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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.
Every detail you need to know
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!
20 Minute Korean Beef Sesame Noodles
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 740 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
- 1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2-3 tablespoons Gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Stir Fry
- 8 ounces brown rice noodles
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 3 cups mixed stir fry vegetables
- 3 shallots, sliced
- 1 pound flank steak or chicken breast, sliced thin
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
Instructions
- 1. To make the sauce. Combe all ingredients in a glass jar. Shake or whisk to combine. 2. Cook the rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. 3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the vegetables and cook until wilted, 2-3 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the sauce. Cook until the sauce coats the veggies. Remove from the pan. 4. In the same skillet, add 1 tablespoon oil. Then add the shallots and cook 2 minutes, until deeply softened. Add the beef and cook, undistributed, until seared, 2 minutes. Toss the meat, then pour in the sauce. Simmer 1 minute, then stir in the noodles and vegetables. Cook 2-3 minutes, until the sauce coats the noodles. 5. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil and sesame seeds. Serve topped with fresh basil.
Do you think this would work with ground venison?
Hey Teresa,
Sure, I don’t see why not! I hope you love this dish, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
I just made this for my family the other night and it was absolutely delicious! Next time I might just make some extra sauce because it’s that yummy! Thanks for the wonderful recipe ❤️
Hi Frankie,
Fantastic! I love to hear that your family enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Made this last night! So easy and as always so full of flavor. Restaurant worthy!
Hi Julie,
I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great day:)
Absolutely loved this, utterly delish, next time will add more veg to make it even yummier. Used 2 tbsp of Korean chilli paste and it was spicy enough for me.
I’d like to cook it again and freeze it for an upcoming kayak camping trip off Quadra Island, BC. How do the rice noodles freeze, do you think?
Hi Marianne,
Wonderful! Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! I haven’t had the best luck freezing rice noodles! xTieghan
This was so delish!! It was a little spicy for my son (9 YO) and I but I used 2 tablespoons of the spicy chili paste. I will be making this again for sure. Thank you for these wonderful recipes!!!
Hi Rachel,
Amazing!! I love to hear that this dish was a winner, thanks so much for making it:) xTieghan
So good! We tried it tonight and added mushrooms. The sauce was rich and flavorful and the brown rice noodles were perfect with it. Thanks for another great recipe!
Hey Lora,
Fantastic!! Thanks so much for giving this dish try, such a great idea to add mushrooms! So glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Monday! xx
Whoa, this is so good. I used exactly the veggies you used (two yellow bell peppers, 1 chopped zucchini, and a cup of shredded carrots). The sauce with the gochujang is so good. I used the brown rice and lentil noodles from Trader Joe’s because I couldn’t find traditional rice noodles but they worked perfect. Will definitely keep this one in the rotation!
Hey Danielle,
Happy Monday! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I am so excited to hear that it was a hit! xx
This is the first recipe I have tried from your site, and oh.my.goodness. It was incredible. My girls (5,7,&10) ALL ate it up. Thank you!! Definitely perusing right now for more ideas. If I can make one suggestion, if you could add an option to search by “dairy free” it would definitely be a help for the allergy community. So many good options on here!!
Hey Crysta,
Happy Monday! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I am so excited to hear that it was a hit! Thanks for the recommendation! xx
I marinated my steak for 24 hours- added even more deliciousness to an already flavor packed meal! Thank you!
Hi! What did you use for your marinade? Thinking of doing the same. Thanks!
Hey Adrienne,
Happy Monday! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I am so excited to hear that it was a hit! xx
Omg ? This is so good! I used onions and zuchinni for my veggies and used Thai Sweet Chili paste instead of Korean like in the recipe but it was so good. I also used an egg noodle cause that’s what i had in the pantry. This is a recipe that will be going on repeat!
Hi Terry,
Wonderful!! Thanks for making this dish and sharing your feedback! I am so glad it was tasty! Happy Friday! xT
I am a new follower of your blog and have become a huge fan. This recipe was delicious and healthy. It was a creative way to make flank steak with veggies! My family loved it. Thank you for making dinner a little bit easier 🙂
Hi Tracy!
Thanks so much for following along and your kind message! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe:) Thanks for being here! xTieghan
Tieghan, this was completely amazing! So much flavor and so fast and easy to throw together. I had a lot of fresh veggies on hand fresh from the garden, so I used red and green peppers, shredded carrots, lots of basil (yes, that was a great touch in contrast with the zing in the sauce!) and some broccoli and fresh ginger that were store bough and needed a use. 🙂 This one was a big hit with the family. Keep up the amazing work – so many of us appreciate and are inspired by it.
Hey Aline,
Happy Friday!? Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was a winner! So glad you were able to use some veggies from your garden in this dish! xx
It was amazing!! My family of 6 loved it! Now I wonder how soon can I make it again? ?
Keep up the great work! I love your recipes!
Did you have to double the recipe for your family of 6? I have 6 too and everyone eats adult portions. TIA!
I would double it:)
Hey Lily,
Wonderful!! So glad your family enjoyed this dish, thanks so much for making it and your kind message:) xTieghan
What’s a good way you recommend to reheat this dish or other dishes with rice noodles the next day? Microwave or stir-fry it again?
Hey Peter,
I would probably just pop in the microwave:) The rice noodles can be tricky the second day! I hope you love the recipe! xx
Can I sub the gochujang for Hoy Fong Chili paste? If not, is there any other sub for this ingredient?
Hey Jessica,
Sure, I bet that would work well for you! You could also do a sweet chili paste for less heat if that is something you are looking for! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan