Easy Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein with Spaghetti

Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein is one of those meals we keep coming back to in our RV. Tender strips of beef, fresh broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and spaghetti noodles are tossed together in a savory homemade sauce for an easy dinner that’s loaded with flavor.

Yes, we said spaghetti noodles.

Traditional lo mein uses Chinese egg noodles, but living and traveling full-time in an RV has taught us that sometimes simpler is better. Spaghetti is inexpensive, available in just about every grocery store, easy to keep in the RV pantry, and works great in this recipe.

We’ve made this Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein several different ways over the years. Our original version was cooked on the RV stovetop using our Magma Pots & Pans. More recently, we’ve been making it in our Presto Electric Skillet, which gives us a huge cooking surface for the beef, broccoli, and sauce.

Either way, it makes a hearty meal with everything already in the dish—including the noodles—so there’s no need to make rice or another side to go with it.

This post contains affiliate links. As a participant in Amazon Associates and various affiliate programs, we are compensated when qualifying purchases are made through our referral links at no additional cost to you. Full Disclosure

Why We Love This Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein

There are plenty of nights when we want a good dinner without making something complicated. This is one of those recipes.

The spaghetti makes it filling, the broccoli and tomatoes add plenty of vegetables, and the beef turns it into a substantial dinner. Everything gets coated in the same savory sauce before the noodles are tossed in at the end.

Another thing we like is that it’s easy to adapt to the equipment we’re using. We’ve cooked it on our RV stovetop and in our electric skillet, and both methods work well.

And leftovers don’t go to waste. We usually make enough to have some the next day.

Why We Use Spaghetti Instead of Lo Mein Noodles

One thing we’ve learned from living full-time in an RV since 2019 is that simplifying things can make life a lot easier—especially when it comes to cooking.

That’s why we use regular spaghetti in our Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein instead of buying traditional lo mein noodles.

Spaghetti is easy to find whether we’re shopping at a large supermarket or picking up groceries in a smaller town. It also means one less specialty ingredient taking up space in our RV pantry.

Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions, drain it, and it’s ready to toss into the skillet with the beef, broccoli, tomatoes, and sauce.

Simple.

And after making this recipe this way for years, we don’t feel like we’re missing anything.

What You’ll Need

The complete ingredient amounts are in the recipe card below, but the dish comes together from a few main components:

Beef: Thin strips work best because they cook quickly and give you beef throughout the noodles rather than a few large pieces.

Broccoli: We use plenty of broccoli florets. A large electric skillet gives us enough room to cook a good-sized batch without trying to cram everything into a small pan.

Cherry tomatoes: These aren’t something you’ll find in every Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein recipe, but they’re part of ours. They add a little sweetness and color to the finished dish.

Spaghetti: Our easy RV-friendly stand-in for traditional lo mein noodles.

Homemade sauce: This is what brings the beef, vegetables, and noodles together. We mix the sauce before adding it to the skillet so it’s ready to go when we need it.

How We Make Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein

We like to have everything prepped before we start cooking. Once the skillet gets hot, the different stages move along pretty quickly.

Prep the Ingredients

Before you start cooking, get all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go. Once the beef hits the hot skillet, this recipe moves pretty quickly, so it’s much easier to have everything measured, chopped, and within reach.

Slice the beef into strips, cut the broccoli into florets, prepare the cherry tomatoes, and measure the ingredients for the sauce. You can also get the water heating for the spaghetti while you’re finishing the rest of the prep.

Make the Sauce

Mix the sauce ingredients together before you begin cooking and set the sauce aside.

Having it ready is especially helpful because once the broccoli starts cooking, you’ll be adding the sauce, returning the beef to the skillet, adding the tomatoes, and eventually tossing everything with the spaghetti.

Marinate the Beef

Once the beef is sliced, prepare the marinade and toss it with the beef until the pieces are well coated.

Let the beef marinate 30 minutes while you finish preparing the vegetables, sauce, and other ingredients. That way, the marinating time overlaps with the rest of the prep rather than adding unnecessary time to the recipe.

Cook the Spaghetti

Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions while preparing the rest of the meal.

Set the cooked spaghetti aside until the end. There’s no need to make rice or another starch—the spaghetti becomes the noodles for our simplified version of Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein.

Brown the Beef

Heat the electric skillet and add the beef.

Spread the pieces around the cooking surface instead of leaving them piled together. The large surface of our Presto Electric Skillet works especially well here because there’s plenty of room for the beef.

Cook until the beef is browned, then remove it from the skillet and set it aside while you prepare the broccoli and sauce.

Cook the Broccoli

Add the broccoli to the skillet and cook until it begins to become tender.

We don’t want the broccoli cooked until it’s mushy. It still has more cooking to do once the sauce and remaining ingredients are added.

Add the Sauce

Once the broccoli is ready, add the prepared sauce to the skillet.

Stir everything together so the broccoli gets coated, and allow the sauce to heat and begin thickening.

Return the Beef and Add the Tomatoes

Add the cooked beef back to the skillet along with the cherry tomatoes.

Stir everything together until the beef and vegetables are coated with sauce and heated through.

Toss in the Spaghetti

Finally, add the cooked spaghetti.

Toss everything together until the noodles are thoroughly coated with the sauce and distributed throughout the beef and vegetables.

This is where it goes from Beef and Broccoli to our version of Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein.

Making Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein in Our Electric Skillet

We’ve made this recipe on our RV stovetop for years, but our Presto 06857 16-Inch Electric Foldaway Skillet has become one of our favorite ways to prepare meals like this.

The biggest advantage for this recipe is simply space.

We doubled the recipe for the batch shown in these photos because we wanted plenty of leftovers for lunch. Even with a double batch, our 16-inch Presto Electric Skillet gave us enough room to cook the beef and broccoli and then combine everything with the tomatoes, sauce, and spaghetti.

There’s a lot going into this meal. Once you combine the beef, broccoli, tomatoes, sauce, and spaghetti, a smaller skillet gets crowded quickly. The 16-inch Presto gives us a large cooking surface and enough room to toss everything together at the end.

We still cook the spaghetti separately, so we wouldn’t call this a one-pan meal. But almost everything else is cooked in the electric skillet.

It also lets us cook on the RV countertop instead of having everything crowded around the stovetop.

You Don’t Need an Electric Skillet

An electric skillet is convenient, but you definitely don’t need to buy one just to make this recipe.

Before we started making this recipe in the Presto, we cooked our Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein on the RV stovetop using our Magma Pots & Pans. The basic process is the same, so an electric skillet isn’t necessary if you’d rather use a large skillet or your regular cookware.

The basic process is the same: cook the spaghetti separately, brown the beef, cook the broccoli, add the sauce and remaining ingredients, and combine everything with the noodles at the end.

Use whichever method works best in your kitchen.

Our Tips for Making Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein

Have everything ready before you start. Measure the sauce ingredients, cut the broccoli and tomatoes, and have the beef ready to go. Once cooking starts, it’s easier when you aren’t stopping to prep the next ingredient.

Don’t overcrowd the beef if you can avoid it. Giving the beef some room against the hot cooking surface helps it brown rather than just steam.

Don’t overcook the broccoli. Remember that it continues cooking after the sauce and other ingredients are added.

Cook the spaghetti separately. This gives you much better control over the noodles and keeps them from absorbing too much liquid while everything else cooks.

Wait until the end to add the noodles. Once the rest of the dish is ready, toss in the cooked spaghetti and give it just enough time to become coated in sauce and heat through.

What About the Leftovers?

We often double this recipe specifically so we’ll have leftovers. When we made the batch shown in these photos, we packed some leftover Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein into our Travelisimo Heated Lunchbox for lunch the next day while gate-guarding.

One of the benefits of making a big batch is having lunch already taken care of.

That’s one of the realities of how we cook in the RV: if we’re already making a meal, making enough for tomorrow’s lunch saves us from having to cook again.

The noodles, beef, broccoli, and sauce are already together, so there’s nothing else we need to pack with it.

A Better-Than-Takeout Dinner We Can Make Anywhere

This recipe has changed a little in how we prepare it over the years, but the reason we continue making it hasn’t.

It’s simple, filling, and uses ingredients we can find almost anywhere.

Using spaghetti instead of traditional lo mein noodles is a perfect example of how we cook after years of full-time RV living. We aren’t trying to make things complicated just for the sake of doing them the traditional way. If an easy substitution works well, tastes good, and means one less specialty ingredient we need to track down or store in the RV, we’re happy to make it.

And judging by how quickly this Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein disappears when we make it, spaghetti works just fine.

More Recipes From Our RV Kitchen

If you enjoyed this Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein, here are a few more meals we make in our RV kitchen:

• Shanghai Angus Steak with Asparagus and Mushrooms — another savory beef dinner we make in our Presto Electric Skillet.
• Sweet Fire Chicken — our better-than-takeout version of the Panda Express favorite, with crispy chicken, pineapple, peppers, and sweet chili sauce.
• Spicy Chicken Rigatoni — a hearty pasta dinner when we’re craving something with a little kick.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a different cut of beef for Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein?

Yes. We normally use top sirloin for our Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein, but you can use other cuts of beef. Look for a cut that can be sliced into thin strips and cooks well over relatively high heat. Whatever cut you choose, slicing the beef thinly helps it cook quickly and makes it easier to get a little beef in every bite.

Can I leave the tomatoes out?

Absolutely. We like adding cherry tomatoes to our Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein, but they’re completely optional. If you don’t like tomatoes, don’t have any on hand, or simply prefer your lo mein without them, leave them out. You don’t need to make any other changes to the recipe.

Can I add other vegetables?

Yes. This is an easy recipe to customize with vegetables you already have on hand. Bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, carrots, or snow peas would all work well with the beef, broccoli, noodles, and savory sauce. Just keep in mind that different vegetables have different cooking times, so add them to the skillet accordingly.

What can I substitute for broccoli?

If you don’t have broccoli or want to change things up, you can substitute another stir-fry-friendly vegetable or a combination of vegetables. Cauliflower, bell peppers, snow peas, or mixed stir-fry vegetables are easy options. Of course, at that point it isn’t really Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein anymore—but it’ll still make dinner!

Can I make this Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein spicier?

Yes. Our recipe already includes crushed red pepper flakes to give the Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein a little heat. If you like your food with more of a kick, simply increase the amount of crushed red pepper flakes to suit your taste.

Final Thoughts

Our Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein is a good example of how we like to cook in the RV—keep things simple, use ingredients we can find almost anywhere, and still make a really good meal.

Using spaghetti instead of traditional lo mein noodles means we don’t have to hunt down a specialty ingredient or find extra room for it in our RV pantry. We’ve made this recipe on our RV stovetop with our Magma cookware and now in our Presto Electric Skillet, and both methods work great.

Best of all, we usually make enough to have leftovers. This time, some of our Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein went straight into our Travelisimo Heated Lunchbox for lunch the next day while we were gate guarding.

If you make this recipe, let us know how it turned out—and whether you kept the crushed red pepper where it is or gave it a little extra kick!