I’ve been loving tasty and fun 30 minute dinners, and this bulgogi beef rice bowl is one you and your fam will all love. It’s got all the familiar sweet and savory components of beef bulgogi, but you don’t have to run and find specific thinly shaved beef that might end up being too chewy.
We use ground beef for a simple, no frills, no 6 hour marinade protein, and toss it with a super yummy, gochujang-sesame-scallion sauce. The beef can feel a little heavy on its own, so we’re pairing it with sautéed broccoli and red peppers, quinoa rice, and a light and refreshing cucumber pear salsa. The salsa is completely optional, but I love the crunch and freshness it brings.
If you happen to have leftovers of the ground beef, broccoli and red peppers, you can also make a this into a noodle dish the next day. Add this to a pan along with 1/2 cup of chicken broth and bring everything to a simmer. Reduce until the sauce is bubbly (add another tablespoon of oil if it’s not thickening). Then add some cooked noodles to this (the momofuku instant noodles would be great here, or any chinese wheat noodle), and serve.
The best parts about this recipe
- It uses ground beef, which is SO easy to find.
- Flavorful but still fresh and well balanced with the broccoli, peppers, and optional salsa.
- Start by making the rice, and this should be a 30 minute meal!
Table of Contents
- Ingredient Notes
- How to make Bulgogi rice bowl Step by Step
- Recipe and Cooking Tips
- Storage and Reheating
- FAQ
- Video Tutorial
- The Recipe
- Looking for more similar recipes?
Ingredient Notes:
Ground Beef – Most beef bulgogi recipes call for thinly shaved ribeye or steak. Those are great, but usually require a long marinade time, as well as a trip to the asian grocery store. I use a 1 lb package of ground beef – usually aiming for the 85/15. If you use a fattier beef, that’s also ok, you just might want to drain some of the fat to prevent the dish from feeling too heavy.
If you want to double this recipe, feel free to do so – everything scales proportionally, and leftovers make for a great addition to noodles!
- Substitutions – if you don’t eat beef, you can substitute any ground meat, firm tofu, or even a plant based ground protein.
Asian Pear – Traditional beef bulgogi uses some type of pear in the beef marinade to add a layer of sweetness. Since we’re not marinating the beef but I wanted to incorporate pear into the dish, I use an asian pear in the cucumber pear salsa. These are quite large so you can just use 1/2 a pear and snack on the rest.
- Substitutions – you can also use a regular pear, peach, or mango for this.
Korean spices (gochujang and gochujaru) – So yes, I did say this recipe was a easy breezy one since you don’t have to go to the asian store for the beef. However, the sauce does call for both gochujang (a fermented Korean chili paste) and gochujaru (a Korean red chili flake). I have this stocked in my pantry at all times, but if you don’t, these are actually quite common in all supermarkets in the asian section. I’ve seen them at Trader Joe’s which is pretty cool!
- Substitutions – You can substitute 1/2 the amount of red pepper flake for gochugaru if you cannot find it. Gochujang is harder to replace, but feel free to omit.
How to make the Bulgogi rice bowl– Step by Step Instructions:
Step 1: Start by making your rice or quinoa rice. This takes the longest amount of time, and should be finished by the time you make everything else.
Step 2: Prep the vegetables and aromatics for the sauce ingredients. Chop the broccoli into 1” pieces, the red bell pepper into thin slices, slice the scallions, and mince the garlic.
Step 3: Then, make the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a bowl or jar. Whisk or shake together and set aside.
Step 4: Heat a large pan on medium high heat. Add the ground beef and mince until browned and about ½” in pieces. Season with a pinch of salt, remove any excess fat as desired, then add in the remaining scallions. Cook for 1 minute until it becomes fragrant, then add in the sauce.
Step 5: Give everything a stir and cook for 3 minutes.
Step 6: Remove the beef from the pan and add the broccoli and red peppers. Cook for 2 minutes on medium high, then add in 2 tablespoons of water. This will help it steam and become a bit softer. You can skip the water if you prefer. Cook for another 2 minutes, then season and
Step 7: While you have downtime, or after the beef and broccoli are cooked, make the cucumber pear salsa. Dice the cucumber, pear, and cilantro, then add this to a bowl with the rice vinegar, sesame oil, and salt.
Step 8: Build each plate with a scoop of rice, scoop of beef mixture, broccoli and red peppers, and top with a generous couple spoonfuls of the cucumber pear mixture. Serve immediately, and enjoy.
Recipe & Cooking tips:
Tip 1 – If you’re using a fattier beef blend, feel free to use a paper towel to drain some of the fat before adding the sauce. If you see an excess amount of liquid (fat) in the pan, this will make for a very fatty end product. Keeping some (1-2 tablespoons is what I aim for) is ok, but too much will feel really heavy and greasy.
Tip 2 – Cook the broccoli and red peppers in the same pan as the beef. You can keep the beef in the pan if you prefer, or remove the beef from the pan and then cook the veggies. Either way works and will yield the same result.
Tip 3 – Make the cucumber salsa while the broccoli is cooking. Finely dice the cucumber and pear for the salsa for the best texture, but you could also grate this if you want it to be a bit more hands off.
Storage and Reheating
Storage: Store the cooked beef, broccoli, and peppers in an individual airtight Tupperware container. These cooked components should last in the fridge for up to 4 days. The pear and cucumber salsa can be stored separately, but will only be fresh for 1-2 days.
Reheating: Add the beef, broccoli, and peppers to a pan with 2 tablespoons of water a cook covered until warm, about 5 minutes. Reheat the rice separately, on the stovetop, or in the microwave if you’re in a pinch.
Freezing: You could freeze the beef and rice and defrost the night before you want to eat it, but I wouldn’t recommend freezing the vegetables. . Frozen and defrosted broccoli gets a little mushy, and do not try to freeze the cucumber pear salsa. It will not taste good and the texture will be inedible.
FAQ
Absolutely. The only thing I would caution is to store the pear and cucumber salsa separately. The rice, beef, and broccoli mixture can all be reheated together if needed.
You could, but I’d recommend marinating it for at least 30 minutes the best flavor and texture. This is a simplified bulgogi inspired 30 minute dish, and if you’re looking for a more traditional recipe, I’d recommend this one.
WANT HEALTHY RECIPE INSPIRATION SENT TO YOUR INBOX EVERY WEEK?
VIDEO TUTORIAL:
Recipe:
Print
Bulgogi Beef Rice Bowl
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
Description
I’ve been loving tasty and fun 30 minute dinners, and this bulgogi beef rice bowl is one you and your fam will all love. It’s got all the familiar sweet and savory components of beef bulgogi, but you don’t have to run and find specific thinly shaved beef that might end up being too chewy.
Ingredients
For the bowl:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 red bell pepper
- 5 stalks scallions, about 1 bunch
- 2 heads of broccoli
- 2 cups of Quinoa rice or rice
For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru
- 1 tablespoon gochujang
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Black pepper
- 1/4 cup of scallions
For the asian pear and cucumber slaw:
- 1/2 asian pear, thinly julienned
- 1 persian cucumber, thinly julienned
- 1 tablespoon cilantro
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Start by making your rice or quinoa rice. This takes the longest amount of time, and should be finished by the time you make everything else.
- Prep the vegetables and aromatics for the sauce ingredients. Chop the broccoli into 1” pieces, the red bell pepper into thin slices, slice the scallions, and mince the garlic.
- Then, make the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a bowl or jar. Whisk or shake together and set aside.
- Heat a large pan on medium high heat. Add the ground beef and mince until browned and about ½” in pieces. Season with a pinch of salt, remove any excess fat as desired, then add in the remaining scallions. Cook for 1 minute until it becomes fragrant, then add in the sauce.
- Give everything a stir and cook for 3 minutes.
- Remove the beef from the pan and add the broccoli and red peppers. Cook for 2 minutes on medium high, then add in 2 tablespoons of water. This will help it steam and become a bit softer. You can skip the water if you prefer. Cook for another 2 minutes, then season and
- While you have downtime, or after the beef and broccoli are cooked, make the cucumber pear salsa. Dice the cucumber, pear, and cilantro, then add this to a bowl with the rice vinegar, sesame oil, and salt.
- Build each plate with a scoop of rice, scoop of beef mixture, broccoli and red peppers, and top with a generous couple spoonfuls of the cucumber pear mixture. Serve immediately, and enjoy.
Notes
Tip 1 – If you’re using a fattier beef blend, feel free to use a paper towel to drain some of the fat before adding the sauce. If you see an excess amount of liquid (fat) in the pan, this will make for a very fatty end product. Keeping some (1-2 tablespoons is what I aim for) is ok, but too much will feel really heavy and greasy.
Tip 2 – Cook the broccoli and red peppers in the same pan as the beef. You can keep the beef in the pan if you prefer, or remove the beef from the pan and then cook the veggies. Either way works and will yield the same result.
Tip 3 – Make the cucumber salsa while the broccoli is cooking. Finely dice the cucumber and pear for the salsa for the best texture, but you could also grate this if you want it to be a bit more hands off.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Quick and easy, Asian
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
Leave a Reply