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We have the most delicious recipe to share with you all! The best part is that our Korean Beef Bulgogi Recipe is super easy to prepare and the thinly sliced beef cooks up in just 5 minutes!
Meal prep is the way to go during the busy week. Our Bulgogi Bowls are easy to make, highly adaptable and full of delicious flavor.
Korean BBQ Beef is one of our favorite meal prep recipes! Everyone can add their favorite toppings to this recipe!
What is Bulgogi?
It is a Korean beef recipe with thin slices of marinated beef. The Korean BBQ marinade showcases the flavors of soy sauce, sesame oil along with garlic and the sweetness of brown sugar and Asian pear.
The word bulgogi comes from the Korean dialect “bul” meaning fire and “gogi” meaning meat. Pork is also a popular dish, called Dwaeji-bulgogi (with “Dwaeji” meaning pig).
Beef bulgogi is a popular Korean BBQ recipe. You can find it just about everywhere in South Korea, and for good reason!
It’s super easy to make and tastes incredible. In fact, it is so good, you can serve it with just about any side dish. I personally love beef bulgogi with rice and veggies.
You really can’t go wrong with this recipe. Not only is it so easy to make, but you can customize it in so many ways.
One of my favorite things to do is to add spicy gochujang sauce to kick up the heat a few notches. Gochujang is a Korean chili paste that adds a ton of flavor to any recipe you put it in, but especially in a Korean BBQ sauce!
Korean BBQ Beef Bowls Ingredients
Bulgogi Sauce Marinade
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 small pear, peeled and grated
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp. garlic, minced (approx. 2 cloves)
- 1.5 lb boneless rib eye beef, sliced thin
Beef Bulgogi Bowls Ingredients
- 1 cup of rice
- 4 oz. cucumber, cut julienne
- 4 oz. carrots, peeled and cut julienne
- 4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stem removed and sliced (optional)
How to make Beef Bulgogi
For the marinade
- In a medium bowl, mix together ¼ cup soy sauce, 2 Tbsp. sesame oil, 2 Tbsp. maple syrup, 1 small peeled and grated pear, 2 thinly sliced green onions, and 1 Tbsp. minced garlic.
- Cut 1.5 lb. boneless ribeye beef into thin slices, trimming any fat as you go. Or, if you are like me, I ask my butcher to do this step for me! I like to make it super easy.
- Marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.
How to cook bulgogi
- When ready to cook beef, preheat a skillet to medium-high heat. Cook the thinly sliced beef in a single layer in batches on the skillet. The beef cooks quickly – just one minute on each side will do it! Continue to cook beef in batches until done.
- Place all the beef back in the skillet and add the remainder of the bulgogi marinade. Cook for an additional couple of minutes or until the beef is well coated. This will give the beef a delicious sauce to use over the rice.
Korean BBQ Beef Bowls
- Put together the bowls with some rice, beef, and vegetables of choice. Top with a pinch of sesame seeds, if desired. This dish is great enjoyed warm, but is also good cold!
Our Korean BBQ dish is really easy to make, and it’s simple to add a variety of vegetables to as well, making it perfect for easy lunch ideas! I love topping it off with cool cucumber.
The beef is simply sliced up and added to a simple Korean marinade It is then ready to quickly and easily cook up the next day.
The beef bulgogi sauce is the key to making these delicious bowls!
Easy Rice Recipe
This easy beef dish is great served with rice, and you can then add whatever vegetables you like alongside. Easy Meal Prep Recipes are key to enjoying dinner around the family table! It is one of our favorite family meal ideas because it is so customizable.
We have the best rice recipe to share with you – it practically cooks itself! The secret to the perfect rice is not to touch it – NO stirring is allowed!
Follow our step by step direction to making the perfect rice.
Tips for Making Beef Bulgogi
- Buy beef already sliced: Buy your boneless ribeye steak already sliced. If you don’t see it sliced, grab a ribeye steak and ask your butcher to cut it into thin strips for you.
- Cook in batches: Cook the beef in batches on the skillet. You want nice crisp beef. Do not overcrowd your skillet.
- Make a sauce with leftover marinade: Use the leftover marinade to create a delicious bulgogi sauce. Trust me, you need this sauce in your life!
- Don’t add veggies when reheating: If you will be reheating, don’t add the veggies until after you have reheated the bowl. You want a nice crisp cucumber on top!
- Make meal prep easy: Another way to help your meal prep, you can add the beef to the marinade, freeze it then when you defrost it the beef will take on the marinade as it defrosts.
Easy Beef Bulgogi – Ground Beef Bulgogi
Want to make this recipe even easier? We have a perfect weekday night solution for the busy family!
You can substitute one pound of ground beef for the ribeye steak! Skip the marinating in the refrigerator part and just add the bulgogi marinade ingredients right into the skillet with the marinade ingredients.
This is such a delicious option. It is our of our family’s favorite recipes!
Korean Beef Bulgogi Recipe Options
You can change up your Korean BBQ by adding other ingredients or swapping out the rice!
One of my favorite things about this recipe is how much you can switch things up. It keeps so well, and you can use it for so many different easy dinners!
- Try noodles, quinoa, or couscous instead of rice!
- Create Korean BBQ tacos with beef bulgogi and thinly sliced veggies.
- Add some gochujang sauce or other hot sauce if you like it a bit spicier.
- Add some kimchi.
- Recipes with beef are a perfect way to incorporate high protein, keto meals. You can leave out the rice and substitute with more veggies.
What to Serve with Korean Beef
Korean beef bulgogi pairs deliciously with my favorite side dish, shishito peppers. I love these mild Japanese peppers!
They have just a slight kick to them and a nice crunch. I typically pair these peppers with citrus pesto dip but imagine them with bulgogi sauce.
Our Best Asian Recipes
Meal Prep Ideas
What are some of your easy healthy meal prep ideas? We’d love to know your favorite Sunday Dinner Ideas and Healthy Food Recipes. Let us know in the comments below!
Korean Beef Bulgogi Bowls
Ingredients
For beef – marinated ahead of time
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 pear peeled and grated
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced (approx 2 cloves)
- 1.5 lb boneless ribeye beef sliced into thin strips
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
To serve
- 1 cup rice
- 4 oz. cucumber cut julienne
- 4 oz. carrots peeled and cut julienne
- 4 oz. shiitake mushrooms stems removed and sliced (optional)
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together the soy sauce, sesame oil, maple syrup, pear, green onions, and garlic.
- Cut the beef into thinly sliced beef, trimming any fat as you go. Cut the slices into bite-sized pieces then add to the marinade and mix. Or you can have your butcher cut the beef into thin slices for you. This is always my preference.
- Marinate in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or overnight.
- When ready to cook beef, preheat a skillet to medium-high heat. Add olive oil to skillet. Place slices of beef in a single layer on the skillet. Beef cooks quickly, cook beef approximately one minute on each side. Do not overcrowd the skillet. Cook beef in batches.
- Place all the beef back in the skillet and add the remainder of the marinade. Cook for an additional minute or until beef is well coated with the delicious sauce.
- Have fun putting together the bowls with some rice, beef and some of each of the vegetables. Top with a pinch of sesame seeds, if desired. This dish is great enjoyed warm but is also good cold.
Notes
- We recommend using Certified Angus Beef® brand for best results
- Try serving with our Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Bread Recipe
- If you will be reheating, don’t add the cucumber until after you have reheated the rest.
- Another way to help your meal prep, you can add the beef to the marinade, freeze it then when you defrost it the beef will take on the marinade as it defrosts.
- Cook beef in batches, do not overcrowd the skillet.
- For convenience, pick up already sliced steak or ask your butcher to slice the beef or you.
Nutrition
Photography Credit: Caroline Williams
Ali says
I am a really big fan of the rice with beef so i had to try out this recipe. It was fun to make and it tastes amazing, thank you.
Em Beitel says
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Ali! Thank you for letting us know!
Alma says
I just made as instructed. I am so glad that i tried this out, it was really delicious.I loved the little sweetness from the maple syrup in it.
Em Beitel says
Thank you, Alma! That’s awesome!
John says
I was looking for something to make for my anniversary dinner and i decided to make this, it took some work but my wife was really excited. Thank you.
Em Beitel says
That’s awesome! We’re so glad you and your wife enjoyed this for such a special meal!
Sandra says
I did it the same way except the soy sauce. I tried out adding it, and it was really nice addition.
Em Beitel says
We’re really glad you like it, Sandra! That’s awesome!
Simon says
These pictures are gorgeous – they inspired me to finally try out this recipe and it was so yummy.
Em Beitel says
Thanks so much, Simon! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
Andrea Metlika says
This is a fantastic looking bowl of food. I was surprised to see pear as part of the marinade. I cannot wait to try this.
Em Beitel says
Thank you so much, Andrea! The pear really adds something special to the marinade. We hope you love it!
Beth says
This is so much better than takeout food! We loved it!
Em Beitel says
Thank you, Beth! That’s awesome!
Amy says
These look fantastic, such a healthy recipe!
Em Beitel says
Thank you so much, Amy! Bulgogi is really delicious.
Alisha Rodrigues says
This is so much more healthier than takeaways and that bowl has all that a healthy meal should contain. Loving the images too
Em Beitel says
Thanks so much, Alisha!