Idk about you, but there's something about ground beef gives me the ick, and because of that, I don't cook with it often. But I do appreciate how affordable and fast it can be, especially on a weeknight. So, for the last little while I've been working on a ground beef bowl recipe to cure my aversion... and this is what I came up with!
Ground beef gets seared in large chunks to maximize browning, then cooked in a zippy soy-peanut sauce. The trick is not over cooking the ground beef so it stays plump and doesn't dry out.
Why I love this recipe
- Affordable: Ground beef doesn't break the bank and stores well in the freezer, so you can buy it on sale and reap the benefits later.
- Quick: Even with three components in the bowl the whole thing comes together in under 30 minutes.
- Easily Scalable: It tastes just as good (if not better!) the next day, so you can make a large batch for meal prep or lunches.
There aren't a ton of ground beef recipes on my blog (because of the whole ick thing!) but the few I do have are winners. Like this hummus bowl with pickled vegetables, my lazy girl bolognese or these parmesan-packed meatballs. Oh and can't forget my lasagna soup (which might be the best one on the internet, js!)
Jump to:
Ingredients
Here's everything you'll need to make my peanut sauce beef bowls:
- lean ground beef
- soy sauce
- peanut butter
- rice wine vinegar
- sriracha
- garlic
- maple syrup
- lime
- jasmine rice
- butter lettuce
- cucumber
- cilantro
- sesame seeds
- salt
You can find the exact measurements and quantities in the recipe card below.
Instructions
- Step 1: Cook ground beef in oil with garlic until caramelized.
- Step 2: Mix sauce by combining peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, sriracha and maple syrup.
- Step 3: Cook jasmine, slice cucumbers and wash cilantro and lettuce
- Step 4: Assemble bowls and finish with a generous drizzle of peanut sauce.
Hint: Avoid overcooking the ground beef by first searing it on high in large chunks. Once golden and caramelized, flip and break into smaller pieces before adding the garlic. Finish with peanut sauce and a pinch of salt.
Substitutions
There's a lot of room to play in the toppings department of these peanut sauce beef bowls. I went with butter lettuce, cucumber, cilantro and sesame seeds but you could also try:
- carrots
- pickled red onion
- cabbage
- avocado
- fried egg
You could also swap the rice for soba or vermicelli noodles!
Equipment
I'm using a large stainless steal pan to sear my beef. Stainless steal provides more even heat distribution for even browning and more caramelization. If you're using a non-stick pan, or something similar, you'll need to increase the heat and add a bit more oil to get a similar result.
Storage
Store the toppings, rice, sauce and cooked ground beef separately to keep everything fresh.
Ingredients
Method
- Cook 1 cup rice by following package instructions. Wash and prep your toppings: I like thinly slicing cucumber and roughly chopping Boston lettuce and cilantro.
- While the rice cooks, heat a medium pan on medium-high heat. Once hot, add enough neutral oil to lightly coat the bottom. Break 1 lbs ground beef into large chunks and add to pan, pressing down as you place each piece to maximize browning. Sear until golden brown and caramelized, about 5 minutes.
- While that cooks, in a medium bowl mix ½ cup peanut butter, ¼ cup soy sauce, ½ tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon sriracha and 1 tablespoon maple syrup until everything is evenly incorporated and the sauce is smooth.
- Back in the pan, use a wooden spoon or spatula to flip the beef and break it up until dime-sized pieces. Add half of the peanut-soy sauce and continue cooking until no pink remains in the beef, about 5 more minutes.
- Serve with rice, your toppings, and more peanut-soy sauce drizzled on top.
Related
Looking for more recipes? Try these:
Leave a Reply