Korean Ground Beef Stir Fry {Easy, One Pot, 30-Minute Meal}

4.72 from 84 votes

Korean Ground Beef Stir Fry is beef and veggies cooked in a sweetened soy sauce mixture. It's a healthy, quick & easy One Pot meal!

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: 30-minute meal, beef, easy recipe, ground beef, healthy, stir fry

Servings:

Calories: 380kcal

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb lean ground beef (I used 90% lean, see notes)
½ cup yellow onion, finely diced
2 tablespoon garlic, minced (about 5-6 garlic cloves)
1 cup red bell pepper, chopped (about ½ large bell pepper)
1 cup carrots, julienned or shredded (about 1 large carrot)
2 cups broccoli florets, cut into smaller florets (about 1 small head of broccoli)

⅓ cup brown sugar
⅓ cup reduced sodium soy sauce (to make gluten-free, use Tamari or GF soy sauce)
1 ½ tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
½ tsp ground ginger (or 2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger)
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (this results in medium-mild heat, adjust to desired spice level)

To a small bowl, add all sauce ingredients and whisk until well blended. Set aside.
Add olive oil to a large skillet, and set to medium-high.
Once hot, add the ground beef and break apart, then add the onions. Cook until beef is slightly browned (about 5-7 minutes), mixing and crumbling up the beef as it cooks.
Add garlic, bell peppers, broccoli, and carrots. Stir fry 2 minutes.
Add the sauce mixture. Cook, stirring often for about 3-5 minutes (or until sauce reduces slightly).
Taste, and add additional soy sauce or crushed pepper if needed (we usually add a bit more of each).
Remove from heat, and garnish with green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
Serve on its own, or over rice!

I made this with 90% lean ground beef without having to drain any fat, but I did remove some fat when I used 85% lean.
If you are using a meat that is less than 90%, then you may want to drain out some fat after the beef cooks (before adding in the veggies).
See blog notes on tips for easily removing fat.

Add more crushed red pepper to the sauce, or top with some Sriracha for some added heat (we love things spicy so we do both).

(Nutritional Info is for ¼ of the recipe. This may serve 4-5 people, just depends on how large you want the portions.)