Quick Beef and Zucchini Skillet (Meal-Prep)
Beef and zucchini makes a quick evening meal or a great meal prep solution. Full of flavor and nutrition, it is ready is about 30 minutes.
This one pan skillet meal is a quick dinner. It is full of protein plus it’s gluten free and paleo and Whole30 friendly. It’s easy to turn this into four prepared lunches as well with meal prep instructions. I love meal prepping since it makes my weekday lunches so much easier. I’ve also been loving making this Meal Prep Recipe for Chicken and Vegetables, Low Carb Chicken Meal Prep Bowls, and Garlic Shrimp and Veggies Meal Prep Bowls. You can meal prep almost anything like this Whole30 Pot Roast Recipe by portioning it out into containers for the week!
This meal is also versatile. You can change up the seasoning for a different flavor. Add some cayenne for a kick or lemon pepper for a bright taste.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Olive oil – or use any neutral oil of your choice. Avocado oil is a great alternative.
- Baby potatoes – you can also use sweet potatoes as well.
- Salt and black pepper – to taste
- Beef stew meat – cut into bite-sized pieces. I recommend using high-quality beef that does not contain any antibiotics.
- Seasoning: I use onion powder and Italian seasoning to season the beef and zucchini.
- Butter – use unsalted butter so it’s not overly salty.
- Garlic cloves – minced
- Zucchini – try not to get zucchinis that are too large as they tend to be watery.
- Fresh thyme – you can also swap fresh thyme for any herb of your choice.
What kind of potatoes are best for roasting?
Perfect oven roasted potatoes have a crispy crust and a fluffy interior. Russet potatoes get a very crispy crust and are super fluffy and soft inside. Yukon gold potatoes have a lower starch content so they aren’t quite as crisp. However, with their higher sugar content, they have more flavor.
Baby potatoes have been harvested before growing to their full size. This leaves them with a very thin skin and a sweet flavor. That makes them another great choice for roasting.
To achieve great tasting roasted potatoes, follow these tips:
- Cut all the pieces about the same size.
- Line your baking sheet with parchment paper so the potatoes don’t stick
- Spread them out as much as possible. Anywhere the potatoes are touching will not get crispy.
- Use high heat. I cook mine at 400F. You actually want the outside to get done faster than the inside.
What kind of meat do you use for beef and zucchini?
When you purchase a package labeled beef stew meat at the store, it could be nearly any cut of beef the butcher decided to include. Just ask if you want to know exactly what kind of cut it is.
Both the chuck and round cuts make great stew meat and will work for this recipe. These cuts are tough, but once you cut them in small pieces, they will cook nicely and become tender. These cuts have lots of connective tissue that breaks down as it cooks, leaving the meat tender and flavorful.
Don’t have any of those on hand? Try my Ground Beef Butternut Squash Meal Prep Bowls.
How to meal prep beef and zucchini
This is a great recipe to keep in mind for meal prep. It’s a simple meal, yet packed with protein, starches and vegetables. It’s all cook in one pan and can be stored together.
This recipe makes four servings. Once it is cooked and cooled, divide the meal into four portions and store. It will last in the refrigerator for four days. Your lunches will be ready to go when you are. Having these beef and zucchini bowls ready to go has taken so much stress off my plate. A few of my other favourites are my Ground Turkey Cauliflower Rice Veggie Bowls and Spicy Salmon Vegetable Meal-Prep Bowls.
The meal-prep container that I recommend:
In my opinion, glass containers are the best to store food because they don’t release toxic substances into your food like plastic does when used in a microwave. You are safe with glass containers. But, when you choose glass containers, please consider a few things like:
- Choose containers with leakproof lids to avoid spills.
- Buy a good-quality glass container that won’t break easily.
- Make sure it’s safe to use in the microwave and has freezer-safe tempered glass.
- And finally, buy different-sized containers because it helps to stack them easily and take up less space in the fridge.
Amazon.com has a huge variety of glass containers of different sizes, with or without compartments. Check them out here.
Recipe tips
- If your beef was frozen beforehand, make sure it is fully thawed before using so it doesn’t cook unevenly.
- Zucchini doesn’t take long to cook so try not to cut them too small or they’ll overcook.
- Try to cut the beef into similar-sized pieces so they cook evenly.
- Want to add more vegetables? Throw in a handful of spinach or broccoli! Mushrooms are also a great addition to this meal prep as well, like my Chicken and Mushroom Recipe.
- Want to make this spicy? Try adding some cayenne pepper or hot paprika instead.
More meal-prep ideas for you:
- Tuna Salad Meal Prep Bowls
- Meal Prep Recipe for Chicken and Vegetables
- Garlic Shrimp and Veggies Meal Prep Bowls
- Shrimp Vegetable Skillet (Meal Prep)
- Salmon Patties with Coleslaw Meal-Prep Bowls
- Easy Roasted Veggies Meal-Prep Bowls
- Low-Carb Shrimp Fajita Meal-Prep Bowls
- Spicy Chicken Meal-Prep Bowls
Quick Beef and Zucchini Skillet (Meal-Prep)
Ingredients
For the potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups baby potatoes - diced
- salt and black pepper
For the beef and zucchini
- 1 lb beef stew meat - cut into bite-sized pieces
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 garlic cloves - minced
- 1 medium zucchini - diced
- Fresh thyme
Instructions
For the potatoes
- Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. In a large bowl, add potatoes, olive oil, salt and black pepper. Mix everything very well to combine.
- Place the potatoes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until browned and tender. Turn potatoes after 20 minutes.
- While potatoes are in the oven, cook the beef and zucchini by placing steak bites, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper in a bowl. Mix everything together well.
- Add olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, place the steak bites in the skillet in a single layer. Cook for 3-4 minutes and don’t forget to stir. Add butter and garlic to the skillet. Cook for about 1 minutes or until the butter is totally melted and the garlic is cooked.
- Add zucchini and cook for more 3 minutes or until zucchini is tender.
- Remove potatoes from the oven and add to the beef and zucchini skillet. Mix everything well and garnish with fresh thyme.
Meal-prepping
- Place an even amount of beef, zucchini and potatoes into 4 different medium glass containers. Cover with the lid and place in the fridge for up to 4 days. Heat in the microwave for about 1.5 or 2 minutes. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
If you make this recipe, follow @primaverakitchen on Instagram, snap a photo and hashtag it #primaverakitchen. I'd love to see what you're making!
Question…where do you use the 1/2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning?
I just adjusted the recipe to clear further confusion. Thanks for pointing it out!
Where can I put the amount of people so I can get the right amount of ingredients. I no longer see that option?
It’s on the recipe box.
I found this recipe on IG and tried it for dinner last night. It was delicious and easy to make. I will be trying more of your recipes!
That’s awesome. Thanks a lot for leaving your feedback. I truly appreciate it 😉
The recipe calls for 3 cloves of garlic. Do these not need to be minced or sliced or something first before cooking? The whole recipe just has three cloves, which while adding flavor I would not want to bite into an entire one in my meal. When I try this recipe, I’ll be mincing my garlic. Thanks for the yummy recipes!
It’s minced. I just adjusted the recipe to clear further confusion. Thanks for pointing it out!
Do you prefer salted butter or unsalted? I am currently making the recipe and i hope it comes out good!
I prefer to cook with unsalted butter!
Loved this! Thanks so much for this recipe!
You’re very welcome! Happy you liked it 😉
I absolutely love this recipe! <3 It worked out great for my meal prep. I think I will add mushrooms next time.
It’s a great recipe for meal-prep!
This is a tasty and easy recipe. I added string beans, shiitake mushrooms, and more garlic (because I can never have too much garlic). I left out the potatoes this time to reduce calories, but will likely add them when I make it again.
Sometimes I also make this recipe without potatoes too to reduce the amount of carbs, but to be honest I prefer this recipe with potatoes. So good!
What’s the best way to make it so the meat is more tender? I found the meat to be very tough.
Cook the meat first, set aside and then cook the veggies. When the veggies are done, bring the beef back to the pan and mix everything well.