Korean Beef Bowl
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Tastes like Korean BBQ and is on your dinner table in just 15 min start to finish! It doesn’t get any easier than this!
Featured Comment
Please welcome our favorited Korean beef bowls, one of our most popular recipes on Damn Delicious. This recipe is a special twist on the traditional Korean dish, bulgogi, but as a cheater version, we are swapping out thin slices of sirloin with ground beef. Bulgogi is also marinated overnight to enhance its flavors and tenderness but with this quick ground beef version, you can have the same flavors in lightning speed time.
why i love this recipe
- Weeknight hero. With a short ingredient list, these beef bowls come together incredibly fast. The cooking process itself takes just about 10-15 minutes, and if you have some leftover cooked rice lying around, dinner will be on the table in 20 minutes or less.
- Budget-friendly. Using pantry staples, ground beef and rice, this dish can easily feed a family of four without breaking the bank.
- Flexible recipe. Any lingering veggies (ex. chopped bell peppers, carrots or broccoli florets) can be thrown right in for a great clean-out-the-fridge meal.
tips and tricks for success
- Use reduced sodium soy sauce. Reduced sodium has less sodium and less salt without compromising flavor.
- Use your favorite meat. Ground beef, pork, chicken or turkey, tofu or plant based ground beef will all work very well here.
- Add vegetables. Mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers or snow peas can be added for a more heartier meal.
- More protein. In need of more protein? Top your bowls with a fried egg.
- Double the sauce. Need extra sauce for sopping with rice? The sauce portion can easily be doubled or tripled for those saucy folks!
- Serve with your favorite grains. White rice, brown rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa or farro are all great options.
- Meal prep as needed. Perfect for on-the-go, these Korean beef bowls can be conveniently meal prepped for the week ahead.
what to serve with korean beef bowl
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Korean Beef Bowl: Frequently Asked Questions
Not at all! Ground pork, chicken or turkey, tofu or plant based ground beef can be used in place of the ground beef.
Absolutely! Here are detailed instructions on how to meal prep this for the week.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop (adding a tablespoon of water as needed).
100%! This is one of our favorite crockpot recipes, perfect for those chilly months.
Korean Beef Bowl
Ingredients
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes, or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon sesame seeds
Equipment
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and ginger.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Stir in soy sauce mixture and green onions until well combined, allowing to simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with green onion and sesame seeds, if desired.
Video
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What is the nutrition facts on this recipe?
This was OK but not something I’ll go out of my way to make a second time. Family was neutral on it. Overall was sweeter than I like and had too much sesame oil.
Thank you for this amazing recipe! <3 So quick and delicious!
I do have one question – what could I add to get more sauce?
Thanks a lot!
My husband and I love this recipe we make this almost weekly! It’s easy, delicious, and great for meal prep!
I was really looking forward to making this based on reviews, but I found this too sweet and the family was just so-so with it. B
This is such a good, easy recipe, I’ve used ground turkey instead of beef a few times and my family gobbles it up!
Made this so many times and every time its a hit! Love it, had absolutely become a favorite amongst our family.
Excellent recipe
Some reviews mentioned doubling the sauce, but I don’t find it necessary if you’re using 1lb of ground beef. I used ground ginger and roasted the sesame seeds for one min until it’s golden brown. Added shredded carrots and served over rice. Delicious!!!
Very nice but felt it needed something at the end so added some fish sauce and half a lime. Delish.
This was delicious! I am not a good cook even after many years of trying and this was easy. It would also be easy enough for my kids who are learning to cook.
The flavor was very good. I used 1 tsp sesame oil and used ground turkey. Next time I will probably increase the sauce amount.
We make this meal almost weekly
So delicious and easy!
ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!!!
We add steamed broccoli in with the meat & sauce. It’s AWESOME!!!
Too much seasame oil- I’d put in about 1/2 tsp. and add if you see fit! Otherwise perfect !
Absolutely delicious! I added carrots and green beans. Yummo! Definitely making this again.
I never leave reviews but I have to tell you that I LOVE this recipe. It’s a regular in our rotation. I like to add chopped fresh green beans just to get a little veg in. As someone with picky kids, it stresses me out when my kids don’t eat dinner. I never have to worry about that when I make this. Thank you so much!!
My daughter said 10 stars!
I tried this recipe with Impossible beef amd it was so good! I doubled the sauce and added veggies.
I have used this recipe so many times to cook for my family and they all love it even some of the picky eaters eat it. Also it is so easy to make I’ve been making it for years and right now I am only 12.
It sounds like you’ve found a recipe that works perfectly for your family! Doubling it ensures there’s plenty to go around, and pairing it with steamed broccoli or rice sounds like a great way to balance out the flavors. The hot pepper paste addition must give it a nice kick! I’m sure your mom and son appreciate the delicious twist too!
This was so good! I doubled the sauce so there would be extra for the rice. My whole family loved it, and I can’t say that very often.