Korean Bulgogi Ground Beef and Rice Bowls are the perfect weeknight dinner. This recipe takes only 30-minutes and is so easy for meal prep to save time!
Obsessed. I am truly obsessed with this dinner recipe. Is it possible to fall in love with a recipe? If so, this one did it to me. It’s my 30-Minute Korean Ground Beef and Rice Bowls. I love love love my original Korean Beef Tacos recipe, but this one is sooooo much faster to make! There is no marinating needed. The sauce comes together in just minutes and gets added to the ground beef in the pan for the most intensely perfect flavor.
The Soy sauce brings salt, the sesame gives nuttiness, the vinegar gives acidity, the brown sugar brings sweetness, and the ginger and garlic bring loads of spice and flavor!
This ground beef recipe is a great meal prep recipe and easy weeknight dinner to add to your Meal Planning Calendar on International Wednesdays!
Rice Bowls for Easy Weeknight Dinners
Rice bowls, Noodle bowls, Quinoa bowls, Poke bowls, Soup bowls, Salad bowls…they ALL make for an easy weeknight dinner! I love that you can create your own mix of ingredients when it comes to “bowls” so that everyone is unique and just exactly what you want. I also love that they can get you and the kids to try new ingredients and flavors.
Here are some links to some of my favorite Bowl Recipes!
- Black Bean Taco Bowls
- Family Chickpea Coconut Curry with Veggies
- Chicken & Seared Cabbage Salad
- Cauliflower Rice Bowl with Ham, Spinach, & Turmeric
- Creamy Cajun Bean & Cauliflower over Quinoa
These are just ideas, it’s really up to you to have fun with it. AND, include your kids! If they help to pick out the ingredients and prepare them, they are more likely to eat them.
To get more easy dinner ideas, check out my 30 Leftover Protein Dinner Ideas.
Quick note! This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you purchase from them. This commission is what helps me keep this blog afloat :). But, I also share these links because I have used the products, genuinely love them, and want you to know exactly what I used.
Simple Ingredients and Substitutes
Easy Korean Sauce
- Soy Sauce – I used regular Soy Sauce, but you can also use light soy sauce, low sodium, or Gluten Free. If you don’t have Soy sauce, you can add beef, chicken, vegetable, or fish stock or broth.
- White wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar – Most vinegars will work in this recipe. So if you don’t have tangy rice vinegar or white wine vinegar, you can use red wine vinegar white vinegar or apple cider vinegar. You can also use lime juice or lemon juice.
- Light Brown Sugar, packed – You can also use dark brown sugar. Substitutes are honey, agave, or white granulated sugar.
- Sesame Oil – Sesame oil is truly a unique and amazing flavor that is difficult to replicate or substitute with other ingredients. The closest that you can come to it is to use toasted sesame seeds. You can leave them whole or blend them in a spice grinder or even in a blender with a couple tablespoons of olive oil to make your own sesame oil. You can also just eliminate this ingredient from the dish.
- Fresh Garlic, minced – Fresh is best when it comes to garlic, but you can buy pre-minced garlic to save time or mince it in bulk and freeze it for use when you need it!
- Ginger – I love to buy the fresh root and then mince it in bulk in the food processor, so that I can freeze and always have it on.
Other Ingredients
- Lean Ground Beef – I used 90% lean ground beef. You can use any ground chicken, ground turkey, ground beef, or ground pork that you want. Instructions will be the same for all.
- Radishes – I love the fresh, peppery, cool, crunch that radishes bring to this dish. You can substitute or add shredded carrots, celery, or bell peppers.
- Scallions – or green onions – I love scallions for the green color and mild onion-flavor. You can swap with finely minced yellow or red onion or even shallots.
- White Long Grain Rice, uncooked – You can substitute with any rice that you have on hand, such as serving this over jasmine rice. You can also sub in quinoa, rice noodles, regular noodles, brown rice, or salad.
Simple Equipment for Ground Beef Bulgogi Recipe
For this recipe, you need a large skillet/frying pan to cook the ground beef. I use my absolute favorite 12″ Ceramic Pan, which is great because food really does slide right off with minimal oil and I don’t have to worry about food sticking and burning.
It’s also easiest to use a food processor or blender to make the sauce so you don’t have to mince the garlic and ginger by hand. My mini food processor was perfect for the job!
Prep-Ahead Steps for Bulgogi Ground Beef Bowls
We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are the steps you prepare in the day(s) in advance and store in the fridge as your meal Kit… (See the recipe below for more details)
The steps for prepping ahead are really easy. Basically, you can prep the sauce, slice the radishes, and cook the rice ahead if you want.
The easiest way to make this sauce is to use a mini food processor.
First peel your ginger by scraping off the skin using a spoon. Rough chop the ginger.
Peel the garlic. The easiest way to do this is to smash the clove with the side of knife, which loosens the peel so you can simply pull it off.
Note: if you’re not using a food processor or blender for the sauce, you can use a Garlic Press to mince the garlic cloves use your knife to mince.
Add the garlic cloves, chopped ginger, sugar, food processor. Pulse to get it going and then puree until all chopped up.
Cook your Beef Bulgogi Recipe
Start the rice before cooking the beef. You can also make the rice up to 3 days in advance and simply warm it up again.
Preheat a large pan or large skillet on High heat. Add the ground beef, breaking it up with a spatula. Cook for 5 minutes to brown the meat, then stir in the sliced whites of the scallions.
Turn the heat down the heat and to the large skillet over medium heat, add the premade korean sauce to the pan and stir all of the browned bits up from the bottom of the pan. Bring back up to a simmer and stir as it thickens slightly (takes about 5 minutes).
To serve, simply scoop the rice into bowls, add a scoop of the Korean Bulgogi ground beef mixture and sauce on top of the rice, and then garnish with the sliced radishes and scallion greens.
Enjoy! 😍 Carrie
Korean Bulgogi Ground Beef FAQs
I intentionally kept my version simple, but there are many traditional toppings that you can add. Here are few options. Kimchi, cucumbers, shredded carrots, hot chili peppers, red pepper flakes, and radishes. Sometimes you can also find a fried egg served on top. You can also drizzle a creamy sauce on top, such as the sauce that I use in my Korean Bulgogi Sauce Beef Tacos.
You can make the rice and store it in the fridge for 3 days before it starts to loose all moisture. Rice can also be frozen for up to 4 months in an airtight container. The Bulgogi ground beef can also be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container. It freezes wonderfully as well in a freezer safe airtight bag or container for up to 4 months.
This Bulgogi sauce can be used with just about anything! Ground Beef is most traditional, but check out my Korean Bulgogi Sauce Beef Tacos using flank steak! You can also substitute in ground chicken, ground pork, or extra firm tofu cut into pieces! Simply cut the raw meat into thin strips and add the soy sauce as the recipe says. If you are using ground chicken or pork, make sure that you cook it through so that there is no pink remaining.
This Bulgogi Ground Beef and Rice recipe is gluten free with the ingredients listed. Check all packaging ingredient labels to ensure that it does not contain gluten, as some ingredients, such as Soy Sauce may contain gluten, but have gluten free varieties.
Ground beef cooks up so quickly and is very versatile, making it a super easy option. If you buy the 90% lean ground beef, it can also be a healthy protein option. My 5-Ingredient Easy Meatloaf without breadcrumbs is the most popular recipe on this blog using ground beef! If you are looking for a one pot meal, try my Southwestern Pasta with Ground Beef and Corn. If you like the bowls idea there is also these delicious Quinoa with Ground Beef and Corn Taco Bowls. Or how about this new family-style take on empanadas! My whole family loved this Flaky Empanada Pie with Ground Beef.
Korean Bulgogi Ground Beef Rice Bowls (30 Minute Dinner)
Ingredients
Korean Sauce
- ½ cup Soy sauce
- ¼ cup White wine or rice vinegar
- ¼ cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
- 3 Tablespoons Sesame oil
- 2 inches Ginger Root (2 tablespoons minced)
- 3 cloves Garlic (3 teaspoons minced)
Other
- 1 pound Ground Beef I used 90% lean
- 1 cup Radishes
- 4 Scallions
- 1.5 cups White Long Grain Rice, uncooked
Instructions
Prep-Ahead Steps
- Make your sauce by first peeling your garlic. Then peel your ginger by scraping off the skin using a spoon. Rough chop the ginger. Add the garlic cloves, chopped ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and sesame oil to a mini food processor or blender. Pulse to get it going and then puree until blended.
- Clean and thinly slice the radishes. Thinly slice the scallions, separating the greens (used for garnish) from the whites (cook with the beef).
- If you really want to get ahead, you can also make the rice up to 3 days ahead (see instruction step below)
Cooking Steps
- Make the rice. Rinse the rice under water in a strainer until the water runs clear. Add to 3 cups of water with a pinch of salt and bring up to a boil. Turn the water down to a low simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
- Preheat a large (12") pan/skillet on High heat. Add the ground beef, breaking it up with a spatula. Cook for 5 minutes to brown the meat, then stir in the sliced whites of the scallions. Turn the heat down to medium and add the premade korean sauce to the pan and stir all of the browned bits up from the bottom of the pan. Bring back up to a simmer and stir as it thickens slightly (takes about 5 minutes).
- To serve, simply scoop the rice into bowls, add a scoop of the Korean beef and sauce on top of the rice, and then garnish with the sliced radishes and scallion greens.
Notes
-
What else can go on top of Bulgogi bowls?
I intentionally kept my version simple, but there are many traditional toppings that you can add. Here are few options. Kimchi, cucumbers, shredded carrots, hot chili peppers, red pepper flakes, and radishes. Sometimes you can also find a fried egg served on top. You can also drizzle a creamy sauce on top, such as the sauce that I use in my Korean Bulgogi Sauce Beef Tacos. -
How long will this last in the fridge or freezer?
You can make the rice and store it in the fridge for 3 days before it starts to loose all moisture. Rice can also be frozen for up to 4 months in an airtight container. The Bulgogi ground beef can also be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container. It freezes wonderfully as well in a freezer safe airtight bag or container for up to 4 months. -
Can I make this Bulgogi with Chicken, Pork, or Tofu instead?
This Bulgogi sauce can be used with just about anything! Ground Beef is most traditional, but check out my Korean Bulgogi Sauce Beef Tacos using flank steak! You can also substitute in ground chicken, ground pork, or extra firm tofu cut into pieces! Simply cut the raw meat into thin strips and add the soy sauce as the recipe says. If you are using ground chicken or pork, make sure that you cook it through so that there is no pink remaining. -
Is this Korean Beef Bowl recipe Gluten Free?
This Bulgogi Ground Beef and Rice recipe is gluten free with the ingredients listed. Check all packaging ingredient labels to ensure that it does not contain gluten, as some ingredients, such as Soy Sauce may contain gluten, but have gluten free varieties.
Chef Mimi says
This looks wonderful. I never think to use ground meat for Asian meals, and I have no idea why not! So much easier, really. Love that sauce.
Linger says
I have been obsessed with grain bowls and Asian food lately. And this fits perfectly into my obsession. I think I could drink the sauce alone. The flavors of this dish along with how easy it is – make for the best weeknight meal! It just doesn’t get any better than that. Thanks so much for sharing.
Mimi Rippee says
This sounds great! Ever since we were in Korea last year I’ve been making various Korean dishes, and even bought a grill. The flavors in Korean BBQ are so good!
http://www.chefmimiblog.com
Beth says
The recipe is great but the website is terrible. The ads are outrageous and it’s ridiculous that o have to put my email into print the recipe.
Carrie Tyler says
Thanks for the feedback, Beth. I do apologize for the ads, but it is how I make a small amount of income to keep this blog up and running. As for the email to print feature, you will never have to add it again and there are benefits for you! You can SAVE recipes that you like from the website, so that you can easily find the recipes you save in one place when you return.
Again, thank you, I appreciate you all of those that try my recipes.