Korean Ground Beef Bowl (Printable Version)

Savory ground beef with gochujang served over rice with fresh vegetables and kimchi.

# What You'll Need:

→ For the Beef

01 - 1 pound lean ground beef
02 - 2 tablespoons gochujang
03 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce
04 - 1 tablespoon brown sugar
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
07 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
08 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced

→ For the Bowl

09 - 4 cups cooked short-grain rice
10 - 1 cup shelled edamame, cooked
11 - 1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced
12 - 1 cup carrot, julienned
13 - 1 cup kimchi, chopped
14 - 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté minced garlic and ginger for 1 minute until fragrant.
02 - Add ground beef and cook, breaking apart with a spatula, until browned and cooked through, approximately 5 to 6 minutes.
03 - Stir in gochujang, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the beef evenly.
04 - Remove from heat and fold in half of the sliced green onions.
05 - Distribute cooked rice among 4 serving bowls. Top each bowl with the prepared beef mixture, edamame, cucumber slices, julienned carrot, and chopped kimchi.
06 - Sprinkle remaining green onions and toasted sesame seeds over each bowl. Serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The gochujang beef is savory with just the right heat, and it comes together faster than ordering takeout.
  • Every bite feels substantial because of how the vegetables and kimchi give you texture and brightness against the rich beef.
  • It's naturally dairy-free and looks so colorful in the bowl that you want to eat it even before you taste it.
02 -
  • Don't let the beef crowd the pan or it will steam instead of brown, so use medium heat and give it space to develop color and texture.
  • The gochujang needs those extra couple minutes to cook into the beef rather than sit on top of it, which is how you avoid that raw paste taste.
03 -
  • Cook your rice ahead of time so it has cooled slightly by the time you're ready to assemble, which keeps the vegetables from wilting.
  • Toast your own sesame seeds in a dry pan for two minutes if you want to taste the difference between fresh toasted and those sitting in a jar for months.
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