Stir-fry beef and spaghetti

Preparation time: 50 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

3 plus 1 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce, divided
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon pepper
12 ounces boneless beef round steak, trimmed of fat and cut into thin strips
2 cups cold water
8 ounces spaghetti, fusilli, or linguine, uncooked
2 plus 1 teaspoons oil
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 large onion, cut into bite-size chunks
1 package (10 ounces) frozen cut green beans, thawed and drained
Toasted sesame seeds (optional)

In a small bowl, blend 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce with the garlic, ginger, and pepper. Add beef; marinate 30 minutes in refrigerator. In another small bowl, blend the remaining 3 tablespoons of cornstarch into the water; stir in the remaining soy sauce; set aside. Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain. Add 1 teaspoon of the oil to pasta and toss to coat. In a nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil. Add meat mixture and stir-fry 1 minute. Remove meat from pan. Add carrots and onion and stir-fry until tender-crisp. Stir in meat, green beans, and the water and cornstarch mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is translucent and thick. Arrange hot pasta on serving platter and top with meat mixture. Garnish with sesame seeds, if desired.

Yield: about 12 cups
Serving Size: 2 cups

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:
Calories: 291
Carbohydrate: 44 g
Protein: 18 g
Fat: 5 g
Saturated fat: 1 g
Sodium: 713 mg
Fiber: 4 g
Exchanges per serving: 2 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 2 very lean meat
Carbohydrate choices: 3

This recipe was developed by Nancy Cooper, a Contributing Editor of Diabetes Self-Management. Nancy is a Diabetes Nutrition Specialist at the International Diabetes Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.