Korean BBQ-style Ground Beef Bowls

These easy-to-make Korean BBQ-style ground beef bowls take about 30 minutes to make. There’s no grill needed for the recipe! You make a sauce, cook some ground beef and stir everything together. Thanks to the tasty sauce, you get that sweet BBQ flavor that makes Korean BBQ so wonderful.

This is one of my favorite 30 minute meals. I think I’ve made it since 2013 when Chungah posted it on Damn Delicious. Over the years, I added mushrooms, onions, and sambal oelek. After you make this, I think you’ll understand why I love it so much. 

What you’ll need to make this recipe.

• Ground Beef. I use extra lean ground beef. You can also use ground turkey. 
• Mushrooms. You can slice them yourself or buy them pre-sliced.
• Brown sugar. Light or dark brown sugar both work. 
• Soy sauce. I use low sodium.
• Sambal Oelek. Adds a nice chili flavor. Add more or less depending on your heat tolerance. 
• Garlic. Finely mince the garlic to get lots of flavor.
• Ginger. This recipe calls for powdered ginger. If you have fresh ginger in the house, use it. Add about a tablespoon when you add the fresh garlic. 
• Yellow Onion. Adds a nice flavor and texture.
• Green Onion. I like to include some green onions in the ground beef mixture and then top it with a generous amount.
• White Rice. You can make it or buy prepared ready rice. 

How to prepare this meal.

I serve this these ground beef bowls with white rice and my frozen green bean recipe. Cucumber salad would also make a great side dish. Here’s how I put the meal together.

1. Start the white rice. This takes the longest. 
2. Cut up the onions, mushrooms, scallions, garlic, and, if using, fresh ginger. 
3. Prepare the sauce. Use a small bowl. It doesn’t make much sauce.
4. Cook the ground beef. 
5. After cooking the ground beef, cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Cook the frozen green beans. 
6. Fluff the rice, season the green beans, and top the ground beef with the remaining green onions. Serve and enjoy!

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Korean BBQ-style Ground Beef Bowls.

These easy-to-make Korean BBQ-style beef bowls take about 30 minutes to make. There’s no grill needed for the recipe. Thanks to the tasty sauce, you get that sweet BBQ flavor that makes Korean BBQ so wonderful.

Recipe adapted from Damn Delicious blog.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon sambal oelek, use more or less to taste
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger OR 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon oil or vegetable oil
• 1 pound extra-lean ground beef
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced, divided
• 8 ounces white or baby bella mushrooms, sliced

For Serving

• Cooked white rice, optional
• Green beans or cucumber salad, optional

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, water, sambal oelek, and ground ginger. If using fresh ginger, add it to the ground beef along with the garlic.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the ground beef. Cook until nicely brown, about 3-5 minutes. Crumble the beef as it cooks.
3. Add the yellow onions. Cook, stirring frequently until onions are soft and translucent. Add half the green onions. Cook until about a minute or until soft and fragrant.
4. Add the mushroom slices. Stir. Cover pan. Reduce heat to medium. Cook until mushrooms are soft, about two minutes. Remove the lid. Stir.

5. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. If using fresh ginger, add it now.

6. Stir in the sauce. Reduce heat to low. Cook until warm, about two minutes.

   If preparing green beans, you can reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cover the pan while you prepare the green beans.

7. Top ground beef with remaining green onion slices. Serve and enjoy.