When my husband was out of town recently and it was 100% up to me to do all the carpooling, parenting, meals, etc. (during an already very busy weekend, more on that below!), I knew I needed to make some no-brainer dinners that the kids would love. And I must admit, I even surprised myself with how simple this one was to make. I was prepared to put more work into the cooking and clean-up, but these Korean rice bowls really were one of the quickest and easiest dinners I’ve made in a while (thankfully)! Plus, we all three loved the flavors and gobbled it up.
Korean Rice Bowls for Our Super Busy Weekend
Now, back to that super busy weekend that I mentioned. It was homecoming at our high school, and between all the festivities at the football game on Friday night (both my girls cheer) and their very first HOCO dance on Saturday, there was not a dull moment to be had! My girls loved getting all dressed up and having somewhere special to go. And after giving up so much over the last couple of years, I really appreciated how the school made an outside venue work so that these kids could all go have fun and make memories together!
Check out how grown up my children are … how in the world did this happen!? They were 3 and 5 when I started my blog in 2010, feels like a lifetime ago!
Other Rice Bowl Recipes
Bowl recipes are a great way for everyone to assemble their dinner with their favorite ingredients. Here are some of my favorite quick and easy bowl recipes that are perfect for busy nights …
- Cuban Black Bean & Yellow Rice Bowls
- Easy Flank Steak Taco Bowls (with creamed spinach & corn)
- Weeknight Curry Chicken Bowl
- No-Cook DIY Tuna Poke Bowl
Korean Rice Bowl Recipe
So, for your next busy weekend (or week), here’s that simple and tasty recipe to help make things easy on yourself. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Quick Korean Ground Beef and Veggie Rice Bowls
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
For the Stir Fry
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or olive oil)
- 1 red bell pepper (deseeded, cored, and cut into 2" slices)
- 1/2 pound broccoli (big stems removed and cut into thin slices about 1/4" to 1/2" thick)
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
For Serving
- Brown rice (cooked according to package (4 servings))
- Fried egg (to go on top (optional))
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and broccoli and cook while stirring occasionally until the veggies begin to soften, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Move the veggies over to the side in the pan and add the ground beef and garlic. Brown the meat while breaking it up with a spatula. Once the beef is cooked all the way through (no longer pink), mix it together with the veggies and pour in the sauce (use a rubber spatula so you don't leave any of the honey behind!).
- Turn the heat down to low and stir until the meat and veggies are well coated with the sauce. Once the sauce thickens, after about 2 to 3 minutes, spoon the mixture over brown rice, season with salt and pepper, add a fried egg on top (if using), and serve.
Notes
- Gluten-Free if you sub soy sauce for tamari.Â
- We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
My family loves these! We have them a lot.
A Korean friend suggested adding a splash of white or white wine vinegar. It gives that perfect zing that you never knew you needed!
Wow, delish:)!! Didn’t change a thing this first time, or when I make it again. A lot of flavor, so its highly satisfying; this is also due to the nice balance of the meat, rice, and veggies.
Thank you for sharing it!!
This recipe was absolutely delicious! My family and I loved every bite of this flavorful meal. The sauce is wonderful and if you top the meal off with some Sriacha sauce, it enhances all the flavors of the Korean bowl and goes perfectly with it. Thank you for the recipe!
Glad to hear everyone loved it! – Nicole
So good!! Made this for dinner last week. So quick and simple, but filled with flavor. I didn’t have any peppers so I cut up a sweet onion instead. I will be making this next week for sure. Thanks!!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it! – Nicole
Big hit at our house!!!
Yay! Glad to hear it. – Nicole
I’m wondering of this freezes well? I’d like to make individual servings for super crazy days.