It’s the first Monday of the NEW YEAR, and errybody in the club gettin’ healthy! Which is why today we are partying up these Korean BBQ Steak Bowls.
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Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe! I have a major weakness for Eastern dishes, although getting them right can sometimes be a bit tricky. Fortunately, this recipe was both straight forward and delicious!
This veggie-loaded mountain features thinly sliced Korean BBQ steak, a rainbow of bell peppers, scallions, greens, wonton strips (!) because health means nothing unless it actually tastes good 👅, and a spicy sesame ginger dressing. So much flavor // so much crunch // 100% versatility.
Some ideas for this combo, depending on your mood:
- Make it as a salad! Crunchy, cold, and filling. Ready whenever.
- Make it as a stir fry salad! Just the same as a salad, but stir-fried. Warm enough to feel comforting, but still healthy enough to feel 💪.
- Make it as a regular stir fry which involves serving it over a little bit of rice, brown rice, quinoa, etc. Because sometimes all the veggies are just THERE and this becomes necessary.
- Make it as a noodle stir fry, meaning you’re going to add some rice noodles to the mix and I’m going to be EXTREMELY JEALOUS that I’m not having lunch with you because I live for noodles.
- Make it as a filling for a wrap! It would be so good in a grilled wrap kind of situation. Also – it might be 1998 because I just told you to make this as A WRAP. Do people still make wraps?
No matter the format you choose, this baby is all about the flavorful, thinly cut, quick-seared steak, the rainbow of veggies (spiralized bell peppers are THE BEST), and the crunch of the wontons all tossed together in a perfect textural harmony. PLUS (you were waiting for it) the oh-happy-day flavor of the spicy sesame dressing.
Friends, something big has happened in my life in the last two weeks.
I’ve discovered a local lunch delivery service that brings food FROM YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANTS straight to your working self. Or your at-home self. It’s like having personalized restaurant delivery around the clock.
(If you’re local to Minneapolis, it’s called BiteSquad. Have at it.)
The dark side of this discovery is that this is absolutely going to be the death of any potential healthy lunch resolutions in 2016. Will I ever bring a lunch from home again? Ohmygosh, it’s going to be hard. You may also be seeing more ads on Pinch of Yum in 2016 because this is not the cheapest lunch option and SOMEONE needs to be funding my habits. I cannot even describe to you how much willpower I have to use on a daily basis NOT to order lunch and have it delivered. Chipotle chicken tacos? Freshii veggie bowls? Chicken curry and naan? Authentic hummus and falafel? Spicy tamales? *willpower willpower WILLPOWERRRRR*
There is a mantra I’ve recently adopted (slash quote I’ve recently borrowed) that is either helping to justify this new-found lunch delivery addiction or destroying me one lunch at a time.
“In order to make delicious food, you must eat delicious food.” – Jiro Ono
So OBVIOUSLY it should be okay for me to order lunch every day ever? Come on, Bjork. I have to have to have to eat delicious food. IT’S MY JOB.
But see what happens when I order lunch?
I get a salad that completely rocks my world (the K-Town salad at Sprout Salad in downtown Minneapolis for reference – RUN) and then I make an at-home version for the blog (this 👇) so the food joy can live on LONG past lunchtime.
I dunno, seems appropriate to me. 🎉
A WORD ABOUT THE PEPPERS:
Okay, this little hack is way too fun. I highly recommend spiralizing your bell peppers for this recipe. They take on the shape of noodles and make for really versatile and healthy stir-frys and such, like this Rainbow Vegetarian Pad Thai. And bell peppers are really just the beginning.
Here’s the spiralizer I am using right now: http://amzn.to/2fGPN8V
If you want to see the video Bjork and I made showing how the spiralizer works, which one NOT to buy, and what else you can do with it, check out this post (8 Life-Changing Ways to Use a Spiralizer).
A WORD ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE:
You can grab them on Amazon with 2-day delivery straight to your door. Boom!
Sambal Oelek (spicy chili paste): http://amzn.to/2fGUb7z
Mirin (sweet rice wine): http://amzn.to/2f1ZcpQ
Toasted Sesame Oil: http://amzn.to/2f23ldf
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Korean BBQ Steak Bowls with Spicy Sesame Dressing
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 1x
Description
Korean BBQ Steak Bowls! Featuring Korean BBQ steak, bell peppers, scallions, greens, wonton strips, a spicy sesame ginger dressing.
Ingredients
For the Spicy Sesame Dressing
- 2/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced or crushed ginger
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2–3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1–2 tablespoons sambal oelek (spicy chili paste)
- 5 cloves garlic
For the Korean BBQ Steak Bowls
- 1 lb. top sirloin steak, cut into very thin pieces
- 2 bell peppers (red and yellow), spiralized or cut into strips
- 2 handfuls of spinach
- wonton strips, scallions, and sesame seeds for topping
Instructions
- Pulse the dressing ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Place the steak in a bag and cover with enough dressing to coat. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours (now would be a good time to prep all other veggies).
- Heat a very heavy pan over high heat. Pull the steak out of the sauce and discard remaining sauce. Add the steak to the pan with a little oil if necessary depending on what type of pan you are using. It should sizzle! Let the steak sit for 1-2 minutes to get a golden brown sear, flip if necessary, or just remove from the pan and let it finish cooking on a plate. How long you cook the meat for is dependent on how well-done you want your steak, but just keep it mind that it cooks quickly because it’s sliced very thinly.
- Toss all the veggies and steak together with enough dressing to coat (you will likely have extra – save it in the fridge for another round). Throw in the wontons and scallions just before serving.
Notes
Add some big bold kimchi or seaweed or a soft-boiled egg if you want Korean BBQ Steak Bowls 2.0!
Nutrition facts are for 4 servings. Includes half of the dressing for 4 servings, and does not include wonton strips.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Korean-Inspired
Nutrition Facts
- Daily value: 10% Total Fat 7.9g
- Daily value: 22% Cholesterol 66.9mg
- Daily value: 77% Sodium 1782.4mg
- Daily value: 7% Total Carbohydrate 20.1g
- Daily value: 8% Dietary Fiber 2.1g
- Sugars 14.5g
- Daily value: 61% Protein 30.5g
- Daily value: 18% Vitamin A 163.8µg
- Daily value: 90% Vitamin C 81.4mg
Keywords: korean bbq steak bowls, steak bowls, korean bbq
Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links.
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our favorite bell pepper recipes page. Check it out!
Am I the only one with issues with this recipe. Picture shows veggies cooked but no mention of that in the recipe. How about dividing the dressing. Did I miss that too? It looks good but I’m having a hard time following the recipe.
I just made this last night so delicious. Thank you.
I did not have mirin so I use sherry wine.
SFMart is a great online store for Korean food items that’s reasonably accessible to English speakers
You never mention how to cook the vegetables – Am I missing something?
Mouthwatering pictures! Lovely!
Would regular rice wine vinegar work instead of the mirin? Would you add a pinch of sugar to make up for the lack of sweetness?
Yep, that sounds like a great sub. Let us know how it turns out for you, Christina!
Can you marinade for more than 2 hours? Want to prep this before work— thanks!
Definitely!
This sauce is sooooo good!
I cooked the peppers with the steak and served it over rice. My family loved it!
YUM!!!!
We had this for dinner tonight.
Husband: where did you get this recipe?
Me: guess.
Husband: pinch of yum?
Me: yep
Husband: does she know how she has changed our lives?
😀
This recipe is a huge hit with my family! It’s easy, inexpensive, quick, and oh so delicious!
Did you cook the peppers at all? Or are theu raw in the bowl?
We didn’t, but you could definitely throw them in the pan too!
Just made this tonight…so good! My boyfriend said it’s definitely in the top 10 🙌🏻
Glad to hear that, Kathleen!
I added shrimp and curry and mushrooms and it was so good. Little spicy but satisfying.
Thanks Lindsay. I made this exactly according to your directions. It was perfect! And so delicious!
Glad to hear it, Ria!
Delish! My boyfriend and I loved this recipe. We added cauliflower rice with it, low carb!
Great idea! Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe! I have a major weakness for Eastern dishes, although getting them right can sometimes be a bit tricky. Fortunately, this recipe was both straight forward and delicious!
Glad to hear it! 🙂
I don’t think I’ve ever had Korean BBQ (gasp!). I usually avoid really spicy-sounding foods because I can’t handle much heat. Do you think omitting the sambal oelek would take away a lot of the flavor of the recipe?
And I’ve probably mentioned this before, but I’m a little bit obsessed with your bowls (the literal bowls, but the food too of course!) They are absolutely gorgeous!
Hi Margaret! It might take away some of the flavor, but you could always opt for a milder chili paste or cut down the amount of sambal. Thanks for the sweet comment! 🙂
Wow! Served this on buckwheat soba noodles, it was amazing. Thanks for the post.
Sounds delicious, Amelia! 🙂
Hi- could you make the dressing and then leave it overnight in the fridge? How long will it last?
Thanks 😀
Hi Jay! You could definitely make it and leave it overnight!
OMG this sounds yummy. Cant wait to try this with my wife
I’m toasting up some corn tortillas, throwing on some cotija cheese, and making this recipe into tacos today. Can’t wait!
Great idea, Tippy!
My family loved this! I served it w/ some Thai brown rice noodles…and some cubed sauteed eggplant (cooked the eggplant in some oil right after I took out the meat). Honestly to me the eggplant made it…but I love eggplant! My kids especially loved the noodle component – kids & their noodles! Some other ideas I thought would work well in this dish to add more veggies would be some shredded cabbage & sliced shiitake mushrooms.
Eggplant – love that idea! Thanks, Erika!
I love the bowls you are using! Where did you find these?
Hi, Alison! The bowl was actually made for Lindsay by her father in law.
I made this for dinner last night. It was so good! We ate it on the spinach (as pictured) and filling, but not too heavy. A nice change from my usual dinners this time of year 🙂
Awesome, Lauren! Glad to hear that. 🙂
I’d like to make this the day before as a salad for a potluck. Would you let the beef cool before adding the veggies, or add them in the hot pan to cook a little before chilling?
Hi, Kathy! It depends on how you want your veggies. 🙂 If you’d like them to maintain some crunch, I’d let the meat cool completely before mixing. If you want the veggies soft, then add them in with the hot meat. Enjoy!