Grandma’s Chop Suey Recipe
Grandma’s chop suey recipe is a fabulous way to use up whatever you have on hand to make a flavorful meal. This quick stir fry is perfect for dinner any day of the week.
I love kitchen sink kind of meals.
You know, the kind where you throw together a little bit of this and a little bit of that and boom deliciousness is done.
This chop suey recipe is one of those types of meals.
You can use whatever leftover meat you’ve got on hand and fill it out with pantry staples and some veggies.
The result? A saucy, takeout style makeover of your leftovers.
What is chop suey?
Chop suey is a dish you’ll find in Americanized Chinese cooking.
It features meat and sometimes eggs cooked quickly with vegetables like bean sprouts and celery tossed in gingery sauce.
Ingredients
To make it you’ll need:
- Butter– Salted or unsalted. If you use salted butter you may need less soy sauce.
- Veggies– Peeled and diced onion, sliced celery, and canned bean sprouts.
- Olive oil– You could substitute a different light colored oil if needed.
- Cooked pork– I tend to use leftover pork for this, but you could sub leftover cooked chicken or even beef. The meat isn’t meant to be the main event in this. It’s more just for adding flavor.
- Garlic– Minced or pressed
- Salt and pepper– to taste
- Soy sauce– You could substitute tamari if needed.
- Ginger paste– You could also use fresh grated ginger if you prefer.
- Chicken broth– Veggie or beef broth would also work if you don’t have chicken on hand.
- Sesame oil– Just a little bit.
How to Make
The beauty of this chop suey recipe is that it is meant to be incredibly easy.
To do it, add the butter to large skillet set over medium high heat.
Once the butter is melted, add the onion and celery to the pan and cook until the onions are translucent.
Transfer the veggies to a waiting bowl or plate.
Then add the oil and pork to the hot skillet.
Stir the pork, cooking just until lightly crisped and then reduce the heat to medium.
Stir the veggies back into the skillet.
Then add all of the remaining ingredients to the skillet, stirring to evenly incorporate.
Cover the skillet with a lid and continue cooking the mixture until it’s cooked down and taken on all the flavors, roughly 8-10 minutes.
Stir it occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pan as you do.
Add water or broth, as needed, if too much liquid cooks out of your pan.
Serve the chop suey over a bed of steamed white rice, and enjoy!
Storing leftovers
Store the leftover chop suey in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on a pan on the stove or in the microwave until everything is warmed through.
Tips and tricks
- You want the finished chop suey mixture to be lightly sauced, but not soupy.
- If you want to fill the meal out, add a second can of beans. It may look like a lot initially, but they will cook down.
- Throw in whatever veggies you need to use up, and adjust the sauce accordingly.
- Other veggies that would work well in this include mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, baby corn, water chestnuts, and broccoli.
Other Recipes to Use Up Leftovers
This chop suey recipe is one of favorite ways to use up our leftovers. Make it and enjoy a round two meal.
Looking for other recipes to use your leftovers? Try these:
- Italian Wedding Soup Pasta Skillet
- Leftover Meatloaf Chili
- Grandma’s Ham & Swiss Pie
- Rotisserie Chicken & Rice Casserole
- Crockpot Ham & Bean Soup
If you’ve tried this GRANDMA’S CHOP SUEY, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Grandma's American Chop Suey Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 small white onion peeled & diced
- 4 stalks celery thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 -2 1/2 cups cubed, cooked pork
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp ginger paste
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 14 oz can bean sprouts drained
- 1/2 tsp sesame oi
Instructions
- Add the butter to large skillet set over medium high heat. Once melted, stir in the onion & celery. Cook until the onions are translucent. Transfer the veggies to a waiting bowl or plate.
- Add the oil & pork to the hot skillet. Stir the pork, cooking just until lightly crisped. Reduce the heat to medium.
- Return the veggies to the skillet, and stir them in to evenly combine.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients to the skillet, stirring to evenly incorporate.
- Cover the skillet with a lid and continue cooking the mixture until it's cooked down and taken on all the flavors, roughly 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally & scraping the bottom of the pan as you do. Add water or broth, as needed, if too much liquid cooks out of your pan.
- Serve the chop suey over a bed of steamed white rice, and enjoy!
Nutrition
