Name: Korean Beef & Veggie Skillet
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef; 2 lbs veggies of choice (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc, chopped or sliced); 4 cloves minced garlic (about 2 tsp, or measure with your heart); butter (or any cooking oil); 1/2 cup soy sauce (or coconut aminos); 1/2 cup honey; 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger (or 1 tsp ground ginger); 1 tsp red pepper flakes; 1 tbsp sesame oil; green onions; sesame seeds

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This hearty, nourishing korean beef recipe uses simple affordable ingredients that you and you’re family will love. This is a perfect go to recipe for busy weekday nights as this only takes thirty minutes, at the very most, to get onto your plate.

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Ingredients for Korean Beef

Ground beef – grass fed is definitely the most nutritious option but it’s also expensive. If you can afford it, do it.

For the sauce

Soy sauce – traditionally brewed will be the most nourishing, however, that can get expensive and hard to come by. Coconut aminos make a great substitution here.
Honey – a lot of recipes use brown sugar, but honey is the perfect ingredient in this Korean beef recipe. It’s sweet and thick which helps the sauce thicken just a bit at the end.
Sesame oil – toasted sesame oil is especially tasty
Grated or ground ginger – freshly grated ginger gives this such a fresh flavor but ground ginger also works in a pinch
Red pepper flakes – this recipe is mildly spicy. It shouldn’t be too much for kids to handle, but if you are worried, reduce the amount called for.

Vegetables

Up to 2lbs veggies of choice. We love cabbage, broccoli (especially our homegrown Yod Fah variety), cauliflower, shredded carrots, baby corns, really whatever you want. The veggies make this meal stretch so much further, plus the fiber from these plants help you feel full longer. And… veggies are cheaper than meat.
Minced garlic, this one is a must have for sure
Green onions and sesame seeds for garnishing, totally optional but they do give a nice visual appeal ☺

How to make Korean beef and veggie skillet

In a high sided pan or dutch oven, add a bit of butter or other cooking oil and saute your garlic for about 30 seconds. Add the beef and break it up. Cook until fully browned and drain the grease.

If you prefer your veggies to have a softer texture, saute them for up to five minutes first, then add the garlic and beef.

ground beef being cooked with minced garlic in black pan

You can opt to keep the fat in the pan, after all the veggies will soak up all the goodness. But it will keep the sauce from setting, leaving you with an almost soupy finished product. Still delicious and we do this often when we want extra sauce for pouring over our rice.

While the beef is cooking go ahead and mix up the honey soy sauce mixture.

ingredients for a honey soy sauce in small white bowl

Add your veggies along with the soy sauce mixture to the pan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Stir continuously until the veggies are cooked and the sauce has reduced a bit. Again, if you want your veggies soften saute them for a couple minutes first then add garlic and beef.

adding vegetables to pan with ground beef and garlic

cooking cabbage in korean beef honey soy sauce

Once the veggies are cooked to your liking, serve immediately over some rice. You can also garnish it with a bit of green onion and sesame seeds. And that’s it. This truly is one of the easiest meals we make in our home. This Korean beef and veggie skillet recipe is perfect for busy week nights and still nourishing and hearty. I hope you enjoy it, and let me know if you try this in the comments below!

If you are in need of more budget friendly, simple, nourishing meals your family will love check out these other recipes.

White Chicken Chili

Instant Pot Pork And Cabbage

Happy cooking! 😊

Emily

Korean Beef & Veggie Skillet

5 from 1 vote

This hearty, nourishing meal comes together in 30 minutes, perfect for a busy week night.

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings: 8

Course: dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
2 lbs veggies of choice cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc, chopped or sliced
4 cloves minced garlic about 2 tsp, or measure with your heart
butter or any cooking oil

Sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce or coconut aminos
1/2 cup honey
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger or 1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp sesame oil

Garnish

green onions
sesame seeds

Method

In a small bowl mix together the ingredients for the sauce; soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, grated ginger, set aside.
Place a large pan over the stove and turn burner to medium high. When the pan is hot, add butter or other cooking oil, just enough to grease the bottom of the pan, about 2 tsp.
Saute garlic for about 30 seconds, then add the beef. (If you'd like softer veggies in your finished meal see notes). Break up the beef and cook until no pink remains. Drain fat.
Add veggies and honey soy sauce mixture to the pan. Stir to fully incorporate. Cook for an additional 5-8 minutes until the vegetable have softened slightly and the sauce has reduced a bit.
Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds and serve immediately with rice. A side of kimchi is also great.

Notes

The first real step in this recipe is to make the rice. You don’t want to have this ready and no rice… trust me.

If you’d like your veggies to be softer, sauté them first for up to five minutes. Then add the garlic and ground beef. Once the beef is cooked, drain the fat and add the honey soy sauce mixture.

If you’d like more drippings to pour over your rice, you can opt to leave the fat in the pan. We love this recipe both ways.

This recipe is mildly spicy, but if you are sensitive to spice, you can reduce the red pepper flakes by half.