Asian Beef Bowls
This Easy Asian Beef Bowls recipe is a favorite when you’re craving those diverse Asian flavors, much like the flavors in Mongolian Beef or even Korean Beef Bowls with Veggies.
Asian Beef Bowl Recipe
Are you a fan of Chinese recipes using ground beef? Well, you’ve just hit the jackpot!
We love the combination of meat and vegetables…the crunchy and savory components really come together with the duck sauce. We enjoy the Asian flavors because they are so diverse.
We make a lot of skillet meals at our house and that’s because we always have tons of ground beef or ground venison in our deep freeze to use up.
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Which is to be expected since we raise cattle and all my guys love to hunt! Plus, I’m a huge fan of my 12″ cast iron skillet because it cooks ground meats so nicely.
Because we also like speedy ground beef meals with south of the border flavors, we make Tex Mex Beef and Rice Skillet pretty often, along with Mexican Beef and Cheese Sanchiladas, and Tex Mex Cowboy Casserole.
I’ve made this skillet meal for lots of our friends and they always request the recipe. Like me, they are excited to learn this is a 30 minute start-to-finish dish such a win!
How to Make Asian Ground Beef Bowls
Brown the ground beef with the red bell pepper in a skillet, then drain the fats in the skillet, if needed.
Stir in the plum sauce along with the cilantro, red pepper flakes, scallions, and carrots , cooking until just hot throughout.
Remove the skillet from the heat and reserve, keeping it warm.
Make the dressing. Toss the slaw and the carrots in a bowl, then add the prepared dressing and toss again.
To serve, divide the prepared slaw into 4 serving bowls, the top with the warm ground beef mixture; garnish with peanuts and chopped cilantro, if desired.
Easy Recipe Tips for Making This Speedy Beef Skillet Meal
What is plum sauce?
Plum sauce can typically be found in the Asian section of your favorite grocery store.
If you can’t find plum sauce, you can substitute duck sauce since they are pretty interchangeable in most Asian recipes. These are both considered Asian condiments that are a bit sweet.
Can you use other ground meats in this recipe?
Yes! You can substitute ground turkey, chicken or even buffalo. We often use ground venison in place of the ground beef in this recipe.
My family isn’t on board with slaw. Can lettuce be substituted instead?
Great question. Yes, if you chop the lettuce rather finely, you can definitely replace it with the slaw in this recipe, but I’d double the amount used.
I don’t typically keep red wine vinegar on hand. Can I substitute white vinegar instead?
I’ve done this before and it works fine.
You may want to increase the amount of sugar used in the dressing a bit if using white vinegar.
I’ve also substitute white wine vinegar and rice vinegar and they both work just fine, too.
Why are cast iron skillets so popular with home cooks?
The only down-side to cast iron is how HEAVY it is.
But, that heaviness is also a plus for superior browning of meats in vegetables which adds a huge flavor profile to anything you’re cooking.
Cast iron is also super versatile because can go from the stove top to the oven to the grill and back again – it’s super multi-purpose.
If you’re looking for other beef meals your family will enjoy, check these out
PULLED PORK KOREAN TACOS WITH BROCCOLI SLAW
BEEF PATTY MELT SLIDERS WITH SECRET SAUCE
Asian Beef Bowls
Ingredients
Beef Bowls
- 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef, may substitute any ground meat, such as ground turkey or ground venison
- 1 red bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed, diced
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup plum sauce or duck sauce, found in the Asian aisle at your grocer
- 1/3 cup nicely chopped cilantro, or more, if you prefer
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, depending on how spicy you prefer this dish, optional
- 4 scallions, chopped
- 2 cups matchstick carrots, divided use
- 12 oz. bag coleslaw mix, may substitute angel hair coleslaw
Dressing
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 1 Tbs. granulated sugar, or your favorite sweetener, to taste
- 2-3 Tbs. canola or vegetable oil
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Garnishments
- 2-3 Tbs. chopped roasted peanuts, optional but recommended
- chopped cilantro, to taste
Instructions
Make the Beef Bowls
- In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, adding the red bell pepper to cook along with the beef. Cook and crumble the beef, until no pink remains and the meat is fully cooked throughout, 165 degrees F; drain any fats that accumulate as the beef cooks.
- Add the plum sauce to the ground beef mixture, stirring to combine. Toss in the cilantro, red pepper flakes (if using), scallions, and 1 cup of the matchstick carrots, stirring and cooking just until all ingredients are heated through, taking care not to over cook so the vegetables stay a bit crispy in texture.
Make the Dressing
- Meanwhile in a jar with a lid, add the rice vinegar, oil, and sugar; shake well to combine all ingredients. Season the dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Place the coleslaw mix and 1 cup of carrots into a mixing bowl, tossing to combine; add the prepared dressing, then toss the slaw once again.
Serve the Beef Bowls
- To serve, divide the dressed coleslaw between 4 individual bowls; top with the warm beef mixture. Garnish with peanuts, for added crunch, along with more cilantro. Enjoy at once.
So fast and so easy! A great recipe for any ground meat. The flavors all came together very nicely!!
Hi Olivia –
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed this recipe!
Let’s Keep Cookin’,
Chef Alli