroom Skulls
  • Pumpkin steel cut oats risotto in a heart shaped bowl, garnished with fresh sage leaves and chopped parsley.
    Slow Cooker Pumpkin Risotto with Steel Cut Oats
Home » All posts » Main Dishes

Simple Stir Fry

Updated: Jul 19, 2022 · Published: May 31, 2019 by Laura Yautz · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

I love a good stir fry! But they sure can be involved to make from scratch. And take out from the local Chinese restaurant isn't winning any awards for its healthful qualities, no matter how delicious.

Enter: my simple stir fry! From start to finish, this takes about 25 minutes to get on the table, and the whole family loves it. Plus, it's healthy! That checks all my boxes!

Simple stir fry

Start with a big bag of frozen stir fry vegetables. I get mine from Costco, but most other grocery stores have frozen stir fry vegetable mixes too. I always keep one on hand. Now I don't have to spend any time cleaning and chopping vegetables! And I don't have to buy 6 different kinds of vegetables. These bags are much more cost effective!

I used tofu as my protein, and the recipe reflects a great way to prepare it. I like to use that because it's already cooked and ready to go. Sometimes I just cut it up and throw it in the stir fry plain for an even faster meal. But you can use any protein you have that's already cooked. It's a great way to use leftover chicken, beef, or even beans like chickpeas or black beans.

I'll let you in on another of my time-saving strategies - I buy minced garlic in a jar. That's right. I find it cumbersome and a bit frustrating to chop garlic, and I dislike how sticky it becomes. Minced garlic is a fantastic time saver if you use a lot of garlic like me!

Another tip: Buy a fresh ginger root, clean it well, pop it in a zipper bag and toss in the freezer. If the skin on it is shriveled, you may want to remove it (use a spoon and scrape it off), but if it's in good condition, you don't need to bother. Then, when you need some fresh ginger, just use a microplane and grate it into your dish, still frozen. It grates much easier while frozen, and it will stay good for months in your freezer!

Note that even with low sodium soy sauce, the total sodium content of this meal is a little over what I'd normally recommend. To manage this, there are a few options you might want to consider: Be extra mindful of sodium intake the rest of the day, use less soy sauce that the recipe calls for, or cut your low sodium soy sauce with half water.

Do you have any time-saving tricks? I'd love to know!

📖 Recipe

Simple Stir Fry

Laura Yautz
Fast and healthy - the name of the game on weeknights!
No ratings yet
Prevent your screen from going dark
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved Recipe!
Total Time 25 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian-Inspired, Chinese
Servings 4
Calories 383 kcal

Ingredients
  

Sesame Soy Baked Tofu (can be made up to a few days ahead)

  • 1 tablespoon Toasted Sesame Oil
  • 1 tablespoon Low Sodium Soy Sauce
  • 2 teaspoon Rice Vinegar
  • 2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper, or to taste
  • 1 block (14 oz) Extra Firm Tofu, drained, pressed, and sliced

Stir Fry

  • 1 tablespoon Toasted Sesame Oil
  • 1 teaspoon Grated Ginger
  • 4 Garlic Cloves, minced
  • 10-12 cups Frozen Stir Fry Vegetable Mix
  • ¼ cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce

Instructions
 

Sesame-Soy Baked Tofu (disregard if using another protein option)

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Make the Baked Tofu by adding the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
  • Arrange tofu slices in a 9x12 baking dish, and pour sauce over the slices. Flip slices once to coat.
  • Bake for 25 minutes, until edges of tofu begin to brown.
  • Remove from oven, and allow to cool enough to handle. Cut into cubes of desired size.

While tofu is baking, make the stir fry

  • Heat sesame oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
  • Add the grated ginger and garlic, and cook for a minute, stirring.
  • Add the vegetables and stir the pan. Put the lid on and allow to cook for a few minutes, until the vegetables begin to thaw.
  • Add soy sauce, stir, and replace lid. Reduce heat to medium, and cook 10-15 minutes, until the vegetables are hot throughout.
  • Add tofu, or other desired protein, and stir to combine.
  • Serve hot with brown rice or another whole grain you like.

Nutrition

Calories: 383kcal (19%)Carbohydrates: 44g (15%)Protein: 21.6g (43%)Fat: 13.7g (21%)Saturated Fat: 2g (13%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 6.7gMonounsaturated Fat: 4.2gSodium: 841.5mg (37%)Potassium: 712.1mg (20%)Fiber: 13.3g (55%)Sugar: 0.6g (1%)Vitamin A: 751.9IU (15%)Vitamin C: 31.6mg (38%)Calcium: 160.8mg (16%)Iron: 4.7mg (26%)

*Nutrition information is an estimate, and will change based on the brand and individual ingredients and amounts you use. This is provided for your convenience only.

Keyword healthy stir fry, healthy take out, heart healthy recipes, plant based recipes, plant based stir fry, quick weeknight dinner, stiry fry, Tofu, tofu stir fry, vegan stir fry, vegetable stir fry, vegetarian stir fry
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Simple stir fry pinterest graphic

More Main Dishes

  • Pot of vegetable stew with soda bread dumplings.
    Vegetable Stew with Irish Soda Bread Dumplings
  • Two quesadillas on a plate, with a bowl of salsa, garnished with avocado slices.
    White Bean Quesadillas with Caramelized Onions, Kale, and Butternut Squash
  • Overhead image of tetrazzini in a casserole dish.
    Vegetable Tetrazzini
  • Crispy tempeh appetizers on a plate with ranch dressing in a small bowl.
    Buffalo Tempeh Bites

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. Paula Bowser says

    June 04, 2019 at 10:59 pm

    Tried this recipe tonight. I used chicken breast in place of the tofu. Very good! This one's a keeper!

    Reply
    • Laura Yautz says

      June 05, 2019 at 11:48 am

      I'm so glad you like it! This is one of my weekly go-to meals, and I hoped it would inspire others, too! 🙂

      Reply
Laura Yautz in her kitchen

Hi, I'm Laura!

I’m a Registered Dietitian and I love food and cooking, It’s my passion to help you discover how delicious and easy heart healthy eating can be! I’m glad you’re here! Take a look around. You’re going to LOVE Being Nutritious!

About Me
Enroll in the FREE EMAIL COURSE to make your kitchen heart healthy!


Want to say thank you?

Seasonal Spring Recipes

  • Glass dish with three scoops of peach sorbet; garnished with peach slices and fresh tarragon.
    Peach Tarragon Sorbet

  • Overhead shot of a whole pie, with fresh peaches beside it.
    Fresh Peach Pie {no added sugar}

  • Stack of pancakes with strawberries on top, drizzled with strawberry sauce. A slice is removed from the stack to reveal the inside.
    Strawberry Banana Pancakes

  • Strawberry sauce in a small glass creamer, with fresh strawberries scattered around.
    Healthy Strawberry Sauce {no added sugar}

  • Small crock with prune compote inside it, garnished with small slices of orange and a cinnamon stick.
    Prune Compote with Warm Spices

  • Whole wheat drop biscuits on a serving tray.
    Whole Wheat Drop Biscuits

  • A green smoothie in a tall Mason jar with a metal straw. Cucumber slices and green apple pieces in the background.
    Apple Cucumber Smoothie

  • Stack of cookies on a plate.
    Cherry Pistachio Cookies

Footer

Sign up for free emails and updates!

Sign me up →
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact
  • Services
  • ↑ back to top

As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases. Your purchase helps me keep the lights on, at no additional cost to you! I never recommend products that I don't love. Thanks for your support!

Copyright © 2025 Being Nutritious. All rights reserved

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie settingsAcceptReject
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required