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.
- 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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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.
I make these bowls often since discovering this recipe! I serve mine with sliced avocado, edamame, homemade pickled red onions, and a homemade spicy mayo (kewpie mayo + Thai chili sauce + sriracha + garlic powder and paprika). It’s sooo good!
WOW! What a great recipe! It is super simple, and quick, but the flavor does not dissapoint. One change, I went sparingly with the sesame oil from my experience from cooking with it. I made a double batch, and used 1 teaspoon as opposed to 4. Besides that, we used jasmine rice and it was a hit for the whole family. Thank You for sharing!
simple ingredients and delicious
I don’t usually comment on recipes but this was everything that was promised. Fast, easy, and delicious. I wanted to pair with noodles so I made an extra serving of sauce to toss noodles. I’m sure there was a way to stretch the first serving instead of doubling like I did to reduce sodium and sugar. I just didn’t want to risk it but if anyones tried this let me know.
Would it not make more sense to cook the beef first drain fat and then add other ingredients so you are not throwing away them when removing the fat?
But all that is cooked with the beef is garlic?
Simple yet packed with flavor and delicious! I amend it with extra lean ground turkey and cauliflower rice for a lighter dinner. Turned out great!
I’ve made this several times now and LOVE it,
Made it for Christmas for a vegetarian,….’note to self’, ” Tofu does NOT brown”.
Not nearly as pretty as yours but they LOVED it and I thank you again for it!
Entire family including my picky kids, has given it 2 thumbs up
This was awesome and quick for someone newer to cooking. With a rice this meat goes a long way 🙂
very very good
This was DELISH!!! My family loved it. My husband kept coming back for more little nibbles. He couldn’t stop eating it .
Followed the recipe exactly and it was AMAZING !!!
Very yummy, added julienned carrots and an egg! Family loved it!