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Weeknight style stir-fried 20 Minute Korean Beef Sesame Noodles. Quick-cooking, gluten-free rice noodles tossed in a sweet and spicy Korean chili stir-fried sauce with caramelized beef, shallots, and summer vegetables. Plus, untraditional, but delicious, garden fresh basil. Every bite is filled with saucy noodles, vegetables, caramelized meat, and just the right amount of spice – delicious and easy.
When it’s just me here at home working, and it’s an odd few days when I don’t have any help with the grocery shopping, I buckle down and make what I have in the fridge work. That’s what I’ve been doing the last few days, and I have to say, I love what I’ve created.
I returned home from a week-long work trip on Wednesday night. But my family had canceled flights and they’re not due back until today. I did do a store run for essentials, but I didn’t get much, so my fridge is currently looking pretty sparse.
Luckily, I have quality staples and a garden FULL of basil, other herbs, and the prettiest dahlias. I decided to use some frozen Five Mary’s meat, noodles, vegetables, and basil and make a quick stir-fry with Korean chili paste.
And it turned out so delicious.
I make the sauce first. It’s so simple, basic, and composed of my favorite pantry staples. Garlic, ginger, tamari (gluten-free soy sauce), honey, rice vinegar, Gochujang (fermented Korean Chili paste), and toasted sesame oil.
All pantry items that I try to have stocked (I keep the ginger in the fridge/freezer).
Simply combine all the ingredients together in a glass jar and shake.
While I’m shaking up the sauce, I’m simultaneously cooking the noodles. Rice noodles are perfect for stir-frying. They don’t easily turn mushy and they have the ability to really soak in the yummy sauces and flavors of a stir-fry.
I keep rice noodles on hand for quick dinners, we love them. They’re boiled, then rinsed under cold water to stop the cooking.
Stir fry the vegetables in a bit of the sauce. I love to use bell peppers, zucchini, and shredded carrots. Mushrooms and broccoli are really great too. If you’re working in a speedy manner and trying to get this on the table in 20 minutes, use a store-bought vegetable stir fry mix.
No chopping or slicing involved, which is always convenient when in a hurry. Something to think about with back to school on the horizon.
Remove the vegetables from the pan. Then add lots of shallots and stir fry to caramelize them. Next add the meat. I like to use thinly sliced flank steak, but chicken works well too.
Then pour in the sauce, add the noodles, and toss back in the vegetables. Cook everything until that spicy/sweet sauce coats the noodles.
Quickly remove from the heat and serve the noodles immediately with some fresh basil.
It’s best to serve these right off the stove as the noodles soak up the sauce pretty quickly! Perfect for our busiest nights.
Hoping you guys love this one as much as I do. I’m already excited to make it again later this week!
Looking for other quick noodle recipes? Try these:
30 Minute Creamy Turmeric Chicken and Noodles
Saucy Garlic Butter Shrimp with Coconut Milk and Rice Noodles
20 Minute Red Curry Basil Garlic Oil Noodles
Lastly, if you make these 20 Minute Korean Beef Sesame Noodles be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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Going to make this recipe for the second time tonight and was surprised there aren’t more reviews! So delicious and easy, I’m obsessed
Hey Caroline,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was tasty! xx
My boyfriend and I really liked this recipe. Its easy to modify as well. We have tried it with both beef and chicken. We plan to try it with a little peanut butter in the sauce (per his request).
Hey Keara,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it turned out well for you:)
My boyfriend and I tried this recipe, the sauce as not very good! Too spicy, not enough flavour
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xT
Love the flavors in this recipe but having difficult getting the sauces to stick to the noodles. Any tips?
Hey Hannah,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try! Did you rinse your noodles at all or coat them in anything prior to the sauce? That can prevent the sauce from sticking:) xx