Authentic Korean Ground Beef Rice Bowl (Bibimbap)

While this Asian inspired meal of Korean Ground Beef Rice Bowl (Bibimbap) uses more than just a handful of ingredients, this easy ground beef recipe is fairly quick to put together once the prep is done. 

Considering it’s a from-scratch Korean beef bowls recipe, that is. No Hamburger Help-Me here. 

This easy dish is tangy with fresh ginger and white wine vinegar, sweet, and just a little spicy that you can customize in so many different ways. 

If you’re trying to meal prep or get food on the table on a busy weeknight, prepare the sauce, rice, and pickled red onions in advance. 

The best part of it is the ability to mix and match your favorite veggies and protein to make your ultimate Korean ground beef bowls. 

Sub out ground turkey or use extra lean ground beef to slim down the cals, and consider using cauliflower rice as the base for this Korean beef rice bowl to cut some carbs. 

For extra heat, add red pepper flakes or sriracha sauce. Just remember that the spice level will increase the next day, as Korean recipes often can.

Helpful tips for making Bibimbap:

• Make your sticky rice or jasmine rice ahead, or use your microwave since a lot will be going on the stovetop at once.
• Pickled onions can be chilled and kept indefinitely! So make a big batch and put them on salads, steaks, fish tacos, chicken, and more!
• To toast your sesame seeds: Bake 5 to 7 minutes on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 250 F until golden. Watch carefully so they don’t burn.
• To add more veggies, or for another veggie option, bean sprouts, napa cabbage, or green beans seasoned in the same way as the spinach are delicious!
• Bibimbap sauce is great served on the side, that way everyone can make it as spicy or mild as they want! Set it aside before starting the assembly process. Offer small bowls for personal mixing.

What’s the difference between bulgogi and bibimbap?

Bibimbap and Korean beef bulgogi both use Korean BBQ-style meat mixture in the dishes, but bibimbap is a little more complex with lots of vegetables and an egg. 

Bulgogi has a few similar seasonings but uses ribeye steak as the meat. Here’s a highly reviewed bulgogi recipe from Damn Delicious.

Bulgogi looks like a bowl of small pieces of just cooked meat that’s lightly sauced, and bibimbap almost looks like a dry bowl of ramen on top when assembled.

The bottom line

This great recipe was created just for CookingChew by Chef Natasha Bartlett. 

She made easy dinner recipes for us before: Homemade Taco Pizza and Greek Baked Ziti!

So next time that you are looking for tried-and-true recipes to make a delicious dinner, come back to CookingChew to see what original recipe you can find!

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Korean Ground Beef Rice Bowl (Bibimbap)

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 55 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

This authentic Korean Ground Beef Rice Bowl assembles quickly with a few vegetables and the special spicy sauce that makes this recipe unique!

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Ingredients

Meat, Sauce & Eggs

• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1 T soy sauce or coconut aminos
• 2 t dark brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
• 2 t ginger, minced or grated
• 2 t green onions, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 eggs for the top

Seasoned Spinach:

• 2 c fresh baby spinach
• 1 t green onion, thinly sliced
• 1 t roasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
• 2 T sesame oil

Pickled Red Onions:

• 1 red onion, halved and julienned
• 1-1/2 c white wine vinegar
• 1/4 c honey

Veggies & Rice:

• 4-6 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1-2 large carrots, julienned (see our how-to here)
• 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 c of chopped napa cabbage or other veggies, if desired
• 3 c steamed brown rice or white rice

Sauce:

• 1-1/2 t gochujang sauce
• 1-1/2 t Garam Masala
• 1 T sesame oil
• 1 T granulated sugar
• 2 T water
• 1 T toasted sesame seeds
• 2 t apple cider vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced or grated

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, bring white wine vinegar and honey to a gentle boil while you cut your onions. Place cut onions in a heat-safe container, such as a glass or porcelain bowl.
2. Once your mixture is boiling, carefully pour or ladle the hot honey/vinegar mixture over the onions, ensuring all onions are covered in the liquid. Cover and refrigerate.
3. In a mixing bowl, mix beef, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger brown sugar, green onions, salt and pepper. Set aside the beef mixture to marinate for 30 minutes while you prepare the veggies.
4. In a large stock pot, bring 6 cups of water to a rolling boil. When it’s boiling, sprinkle a good pinch of salt in and then throw in the spinach. Cook for 30 seconds to a minute before straining and running cold water over the spinach until it can be handled. Squeeze out all excess water.
5. Mix the rest of your Seasoned Spinach sauce ingredients in a bowl. Fold the spinach into it, ensuring complete coverage. Set aside.
6. In a medium skillet, heat up some neutral oil at medium heat. One at a time, keeping the veggies separate, cook the veggies for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. In the same large skillet, cook the meat until all pink is gone and liquid is cooked off, stirring occasionally.
8. While the beef cooks, separately set a small skillet on medium heat with some neutral oil. Crack your eggs into the oil carefully and pop a lid on for 2 to 3 minutes depending on how runny you like your yolk.
9. Vigorously mix all sauce ingredients together with a small bowl whisk. Set aside.
10. Time to assemble! Start with a bed of rice on the bottom of your bowl and layer the spinach, veggies, pickled onions, and beef mixture how you see fit! Top with egg. Add a spoonful of sauce to each bowl, or keep it on the side for everyone to add their preferred heat level. Sprinkle extra toasted sesame seeds and enjoy!

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