Ground Beef Zucchini Stir Fry Recipe With Pesto | Wholesome Yum (2024)

This easy zucchini stir fry recipe needs just a few common ingredients, 20 minutes of prep time, and you’ve got dinner on the table. My ground beef zucchini recipe super simple to throw together on a busy weeknight and makes for a quick all-in-one meal – the best type, don’t you think?! Salty, smooth pesto, flavorful ground beef and zucchini, along with a topping of creamy goat cheese come together in a delicious way.

This ground beef zucchini recipe was originally published on January 1, 2016, and the post was republished in August 2020 to add useful tips.

How To Make Ground Beef And Zucchini Stir Fry

This ground beef zucchini recipe takes just 5 minutes to prep and is ready to eat in 20 minutes:

• Cook garlic.In a large skillet, cook minced garlic for about a minute, until fragrant.
• Cook ground beef.Add ground beef too pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Increase heat to medium high and cook until browned.
• Cook zucchini. Add zucchini to pan and cook until zucchini is starting to soften and golden.

TIP: Don’t overcook the zucchini or it will end up mushy!

• Finish ground beef and zucchini.Remove from heat and stir in basil pesto. Toss with goat cheese and fresh parsley.

Common Questions

Can I use a different ground meat?

Absolutely! You could use ground turkey, ground pork, or even ground chicken in this zucchini squash stir fry.

Can I make this dairy-free?

Yes, you can easily make this ground beef zucchini recipe dairy-free. Simply omit the goat cheese and use a dairy-free pesto.

Should I use store-bought pesto or homemade pesto?

Either one will work! I love it with my simple 2-minute homemade basil pesto, but pre-made varieties will work just fine.

If you want to keep this low carb and are using a store-bought pesto, check the ingredients for hidden starches.

Storage Instructions

Can you make it ahead?

Ground beef and zucchini takes just 15 minutes to make, so I recommend making it fresh, but it will also taste great re-heated.

If you’d like to prep a few things ahead, you could brown the beef and cut the zucchini into half moons. Homemade basil pesto sauce can be made ahead as well.

How to store zucchini beef stir fry

Store ground beef zucchini in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Can you freeze ground beef and zucchini?

You can freeze zucchini and beef recipes, but zucchini will change texture a bit when frozen, so I don’t recommend it unless you really have to. If you do, leave off the goat cheese until right before serving.

How to reheat beef and zucchini

Reheat the zucchini stir fry in the microwave or a skillet on the stove, until hot.

More Easy Stir Fry Recipes

• Keto Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry – Like Chinese takeout, but without the carbs.
• Cabbage Stir Fry – An easy one-pan meal with cabbage and chicken that comes together FAST.
• Spicy Beef Stir Fry– To make this one low carb, replace the sugar with powdered monk fruit sweetener. I also prefer coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, but that’s up to you!
• Keto Chicken Stir Fry – A delicious Asian stir fry dinner, and easy to customize depending on what you have!

• Skillet – Only a couple of tools are needed to make this easy beef stir fry with zucchini, since the entire recipe is made in a skillet. This set is non-stick and are some of my go-to pieces in my kitchen.
• Meat Chopper – This tool (less than $10!) makes browning ground meat for ground beef and zucchini recipes incredibly easy! Love it.