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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.
One of my favorite beef recipes to use up lower value cuts like round. Comes together quick and easy and is delicious!
Hi Ellen,
Happy Friday!😁 Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
Loved this recipe, it wasn’t especially complicated and used many ingredients that are staples in our fridge and cupboards. Perhaps with frozen veggies it might only take 20 minutes to make however, with the slicing and dicing of fresh veggies this took closer to 45 minutes to make.
Hey Susan,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for trying it out! Sorry this took longer than expected. xx
Wow, this was fantastic! I pretty much followed the recipe, although I did cook the vegetables and sliced chicken longer than directed. Sauce was delicious, especially with 3 tablespoons of gochujang, and we topped it all with some chile crisp for additional heat. One of my favorite noodle recipes, and I’ll be making it again.
Hey Helen,
Happy Holidays!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you!🎁🎅
Tieghan this recipe is amazing! I’ve made it a few times now, swapping out different vegetables each time (bell peppers, zucchini, frozen edamame and corn) and my boyfriend and I couldn’t get enough. I made enough for a few days and it tastes great even as leftovers, thank you!
Hey Rachel,
Happy Friday! ☃️ So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! xT
This was so good and easy! We used peppers & mushrooms and onion instead of shallot because that’s what we had on hand. Even my picky “it’s too spicy” kid ate the beef and noodles. Thank you!
Hey Jenny,
Wonderful!!🎄 I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review! xx
Sooo very good! Easy and fantastic! We will add more variety to our stir fry veg mix next time. Thank you!!
Hey Steph,
Happy Friday!!🌟 Love to hear that this recipe was tasty for you, thanks so much for trying it out! xT
Amazing easy weeknight meal. Made with green beans, daikon and carrots from the garden. I’m sure with a sauce this solid any veggie will work.
Hey Regina,
Happy Wednesday! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xxT
This recipe takes the prize! I am always skeptical about following recipes exactly because they always seem bland or like they’re missing something… but this sauce is exquisite! I only subbed the gochujung for chili garlic sauce as I had it on hand. Everything else was left as is. I did season both the veggies and meat with salt & pepper while cooking but, otherwise, followed the recipe precisely. The sauce really makes this dish!
Hey Anastasia,
Perfect!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
This was really good!
The flank steak turned out great. It was not too chewy or overcooked as beef can be in stir-fry style meals (in my experience anyhow).
-Cut honey in half to 2TBSP
-Used 2 TBSP of Korean Chili paste so it wasn’t too hot for my kid to eat
-Topped with Sambol Oelek (chili paste) for a little extra heat
Hey Gillian,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xT
Just tried this recipe tonight and it was BOMB! The ingredients were easy to find, the instructions were clear, and the dish was flavor-packed! Thank you for sharing–will definitely be making this again!
Hey Abby,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:)
This one was so yummy! I’ll probably cook the steak a little less next time but I loved the spice that the gochujang added to the dish!
Hey Julie,
Happy Sunday!!🎃 I truly appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed!
Great flavor but the sauce was super runny? Do you recommend cornstarch or anything to thicken? Thanks!
Hey Jennifer,
Happy Wednesday!👻 I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a try and sharing your feedback! You could simmer the sauce to thicken it to your liking. xx
I’m obsessed over every recipe of yours that I’ve tried! Can’t wait to try this one tonight but I just noticed that I accidentally bought Gochujang sauce instead of paste🤦♀️. Will this affect anything other than the consistency of the sauce?
Hi Lauren,
Thanks so much for kind message! That will be just fine for you to use, no big deal! I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Hi! Thai or regular basil?
Hi Maxine,
Thai Basil if you can get it, if not regular basil will work just fine:) I hope this recipe turns out well for you! xx
So delicious that I made it as meal prep 2 weeks in a row! If you really want to cut down time without the freezer route and have a nearby Trader Joe’s, use their pre-cut stir fry veggies (and add in a pack of their baby corn)! They also already have shaved flank steak ready to cook.
You can also make it gluten free by using GF soy sauce and gochujang!
Hi Dalia,
Happy Wednesday! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! xT
Absolutely delicious. Now in my top dish rotation
Hi Molly,
Happy Sunday! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and appreciate you giving it a try!🍂 xT