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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.

20 Minute Korean Gochujang Beef Bowls | halfbakedharvest.com

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.

20 Minute Korean Gochujang Beef Bowls | halfbakedharvest.com

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.

20 Minute Korean Gochujang Beef Bowls | halfbakedharvest.com

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.

20 Minute Korean Gochujang Beef Bowls | halfbakedharvest.com

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.

20 Minute Korean Gochujang Beef Bowls | halfbakedharvest.com

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!

20 Minute Korean Gochujang Beef Bowls | halfbakedharvest.com

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!

20 Minute Korean Gochujang Beef Bowls | halfbakedharvest.com

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

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
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

Cucumber Salad

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!
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20 Minute Korean Gochujang Beef Bowls | halfbakedharvest.com
This post was originally published on January 22, 2024
4.81 from 115 votes (45 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Made these last night and will be making them often! SO fast and SO good!! I didn’t have ginger so I left that out, otherwise followed it pretty closely. Really enjoyed it!

    1. Hey Jessica,
      Fantastic! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, love to hear it was a winner! Have a great Wednesday!

  2. Hi. I haven’t made this YET! But I would love to make this for my hubby who cannot tolerate spicy. I need suggestions on how to make this mild, yet keep the good Korean flavors.

    1. Hi Sandy,
      I would just use 1 tablespoon of the gochujang. I hope you love this recipe, let me know how it turns out for you!

  3. 5 stars
    Love, love, love this meal! I’ve honestly made this soooo many times times since I first found it almost a year ago, and here’s a few things I’ve noticed along the way:

    – I’ve made this with ground beef, chicken and turkey. Ground chicken has been my favorite, but the sauce flavors are so bold that this goes with any meat you prefer.
    – The pickled sushi ginger is a winner. I prefer it in this recipe over fresh or frozen chopped ginger. It blends in well with the sweetness of the sauce, and biting into it in the bowl is so good!
    – I tend to bulk out only 1lb. of meat with more veggies — I like to julienne carrots and zucchini squash, making this similar to bibimbap. Sometimes I throw in enoki mushrooms.
    – Definitely keep shallots over other onions; they have a mild flavor that blends well with everything in here, but onion works okay in a pinch.
    – The cooking times for the sauce to get “thick” takes longer than listed—the sauce will also thicken a bit more as the food cools.
    – The maple syrup is great, I tend to prefer it, but the honey makes this taste closer to a Korean recipe.
    – Garnishing with roasted peanuts is so good, nice way to add a crunch and more protein! But it definitely doesn’t need them.
    – This tastes even better the next day as a leftover, and it freezes well.

    1. Hey Britta,
      Fantastic! Thanks for trying this recipe, I’m so glad to hear you liked it! Thanks for sharing all of your helpful notes!