Easy Korean Ground Beef | Lite Cravings | Healthy Recipes (2024)

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Easy Korean Ground beef is such a simple dish, but it bursts with the sweet, savory, and spicy flavors of your favorite Korean BBQ!

Easy Korean Ground Beef | Lite Cravings | Healthy Recipes (1)

There are days when I want to eat lavish meals, and then there are days when all I want is a quick dinner. But you probably know by now that boring food isn’t my thing, so even my quick meals need to have a ton of flavor.

If you’ve made Firecracker Ground Turkey, then you’ll find this recipe pretty familiar. It happens to be the all-time most popular post on this blog! That always surprises me given how simple it is, but maybe that’s the point. So here we are again! I’ve just swapped some ingredients to add more Asian flare.

This one is done start-to-finish in about 15 minutes. While the beef is cooking, I’ll heat up some frozen jasmine rice in the microwave. Add some steamed broccoli to the mix, and you’re good to go!

Easy Korean Ground Beef | Lite Cravings | Healthy Recipes (2)

What Makes this Dish korean?

To be fair, there is nothing traditional about this dish. I love the sweet/savory/spicy combination in a lot of Korean dishes, so I tried to emulate that here.

I love the flavor of bulgogi, which is marinated steak that is usually grilled. So delicious! This is a quick and easy spin on that.

The only problem is that a lot of bulgogi recipes include quite a bit of sugar. In my opinion, there still needs to be quite a bit of sweetness to hit that perfect balance of salty and sweet, so I did a little research.

Easy Korean Ground Beef | Lite Cravings | Healthy Recipes (3)

Some Korean beef recipes include grated Asian pear or apple. I figure most of you have applesauce in your pantry, so that’s a great ingredient to add some sweetness without too much sugar.

The soy sauce, sesame, garlic, ginger, and sriracha round everything out for a flavor punch to the mouth!

how to prep Easy Korean Ground Beef

Because of the minimal cook and prep times, this is obviously a great weeknight dinner dish. Just adding some rice and steamed veggies will do the trick for a complete meal.

But this recipe is also excellent for lunch prep!

I find that the leftovers are great either cold or warmed up, so you have a lot of options.

  • Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps
  • Korean Beef Salad
  • Korean Beef Sloppy Joes
  • Korean Beef Tacos
  • Korean Beef Quesadillas (use reduced-fat mozzarella)

Let me know if you get creative with other ways to use this recipe!

Easy Korean Ground Beef | Lite Cravings | Healthy Recipes (4)

I’d love to hear from you if you make this recipe! Leaving a starred review and comment below helps my blog grow. I’m always grateful when you can take the time to do that!

It also makes my day when you share your pics on Instagram and tag me (@litecravings). Don’t forget to use #litecravingsrecipes to make sure I see it. If I don’t get a chance to scroll through my tags quickly enough, I won’t see your post. I always make a point to look through the hashtags, though, so I’ll see it there!

Easy Korean Ground Beef

Easy Korean Ground beef is such a simple dish, but it bursts with the sweet, savory, and spicy flavors of your favorite Korean BBQ!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time15 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, Korean

Servings: 5

Calories: 203kcal

Author: Geri

Ingredients

  • 1 pound 96% lean ground beef
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp minced ginger
  • 5-6 medium green onions, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp sesame seeds (optional)

FOR THE SAUCE

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar or honey
  • 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp sriracha (optional if you like a little heat)
  • 1 tsp cornstarch

OPTIONAL (QUICK PICKLED SALAD)

  • 1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup thinly sliced or shredded carrot
  • 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp salt

Instructions

  • Heat cooking spray in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

  • Quickly sauté garlic and ginger until fragrant, about a minute. Add in beef, and cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is browned, about 5 minutes.

  • While meat is cooking, mix together sauce ingredients and chop green onions. Set aside.

  • Add in sauce and half of the green onions to the skillet. Bring to a boil, then simmer until sauce has thickened and coats the meat, about 5 minutes. Add in a splash or two of water if the sauce gets too thick.

  • Garnish with remaining green onions and sesame seeds.

FOR THE PICKLED SALAD

  • Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for 10 minutes, or up a few days.

Notes

One serving = a heaping 1/2 cup of meat/sauce mixture

Click here to determine your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe(if you are logged in to your WW app, it should calculate for you automatically)

WW Green, Blue, and Purple SmartPoints: 4 for a heaping 1/2 cup

Nutrition

Calories: 203kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 5g | Sodium: 683mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g

Easy Korean Ground Beef | Lite Cravings | Healthy Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What to eat with Korean beef? ›

What to Serve with Korean Ground Beef. We like to serve this delicious Korean ground beef over cooked white rice. It would also be great with some Asian noodles like ramen, udon, rice noodles or chow mein noodles. A side of steamed broccoli, sauteed snap peas, or grilled asparagus would all work great.

Are ground beef and rice healthy? ›

Healthy Fats: Lean ground beef offers a source of healthy fats that are essential for overall well being and are a great part of a balanced diet. Healthy Carbs: Rice is a wholesome and versatile carbohydrate that complements the protein rich beef perfectly!

What is Korean beef called? ›

Bulgogi is a classic Korean grilled beef recipe that makes a mouthwatering dinner or lunch. It's easy to make on a BBQ grill or stovetop griddle, too. Serve the tender pieces of marinated and caramelized meat alongside steamed rice and kimchi, or wrap the leftovers in your onigirazu.

How to cook lean ground beef? ›

Instructions
  1. Heat the pan and coat with oil. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. ...
  2. Add the meat to the hot pan and break into large pieces. Add the meat to the center of the hot pan. ...
  3. Break meat into smaller pieces, season, and brown. ...
  4. Finish browning.
Aug 29, 2023

What is the famous Korean side dish? ›

Kimchi. Ah, kimchi! Now, this is one side dish which has greater fame than the main dishes! We couldn't have a Korean side dish list without this delicious probiotic powerhouse!

What to serve with Costco Korean beef? ›

You serve it with rice and a side of kimchi. To enhance even more, add your favorite vegetables like carrots, broccoli, more onions and even some mushrooms. It's essentially like a stir fry, but very delicious.

How many times a week should you eat ground beef? ›

If you eat red meat, limit consumption to no more than about three portions per week. Three portions is equivalent to about 350–500g (about 12–18oz) cooked weight. Consume very little, if any, processed meat.

Is it fine to eat ground beef everyday? ›

The recommended amount of red meat per person is two to three servings per week. On average, though, Americans eat at least five servings. This, as doctors, scientists, and researchers point out, is too much and can undo all of the good that red meat does for our bodies.

What is the healthiest ground beef option? ›

The meat from the loin primal is very lean, so it produces ground beef with the healthiest lean point. You will often hear ground sirloin called extra-lean ground beef. If you want to create a healthy menu and limit the saturated fat in your dishes, then ground sirloin is the best choice.

Why do Koreans eat so much beef? ›

Meat is often a symbol of social status in Korea. Those who can will eat meat. It's a sign of abundance, and meats such as Korea-reared ground beef and steak are considered to be in the top tier.

How do Koreans get their meat so tender? ›

To enhance the flavor and tenderize the meat, Koreans traditionally add a grated Korean pear to the marinade. It's simply the best way. However, if you cannot find a Korean/Asian pear, you can omit it or use a Bosc pear or an apple instead.

What is Korea's national dish? ›

Kimchi is often hailed as the national dish of Korea and is an integral part of Korean meals. This fermented vegetable dish, most commonly made with napa cabbage and Korean radishes, is seasoned with a mixture of spices, including chili pepper, garlic, ginger, and more.

When to add seasoning to ground beef? ›

When it comes to seasoning your ground beef, wait until after it has been browned and drained. Adding salt to raw ground beef pulls out moisture, drying the meat out and creating steam while it cooks, which prevents it from browning properly. The same goes for other seasonings, but for a different reason.

How do you make lean ground beef more flavorful? ›

Cooked ground beef really doesn't have any real taste so it is necessary to season it up. You can use just salt and pepper or you can add virtually anything to it like jalapenos, peppers, onions, etc. Try using fresh onion rather than powder.

Should you add baking soda to ground beef? ›

Baking soda works its magic on meat mainly on the surface, so it works well with ground beef, but it will work just as well on other ground or thinly sliced meats both working to tenderize them and encourage browning. Try it on thinly sliced chicken breast or thighs, pork, or steak.

What goes well with Korean food? ›

Hearty meat dishes are typically also accompanied by ssam, leafy vegetables like perilla leaves, cabbage, and lettuces that can be used to create small, delicious packages of meat, rice, and flavorful accoutrements, like raw sliced garlic and ssamjang. To try some at home, give Seoyoung's bossam recipe a shot.

What to eat with kbbq meat? ›

A Korean BBQ feast consists of an array of side dishes (banchan) consisting of various pickles, kimchi, and veggies, rice, lettuce, and of course – different types of meats to grill.

What to serve with Korean beef ribs? ›

As much as I love meat, it's the little side dishes (“banchan”) and condiments that I LOVE. Braised potatoes, pickled daikon, kimchi, spicy cucumbers, quail eggs, marinated bean sprouts. The list goes on and on because they really bring you out UNLIMITED bowls of banchan to go with your meal.

What can you eat with beef bulgogi? ›

Bulgogi is commonly served with rice and kimchi. It is also served as a wrap. To make a wrap, use whole, fluffy lettuce leave such as green leaf or romaine and add any of the following: rice, hot peppers, carrots, cucumbers, bean paste.

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