Korean Beef Bowl

Korean Ground Beef:

The beef is the heart of my recipe. You can build your bowls however you want, but it’s the meat that makes it shine! You’ll need:

• Ground Beef – You can really use any type of ground meat you’ve got (like ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground pork), but this is a Korean beef bowl, so I recommend using beef! Thinly sliced flank steak or skirt steak would also work nicely, though.
• Olive Oil – For your pan. Any heat-safe oil will work.
• Garlic – I used fresh garlic for the best flavor, but you can swap in 2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder for convenience.
• Coconut Aminos & Beef Broth – Together, these make up the base of the sauce and give my Korean ground beef those savory, sweet, and umami flavors. I prefer coconut aminos as a healthier soy sauce substitute, but feel free to use conventional low-sodium soy sauce or tamari instead. You can also swap in bone broth instead of regular, for an even richer sauce.
• Sesame Oil – Adds a nutty taste and aroma. I prefer toasted sesame oil here, but regular also works.
• Seasonings – I add ground ginger for fruity sharpness, crushed red pepper flakes for heat, and sea salt because… always. You can substitute a tablespoon of fresh grated ginger instead of ground (saute it together with the garlic), or omit the red pepper flakes if you don’t want it spicy.

The Base:

I use cauliflower rice for my base. I love that it’s light and cooks quickly in the same pan as the beef, with just a little olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper. You can also use leftover cooked cauliflower rice or frozen cauliflower rice.

If you prefer your Korean beef bowls with regular white or brown rice, just cook it using your favorite method and use that as the base instead. They are amazing with my easy fried rice for something more hearty.

Toppings:

Feel free to customize these bowls however you’d like! I top mine with a fanned out cucumber, and a sprinkle of sliced green onions and sesame seeds.

You can mix it up and throw in shredded carrots, thinly sliced radishes, leftover stir fry vegetables or sauteed broccoli, or a fried egg on top to make it more filling. Once, I even added sauteed shiitake mushrooms.

1. Cook the cauliflower rice. In a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat, cook the cauliflower rice in olive oil until tender. (Or just cook your favorite rice instead.) Transfer to bowls and cover to keep warm.
2. Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut aminos, beef broth, sesame oil, ground ginger, and red pepper flakes. Set aside, but make sure it’s nearby and ready to go!
3. Brown the beef. Add the ground beef to the pan and cook over medium-high heat, until browned.
4. Saute the garlic. Push the beef to the sides of the pan, and add the minced garlic. Saute until fragrant, then mix into the beef.
5. Add the sauce. Pour the sauce over the beef, bring to a boil, then simmer until most of it absorbs into the meat.
6. Assemble your Korean ground beef bowls. Top each bowl with the ground beef and fan out the sliced cucumbers. Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.

Storage & Meal Prep

• Store: You can store your Korean ground beef on its own in the fridge for up to 5 days, but if you’ve already assembled the bowls, they are best within 2-3 days. So far, my fave way to repurpose leftovers was when I stuffed the meat into lettuce wraps with taco slaw and spicy mayo. Seriously amazing!
• Meal prep: Korean beef bowls make great meal prep lunches! I portion them into these glass meal prep containers, which are the perfect size for them. Add the cucumbers and green onions fresh if you can.
• Reheat: I prefer to reheat in the microwave if I’ve got the bowl in a meal prep container (just don’t heat the cucumbers, ha), but for the beef by itself, it tastes better heated in a skillet with a little extra oil.
• Freeze: You can freeze the cauliflower rice and ground beef separately for up to 3-4 months.

More Healthy Asian-Inspired Bowls

If you love a good bowl meal like I do, try one of my other easy ones next time:

Hunan Beef

Thai Beef Salad

Salmon Bowl

Teriyaki Chicken Bowl

My Tools For This Recipe

• Large Skillet – This wok is great for lots of surface area, but I just used my basic ceramic skillet this time.
• Stainless Chopsticks – Not required, of course, but I love these for all my Asian meals. They are shown in my pictures above.