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Weeknight stir-fried 20 Minute Korean Gochujang Beef Bowls. Quick-cooking ground beef tossed in a sweet and spicy Korean chile sauce with caramelized shallots and bell peppers. Serve with a quick, pickled, spicy cucumber salad. Every bite is filled with deliciously flavored beef and just the right amount of spice – flavorful and easy.
The perfect Monday recipe for you all! When I was brainstorming new recipes for this month, I knew I wanted to focus on high-protein, quick, simple dinners. Dinners that would be exciting yet healthy and easy to cook.
When it comes to cooking a new recipe, what can often turn us off is when it feels scary or has an overwhelming amount of steps. I totally get that. I say no immediately if I look at anything with a mile-long ingredient list and even more steps.
So this month, to encourage everyone to be home, cooking more. I knew simple, healthy, and delicious dinners were the trick.
As I mentioned last week, my brothers have been home a lot recently. They love any kind of dish that’s stir-fried and spicy.
Gochujang (fermented Korean Chili paste) is an ingredient I know they love when I use it in recipes, so I just loved the sound of a Gochujang Beef Bowl. I knew I could make it quick and delicious.
Here are the details
Step 1: cook the beef
For this recipe to be quick, I used lean ground beef. You could also use ground pork or even ground chicken if you prefer.
Once you’ve browned the meat, add a slice of butter, lots of bell peppers or other veggies you enjoy, pickled ginger, and garlic. Allow this to cook until super fragrant.
Step 2: Add the flavor
Now, add the low sodium soy sauce. I use tamari, which is a gluten-free soy sauce. Then, add the Gochujang (fermented Korean Chili paste) and ginger juice, which I get from the pickled ginger jar. Or you can now buy ginger juice as well. I just found some at Whole Foods!
Let the sauce simmer and cook down until it coats the beef.
Step 3: caramelize the meat
The final step is to add the maple, or use honey, and let the meat caramelize, plus get crispy in the spicy chile sauce.
Pull it off the stove, then toss it with sesame seeds. YUM!
Step 4: the cucumber salad
I wanted to add a refreshing crunch, so I made a quick pickled cucumber salad using cucumbers, salt, Gochujang chile flakes (or regular chile flakes), and vinegar/ginger juice. Just mix in a small bowl and let it sit for a few minutes.
Simple Simple.
Step 5: serve with rice
Now spoon the beef over cooked rice, you could even use cauliflower rice, add the salad, lots of green onions, and the roasted peanuts. It’s best to serve this right off the stove while still steamy. But if you need to rewarm it, it’s still great. Perfect for our busiest times.
Hoping you guys love this Korean beef bowl as much as we’ve loved it. I’m already excited to make it again later this week!
Looking for other quick weeknight dinners? Here are some favorites:
Chili Crisp Chicken Mango Cucumber Rice Bowl
30 Minute Caramelized Shallot Beef Ramen Noodles
Healthier Homemade One Pot Hamburger Helper
Coconut Popcorn Chicken with Sweet Thai Chili Lime Sauce
30 Minute Sticky Thai Meatballs with Sesame Noodles
Better Than Takeout Sweet Thai Basil Chicken
Spicy Chipotle Honey Salmon Bowls
Lastly, if you make this 20 Minute Korean Gochujang Beef Bowls, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
20 Minute Korean Gochujang Beef Bowls
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 430 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef (or chicken or pork)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 bell peppers, sliced
- 3 shallots, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/4 cup pickled ginger (or 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger)
- 1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 2-3 tablespoons Gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 2 tablespoons ginger juice
- 2 tablespoons maple or honey
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
- 1/3 cup chopped roasted peanuts
Cucumber Salad
- 4 Persian cucumbers, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 1/4 cup chopped green onion/ Thai basil
- 2 tablespoons ginger juice or rice vinegar
Instructions
- 1. In a large skillet, combine the beef and a pinch of black pepper. Cook over medium heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the butter, peppers, garlic, shallots, and ginger. Cook 2 minutes.2. Pour over the tamari, add the Gochujang, ginger juice, and 1/3 cup water. Cook until the sauce coats the beef, 2-3 minutes. Mix in the maple/honey and cook another 1-2 minutes until the beef is caramelized. Remove from the heat. Toss with sesame seeds. 3. Meanwhile, In a bowl, mix the cucumbers with 1 teaspoon salt, the chile flakes, ginger juice, and green onions. Let sit 5 minutes.4. Serve the beef and peppers over bowls of rice. Serve with the cucumber salad and top with peanuts. Add spicy mayo if desired. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on January 22, 2024
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This was delicious! I had never cooked with Gochuchang before. I loved the unusual taste. I used fresh ginger instead of the pickled ginger and juice. Other than that, I followed the recipe. I will definitely make this again!
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! Hope you’re having an awesome weekend! 🙂 xT
Delicious!!! My husband loved it!!! Said it was one of his favorite meals!!!
Thank you so much Holly! 🙂 xT
Tasted good but the ingredient list does not match the instructions. Shallots are in the list but it’s not clear when they should be added. For the cucumber salad, the ingredient list specifies the gochujang paste but the instructions call for flakes.
Hi Susan! The recipe has been updated to give info on when to add the shallots, etc! 🙂 xT
This was delicious! I did notice the shallots aren’t mentioned in the instructions though. Thought you might want to know! I just added them in somewhere lol thanks for all of your awesome recipes!
Thank you Brittany! The recipe has been updated to show when the shallots go in! xT
The flavor was good. We could not find when to add the shallot’s
why did i cut up 3 shallots?
We all liked this!
Thank you! xT
This recipe was amazing – the flavors were so delicious!
Thank you so much! Always loveee to hear when a recipe is enjoyed! Have a great rest of your week! 🙂 xT
So so delicious!!! It was perfect!
Thank you SO much Dana! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! 🙂 xT
Just made this dish and it was a hit! Everyone loved it! Thank you for a great recipe.
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! Always love to hear when a recipe is a success! 🙂 xT
Looking forward to giving this a try, I love Korean food! Tieghan, where do you find inspiration for your Korean inspired dishes? Any favorite traditional Korean meals?
More context on your recipe development process might help answer a lot of questions and feedback listed below.
Hey Christy! We traveled to South Korea a few years ago, this idea mainly came from the bowls served at restaurants. But more than that, I just wanted to create a beef bowl using ingredients often used in Korean cooking. I put together a simple list of things I enjoy and started cooking! Thanks for this kind comment! Have a great weekend!
FYI: The instructions don’t include when to add the shallots.
Nice spice, easy to make, liked the addition of peanuts on the top, one large bell pepper would be enough. However, I wouldn’t make it again. It wasn’t special or memorable.
Did not make the salad.
Hi there! So sorry about that! You add it in with the peppers!
We loved this dish. However, I wasn’t sure when to add the shallots. Can you please confirm as it is not stated in the recipe.
In the video, she adds the shallot with the garlic.
Hi Jane! You add the shallots in with the peppers! 🙂 xT
Nicely done, as a celebration of a culture, not co-opting one! Keep up the great recipes.
But I also wonder what happened to the shallots(?)