Korean Ground Beef Bowl (Printable Version)

Savory seasoned beef over rice with tangy pickled vegetables for a quick, healthy Korean-inspired meal.

# What You Need:

→ Beef

01 - 1 lb 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

# How to Make:

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 ready to assemble.
03 - In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add ground beef. Cook while breaking apart with a spoon until browned and fully cooked, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Drain excess fat if necessary.
04 - Add soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and gochujang if using. Stir thoroughly and cook for 2 to 3 additional minutes until fragrant and sauce develops.
05 - Remove from heat and stir in sliced green onions and sesame seeds, combining gently.
06 - Divide rice or cauliflower rice evenly among serving bowls. Top each with seasoned ground beef and generous portions of pickled vegetables.
07 - Top each bowl with additional sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately while rice is still warm.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The pickled vegetables add a bright, tangy punch that makes each bite feel fresh and prevents the whole thing from feeling heavy.
  • It comes together faster than ordering delivery, which means you can actually serve something impressive on a weeknight without stress.
  • You can swap the rice base depending on your mood—cauliflower rice, regular rice, even lettuce wraps work beautifully.
02 -
  • Don't skip the browning step on the beef—it's tempting to rush through and add everything at once, but that brown, caramelized crust is where all the savory magic lives.
  • Make the pickled vegetables ahead of time, even an hour or two earlier; they actually taste better as they sit and become more tangy, and it takes pressure off when you're assembling dinner.
03 -
  • Toast your sesame seeds in a dry skillet for just a minute or two before using—this wakes them up and makes them taste nutty and more pronounced.
  • If you can't find gochujang, sriracha works as a substitute, but gochujang has a deeper, less vinegary heat if you can track it down at an Asian market.
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