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Szechuan Pork & Green Bean Stir Fry

Name: Szechuan Pork & Green Bean Stir Fry
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup chicken stock; 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar; 2 tbsp coconut aminos ((or tamari/soy sauce)); 2 tbsp honey ((or 2 medjool dates)); 1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil; 3/4 lbs green beans; 1/2 lbs ground pork ((or chicken or turkey)); 3 cloves garlic (minced); 2 tbsp finely diced ginger; 1/2 tsp ground szechuan peppercorns; 1 tbsp white sesame seeds; 1 tbsp dried red chilies ((optional depending on desired spice))

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This Szechuan Pork & Green Bean Stir Fry is a spicy one-pan dish packed with spicy flavor. It’s a great weeknight dinner you can throw together when you are short on time, and low on ingredients. Every time I make this Szechuan Pork & Green Bean Stir Fry, SA gobbles it up in minutes; it’s just so tasty! The green beans are quickly cooked until charred and then tossed with crumbly ground meat and a simple four-ingredient sauce. The pork absorbs the sauce, making each bite incredibly flavorful, and the green beans help lighten things up and add a bit of freshness. This is the best part of Asian cuisine, with its spicy sauce, delicious meat, and fresh green beans, and it can easily be modified to fit your tastes and likes. Enjoy this szechuan pork on a bed of white rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice, or even enjoy it with rice noodles to soak up all the amazing Szechuan sauce.

Table of Contents

Why You Will Love This Szechuan Pork and Green Bean Stir Fry

Ingredients You Need For This Szechuan Pork and Green Bean Stir Fry

Kitchen Tools You Need

How to Make This Szechuan Pork and Green Bean Stir Fry

Ways To Modify This Recipe

What About Leftovers?

Szechuan Pork & Green Bean Stir Fry

Why You Will Love This Szechuan Pork and Green Bean Stir Fry

This easy recipe has a cook time of less than 15 minutes!!! When it comes to fast and easy meals, this one is hard to beat.
The flavor! The szechuan sauce is the perfect combination of sweet, spicy and salty and the ground pork absorbs all of the delicious sauce for maximum flavor in each bite.
The leftovers are just as good on day two or three. Seriously, you are going to want to make extra because the leftovers are insanely delicious!
It is incredibly versatile! You can switch things up depending on what you have in your kitchen!
Double or triple the recipe to make a big batch to feed a crowd or for your own personal consumption.
This Szechuan Pork & Green Bean dish ticks all the boxes for anyone on a medically restrictive diet. It is gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, Paleo, and Specific Carbohydrate Diet legal. It can easily be modified to be Keto and Whole30.

Ingredients You Need For This Szechuan Pork and Green Bean Stir Fry

Chicken stock: Homemade chicken stock is amazing, but I love having store-bought stock on hand. I love Pacific Foods because it has a clean ingredient list. You can also use chicken broth or even pork stock or vegetable stock if that’s what you have on hand.
Balsamic vinegar: Balsamic vinegar will give this sauce a rich and zesty flavor. Just be sure to check the label to make sure it doesn’t have added sugar. You can also use red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or rice vinegar.
Coconut aminos: I love coconut aminos because it is gluten-free and has a delicious sweetness to it. You can also use Tamari as a gluten-free option, or soy sauce if you don’t need to skip gluten.
Honey: I love to use pure, raw honey in this sauce. You can also use zero-sugar honey if you are eating Keto, or you could use a couple of Medjool dates for Whole30.
Sesame oil: Sesame oil is a classic Sichuan cuisine oil that adds depth and an incredible nutty flavor. You could also use olive oil or avocado oil if you don’t have sesame oil on hand.
Green beans: I prefer using fresh green beans in this recipe because they have a better flavor and a better crunch. You can use French-style beans, Chinese long beans, or regular green beans. You can also use frozen green beans and get delicious results.
Ground pork: I love ground pork in this recipe because it has such a delicious, rich flavor. Ground chicken or ground turkey are a good substitute, or if you’re doubling the recipe, you could use two different kinds of meat.
Aromatics: Fresh garlic cloves and fresh ginger make the best sweet and savory classic flavor. Be sure to finely chop them both to release the flavor to its best level.
Szechuan peppercorns: This is where your spice comes in! If you don’t care for spicy, you can use half the recommended amount or omit it altogether. Szechuan (the same as Sichuan Peppercorns) peppercorns have a numbing and tingly result that may not be for everyone. You can find these in the ethnic aisle of your local grocery store or at Asian markets.
White sesame seeds: I love the small, crunchy texture that sesame seeds give, and they add a nutty flavor, too. You could also use black sesame seeds.
Dried red chilies: Dried red chili peppers add a smoky fragrance and mild spiciness to dishes. They can range from mild to spicy, and the smaller peppers tend to be spicier. They are not red pepper flakes. These are optional, as they will make the dish spicier. You could also use half the red peppers and half the Szechuan peppercorns if you want it less spicy, as a perfect balance of spicy.

Kitchen Tools You Need

Small Bowl
Whisk
Wok or large frying pan
Wooden Spoon

How to Make This Szechuan Pork and Green Bean Stir Fry

In a small bowl whisk together the sauce ingredients.
Heat sesame oil on high heat in a large skillet or wok. Once hot, add the green beans and cook for 4-5 minutes until the beans have begun to soften and slightly char. Remove the green beans from the wok and set aside.
Lower to medium-high heat and add the ground pork to the wok. Use a wooden spoon to break the meat up into a fine, crumbly texture. After the meat is cooked through and slightly golden brown, add in the garlic, ginger, and ground Szechuan peppercorns and leave to cook for 1 minute. Add in the sauce and green beans and leave to cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the white sesame seeds and optional dried chili peppers, and put in your favorite serving dish.

Is This Szechuan Pork and Green Bean Stir Fry Spicy?

I would give the spiciness level for this szechuan pork dish a 7 out of 10. This can easily be modified to be as spicy as you would like simply by using fewer peppercorns or chili flakes.

Ways To Modify This Recipe

You can add in more vegetables such as shiitake mushrooms, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, broccoli, asparagus or water chestnuts for a delicious crunch. Also bamboo shoots or bok choy would be a great addition.
Swap the ground pork for ground chicken or turkey for a very similar flavor profile and texture.
Reduce or increase the heat to your liking for this szechuan pork and green bean recipe. The szechuan peppercorns and dried red chilies are the two ingredients that give this szechuan pork and green bean stir fry its spice. You can easily add more or less depending on how spicy you want the dish to be.
For the sauce, you could also add hoisin sauce or try Chinese rice wine for a unique umami flavor profile that is amazing in Asian food.
Switch up the garnish by adding chopped green onions, peanuts or cilantro.

What About Leftovers?

The leftovers (if you have any!) of this Szechuan Pork and Green Bean Stir Fry are perfect for the next time you are craving Chinese cooking. Bring the pork and spicy green beans to room temperature before storing in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. If you want to store the leftovers for a longer time, you can freeze them. However, the texture may change slightly upon reheating, especially with the vegetables. For freezing, place the Szechuan pork in an airtight, freezer-safe container or use a freezer bag, ensuring you remove as much air as possible. Label well and store for 3-4 months in the freezer. To reheat, use a little bit of oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat until heated through. You can also warm this in a microwave-safe dish.

Here are a few easy stir fry recipes that you might enjoy:

If you make this szechuan pork and green bean recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!