Korean Ground Beef Bowl (Printable)

Savory seasoned beef over fluffy rice with crisp tangy pickled vegetables for a quick satisfying meal.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Beef

01 - 1 pound lean ground beef
02 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
03 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
04 - 1 tablespoon brown sugar
05 - 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
06 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1 teaspoon gochujang or sriracha, optional
08 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced
09 - 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

→ Rice Base

10 - 4 cups cooked jasmine rice or cauliflower rice

→ Quick Pickled Vegetables

11 - 1 cup carrot, julienned
12 - 1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced
13 - 1/2 cup radish, thinly sliced
14 - 1/2 cup rice vinegar
15 - 1 tablespoon sugar
16 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Garnish

17 - Additional green onions, sliced
18 - Extra sesame seeds

# Directions:

01 - In a bowl, combine rice vinegar, sugar, and salt, stirring until dissolved. Add carrot, cucumber, and radish, tossing to coat evenly. Let sit for at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
02 - Prepare jasmine rice or cauliflower rice according to package instructions. Keep warm until assembly.
03 - In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add ground beef and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned and cooked through, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Drain excess fat if necessary.
04 - Add soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and gochujang to the beef. Stir well and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant and saucy.
05 - Remove from heat and stir in sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
06 - Divide rice or cauliflower rice among bowls. Top with seasoned ground beef and a generous portion of pickled vegetables.
07 - Top each bowl with additional green onions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The pickled vegetables add this bright, tangy contrast that somehow makes the whole thing feel lighter even though the beef is undeniably rich.
  • You can swap rice for cauliflower rice without losing a single moment of satisfaction, which is the kind of flexibility I didn't expect from something this flavorful.
  • Those sesame seeds toasted in the pan create little pockets of nuttiness that catch you off guard with every bite.
02 -
  • If you drain the pickled vegetables too early, they'll start absorbing moisture from the rice and lose that crucial crunch that makes them interesting, so time it so they go in the bowl just before you eat.
  • Cooking the beef on medium-high rather than high heat gives you better browning without the spatters and smoke that make your kitchen smell funky for days afterward.
03 -
  • Make your pickled vegetables ahead of time and store them in a jar in the fridge for up to a week, so you can throw this bowl together on nights when you only have fifteen minutes to cook.
  • Toast your sesame seeds in a dry pan for thirty seconds before adding them to the beef or using them as garnish, and suddenly they taste like you're in a proper Korean restaurant instead of your kitchen.
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