Ground Meat & String Bean Stir Fry

Want dinner in a hurry? This easy one pan dinner idea has amazing flavors. This Ground Meat & String Bean Stir Fry can be served as is or over your favorite rice. It’s an easy stir fry recipe to customize too.

This easy dinner recipe can be customized to your tastes. Keep it simple or add other veggies in. It will not disappoin

Today’s recipe were funded by The Beef Checkoff . The funding that goes into the Beef Checkoff arms the beef industry with the research capabilities and knowledge necessary to drive demand for beef for generations to come. Every dollar helps promote beef around the world, elevate consumer trust with the latest news on nutrition and safety, supports cutting-edge innovation. In addition to beef, veal is also supported.

Veal farms are located near dairy farms primarily in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin.

What Is Veal?

Veal is nutritious, nutrient-rich meat harvested from calves typically 22-24 weeks old, weighing about 600 pounds.
Did you know veal calves, for the most part, are a byproduct of the dairy industry (dairy farmers sell male calves since they are in the business of producing milk which male cows cannot do). In my opinion, veal is delicious; it is more tender than beef and picks up the flavors used in its preparation.
To find more out about the three types of veal raised today, visit VealFarm.com.

As you can see these calves are not babies, one of these can easily push a grown man around.. Pictured these calves are about 450-500 pounds. They go to market at about 550-to 600 pounds.

Open barn filled with light and fresh air

Calves can go outside on some farms if they choose

Calves are fed a diet of milk replacer and some grain. Percentages vary from farm to farm.

Is Veal Healthy?

A 3-ounce serving of cooked trimmed lean veal is a good source of key nutrients including vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, niacin, riboflavin, zinc, selenium and choline.
What’s more, a serving of lean veal has just 170 calories, making it one of the most nutrient-dense protein foods around! Typically the higher the protein in your meal, the longer you feel full. Mission accomplished with veal on the menu!
In comparison…1 serving of lean veal has 27 grams of protein and JUST 170 calories. To get that much protein, it takes about…4 servings firm tofu (260 calories) OR 4-½ servings of almond butter (880 calories) OR 4-½ medium hard-boiled eggs (330 calories) OR 1-⅔ cups hummus (900 calories).

Easy delicious Ground Meat & String Bean Asian Stir Fry shown on spoon.

How Is Veal Raised?

Milk-fed veal calves are raised for 6 months and weigh about 600 pounds when marketed as veal. Other farmers and ranchers raise calves to approximately 1200 pounds and marketed them as beef.
Contrary to popular belief, today’s veal is raised in airy barns, full of light and fresh air, they are not tethered in any way. The calves have plenty of room to move about and buddies to play around with.
Practices such as castration, dehorning, and tail docking are not necessary in the raising of veal.
Additionally, hormone implants are not permitted for use in veal production.

Where does the “veal is raised in tiny crates or tiny houses and they can’t move about for the duration of their lives” come from?

You do in fact see hutches when you drive by dairy farms, and some ice cream stands on farms house calves…Those, are where “baby” dairy cows (calves) are being housed for the earliest parts of their life.
When a calf is born, unlike humans, they are born with zero immunity. Human babies pick up immunity from their mother’s placenta, while cows do not SO for that reason the first 6-8 weeks of their life both female dairy calves and male veal calves are in individual areas.
On veal farms, those individual areas may have a partition which after 6-8 weeks is removed giving them a larger area and companions. On many farms after that period, the veal calves are moved to larger group pens which house 6-15 calves. It comes down to the individual farmers and their way of caring for their animals.
To find out more, visit VealFarm.com

What Does Veal Taste Like?

Veal has a delicate taste and is very tender.
Most cuts of veal cook quickly.
In my opinion veal cutlets and ground veal pick up the flavor of the sauce you are making with it or from the ingredients used in the method of preparation.
Veal chops on the other hand shine when cooked on the grill or in a grill pan. They really don’t need much, just some seasoning and maybe a smear of sauce or a couple of spoonful’s of gremolata. It’s just so tender and flavorful!

What Recipes Can You Make With Veal?

You can do anything you want with veal, treat ground veal like you would any other ground meat, same goes for the cutlets.
You don’t have to have red sauce anywhere near veal if you don’t want it. Yes, every method of Italian cooked veal is delicious; however, there are so many more places you can take it. For a variety of veal recipes and videos, visit the Veal Made Easy website.

I have a Mediterranean Veal Burger on my site which explodes with flavors as well as a Veal Milanese Salad.

Easy Ground Meat & String Bean Asian Stir Fry

Did you know that when it comes to sustainability, the veal industry shines?

First, veal as food gives purpose to male dairy cows. Previous to the veal industry, often male cows were not kept around after birth.
When veal is harvested, just about the whole animal is used. For example, heart sacks are used by hospitals to create life-saving heart valves. Bones are used for mineral supplements, collagen is used for plastic surgery, hides for leather goods and blood for medical testing (like strep testing).
The veal industry also has an amazing animal traceability program. They can trace each calf from the dairy farm they were born on all the way to the package of meat in the store or at the restaurant.
Veal farmers know where their calves come from, how much of their mother’s colostrum they received (important for the animals’ overall health), they know how much each calf gets to eat during their lifetime (and separate a slower-eating animal from a faster-eating animal if necessary so everyone is well fed).

I hope this helped educate you more than you were when it comes to modern-day veal farming. And that if you currently do not cook with veal, for whatever reason, that you give it a try.

Please let me know what questions you have.

I have visited on multiple veal farms in 5 states and have learned from and chatted with those responsible for 70% of America’s veal production. From Amish farms to Mennonite farms to traditional family farming. I’ve spent time with multiple veal veterinarians as well, whose primary goal is assisting veal farmers in raising healthy, happy animals.

Do I Need A Wok To Make A Stir Fry?

No wok necessary!
You can make a stir fry in any skillet you have. I like to use a larger skillet when I make a stir fry.

Tip

When you are making a stir fry, it comes down to having a hot pan, a bit of oil and then quickly adding your ingredients and getting the cooking done fast.

20 Minute Meal Ground Meat & Green Bean Asian Stir Fry

Variations

You can add in additional vegetables if you like such as shredded carrots, peppers, snow peas, edamame, water chestnuts etc.
Serve over rice or enjoy plain.
You can also enjoy this stir fry as a filling for lettuce wraps or over chopped lettuce as a salad. I enjoy adding peanuts to mine as well.

Enjoy!! XO Colleen

Originally published August, 2019. Updated October, 2024.

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