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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.
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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
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.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Hi! I’d love to make this for dinner tonight, but I only have ground beef at home. Would that work as well or would it change the texture/taste too much? Thanks!
Hey Ara,
Ground beef would be perfectly okay for you to use. I hope you love this dish, let me know how it turns out!
so good! i just made it for dinner tonight. the sauce has a nice little kick without being too spicy or salty. i will definitely make this again!
Hey Mary,
Wonderful! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed!
Have a great week ahead!
All your recipes are always spectacular and this one is definitely one of my favorites, literally couldn’t wait to heat the leftovers up for lunch the next day!
Hey Adriana! Love to hear you enjoyed these noodles! Have an amazing day! 🙂 xT
Very delicious!! Just made it last night for dinner. My boys and I loved it so much, but when I cook it next time, I’ll have to double all ingredients, because everyone wanted more. 😋😋😋
Hi Elena! Thank you so much for trying out this recipe, so glad you’re loving it! xT
This was incredible and simple! I love this for a quick weeknight dinner. The sauce was amazing, I added a bit of extra gochujang for extra heat and it was a winner!!
Hi Julie! Thank you so so much, I’m so glad you enjoyed these noodles for a yummy week night dinner! xT
Delicious!
Thank you SO much Arielle! I’m so glad you’re loving these noodles! Thanks for giving the recipe a try! xT
Thank you for this recipe!! I just made this with a kimchi fried rice and salad sides for wraps and the family said it was a most spectacular meal. It was so so delicious and I’ll be making it again and again.
Thanks so much, Carolyn! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! xx
I’ve made this recipe several times now and it is just phenomenal every time I make it, the sauce you could drink from a glass. It’s so good.
Love to hear this, Bella! Thanks for making this dish so often and your feedback:) Happy Sunday!!
This recipe was a big hit in my house! Super flavorful, and very easy to make. We’ve been on a low-carb kick so we used konjac noodles, which worked out great. Will definitely be making it again, and also looking forward to checking out your other recipes. Thanks for posting it!
Thank you so much, Ian:) So glad to hear you enjoyed this dish, I appreciate you making it! Happy Friday! xx
Can I give this 10 stars?!? First time making it tonight; I used what I had on hand – chicken, broccoli, bell pepper, carrot, white onion slices instead of shallots. The sauce is SO tasty! The finished dish is SO good! Make this now, you will not be disappointed! It will be a regular meal on the menu at our house. Thank you Tieghan!
Hey Karen! Wow, what a compliment! Thank you sooo much for this kind comment and review! Love to hear that this was such a hit! 🙂 xT
This recipe is fantastic! I used ground beef and didn’t have Korean chili paste but substituted a bit of hot chili oil. I added some peanut butter and then thickened it with cornstarch. The flavors are delicious and tastes like an authentic restaurant dish.
Hey Alaina,
That’s awesome!! Thank you so much for making this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it was enjoyed! xx
My family and I love this recipe. It is so flavorful. I had to make one change and that was to use thinly sliced chicken breast rather than beef. I have a family member who cannot eat red meat of any kind. It is a great recipe even with this change. Definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much, Janet! So glad to hear this dish was a winner, I appreciate you making it! xx
This recipe is delicious!
Hey Maria,
Thanks so much for making this recipe! Love to hear it turned out well for you:) Have the best week! xxT
This was absolutely delicious! The sauce had so much flavor and was perfectly balanced, not too salty not too sweet. I used rice noodles instead of brown noodles and thinly sliced bulgogi meat from the Asian mart. 10/10 will make again. Thank you!
Hi Gaby,
Fantastic! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for making it! Happy Thanksgiving! xxT
Do you think you could freeze this recipe or should you use different noodles?
Hi Vicky! I wouldn’t recommend freezing this as is since rice noodles can get mushy once thawed. If you want to make it freezer friendly, try using sturdier noodles like glass or ramen, and maybe leave out the fresh veggies until reheating. That way the texture will hold up much better! xT
LOVED this recipe!
Hey Kelly,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Friday! XxT
This recipe is great. But takes me much longer than 20 minutes LOL
Hi there,
Happy Fall Sunday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was a hit! Sorry it took longer than expected! xx