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So, are you ready for another noodle bowl?!?
I know I had one up last week, but I guess something about January screams noodles and bowl to me.
I am surely an odd one.
Keeping things short today because I am trying to get myself all caught up on cooking and things in the kitchen this week. Last week I was kicked out of the kitchen for three days in a row so now I’m playing catch up.
Plus, Sunday was my mom’s Birthday. This meant I spent all day making two cakes and a french toast breakfast complete with blackberry syrup, coconut whipped cream and fresh fruit…and a side of hot chocolate! That’s just the way my mom rolls…the extra delish way.
Anyway, I want to tell you all about these Vietnamese lemongrass beef bowls.
They are loaded with spaghetti squash and topped with bok choy and mushrooms. The lemongrass beef, wow, I am not even a beef person and the flavor of this beef is just spot on awesome.
If you have never had lemongrass, it basically just looks like a tall stalk of grass and it softens once cooked. It’s got a great, subtle flavor that to me seems very fresh.
It’s perfect when used in marinade, soups and salads. You have to try it!
My favorite thing about these bowls is that they are pretty easy to make. You just have to marinate the beef for at least 20 minutes and while that is happening, you can either roast or microwave the spaghetti squash (I gave options for both). While the squash is cooking, you can start caramelizing the mushrooms and bok choy. From there you will need to caramelize the steak. Then quickly make the peanut sauce and simply throw it all together.
Pretty simple, and perfect for a Monday, dontcha’ think?
Oh, in my opinion, peanut sauce should be put on pretty much all Asian and Thai dishes. It’s so good, like addicting good. Peanut sauce on everything!
Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef and Spaghetti Squash Noodle Bowls with Peanut Sauce.
Servings: 4 BOWLS
Calories Per Serving: 539 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemongrass chopped (or 1 tablespoon lemon grass paste)
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger grated
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce found in the asian aisle of most grocery stores
- 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 1 pound beef skirt steak sliced thin against the grain
- 1 medium sized spaghetti squash
- 3 tablespoons peanut or sesame oil
- 1 head bok choy chopped
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
- chopped peanuts sliced red chilies, shredded carrots, fresh mint, fresh thai, chopped lemongrass, for serving
Peanut Sauce
- 1 ounce can coconut milk 14, lite or regular
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons thai red curry paste use 1 teaspoon for less heat
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the lemongrass, ginger, honey, soy sauce, fish sauce and garlic. Add the steak to a ziploc bag or glass bowl. Pour the marinade over the steak. Seal the bag and allow the steak to sit for 20-30 minutes or in the fridge overnight.
- Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti squash.* Pierce the squash 6 or 7 times with a sharp knife. Microwave on 100 percent power (high) for about 15 minutes or until tender, turning squash every 5 minutes throughout cooking. Cut squash in half lengthwise and allow to cool slightly.
- While the squash is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add a drizzle of peanut oil and once hot add the bok choy and mushrooms. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the bok choy is wilted and the mushrooms caramelized. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the veggies from the skillet to plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Return the skillet to high heat. Add a drizzle of oil and once hot, add the steak and caramelize for about 2-3 minutes, then toss and cook another 2-3 minutes or until cooked throughout. If there is any marinade left in the bowl or bag, pour that over the steak and cook a minute longer. Slide the steak onto the plate with veggies and cover with foil to keep warm.
- To make the peanut sauce add the coconut milk, peanut butter, brown sugar, soy sauce and thai red curry paste to a medium size pot. Place the pot over medium heat and bring to a low boil, stirring until the peanut butter melts into the coconut milk and the brown sugar has dissolved to make a smooth peanut sauce.
- To serve, scrape the spaghetti squash away from its rind divide among bowls. Top with bok choy and mushrooms and then add the streak. Drizzle with the peanut sauce and then top with your desired toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
*If you have time, roast your spaghetti squash instead of microwaving it. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Slice the squash lengthwise and rub a drizzle of oil all over the cut side of both squash halves, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake about 30 minutes (I like to roast the garlic + squash at the same time), or until the squash is just tender enough to scrape into strands. You want the squash to be barely tender, it will continue cooking later. Remove from the oven and scrape the squash into strands. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
What do you say? Let’s kick Monday in the butt with some killer noodle bowls!
That looks SO delicious, I wish I had all the ingredients to make it for supper tonight, will need to try it another day 🙂
Thank you so much, Sheena!
Tieghan this looks incredible! The addition of spaghetti squash to a noodle bowl is pure genius.
Trish
Thanks so much, Trish!!
Never enough noodle bowls! One of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants is New Saigon in Denver and their 11N noodle specialty bowl is to.die!
In Denver?? I could totally try that place! 🙂
Thanks Jessica!
Yum! I am making this soon! Love it!
Thank you!!
This looks AWESOME!! Those mushrooms are beautiful. I severely want to eat them.
Thanks so much!
You make the best bowls, I so want this for dinner! Love the lemongrass!
Thanks Laura!
Those pictures make me want to stop cooking soup for dinner and make this instead!
Awe! Thank you!
Wow, sono senza parole! Il tuo blog è bellissimo e le tue ricette FANTASTICHE!
Sono proprio una tua fan Italiana!
Ciao,
Alessandra
Thank you!
Love this! Spaghetti squash noodles are so perfect for this. Yum!
Thank you so much!
Agreed, Tieghan, this does sound pretty perfect for a Monday… such a creative way to liven up spaghetti squash! And peanut sauce on everything… Love it!
Thank you so much!
Beautiful! Love this with the spaghetti squash.
Thanks Brenda!
I can’t get over your photos!!! They’re beautiful!!! I love that you made this dish with spaghetti squash. Most people seemed scared of it. Brilliant!
Wow, thanks so much!! Have a great week Mimi!
Your recipe looks amazing! but my family are not big spaghetti squash fans. What kind of pasta noodle would you recommend using instead?
I would use any asian noodle or just angle hair pasta would work great too! Hope you love this, thanks!
Wow – this sounds incredible! I have several ingredients already and a bunch of Asian markets nearby to pick up the rest…woo hoo!
I recently discovered an amazing way to prepare fresh Shitake mushrooms. After cleaning, slice them into 1/2″ chunks and drizzle with some quality oil & season before roasting in the oven. Can’t recall the temp, but possibly 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or so. The flavor is fantastic and the roasting gives the mushrooms and nice “chew” to them….I’ll add those to this bowl recipe. Thank you so much!!
Oh yum! Those mushrooms sound awesome!! I have to try them! 🙂
Thanks Kristen!
This looks delish! I love lemon grass but have never personally cooked with it…and I love that the noodles are spaghetti squash. And finally…yes to peanut sauce on everything, yum!
Thank you so much, hope you have a great week!