First things first, I want to be clear… this is nowhere near a traditional Mongolian Beef recipe, and that is not the intent. This is a very simple and kid friendly weeknight adaptation that my family has loved and enjoyed over the years. For those of you who find the same joy, thank you! For those who want to tell me this isn’t “Mongolian Beef”…. I know.
Simple and delicious is my specialty. It has always been influenced by my parents’ style of meals when I was a kid. As a family we were busy, they worked, we had sports and activities, and yet they always found a way to prepare a home-cooked meal, even if it was simple.
We had a midwest meal called “chopped meat and noodles” which was basically onion, ground beef, and noodles. As a spin for a “fancier” version, I took some of those ingredients and added an asian style sauce for a little flair.
Enter the 15 Minute Mongolian Beef. For it to be made in 15 minutes, it has to be simple…and that it is. You start by bringing the pasta to a boil and cooking to al dente. In the meantime get that ground beef cooked, add in the garlic and then the sauce. This meal truly can be made quickly and I hope your family loves it as much as we do!
Let’s walk through a few of the key ingredients and cooking tips to help you crush this meal and be the dinner time hero:
- Beef – For this meal to be simple prep and cooking, I chose ground beef. You can absolutely choose to thinly slice some beef. It will taste a little more traditional but will also be a little more prep (and could have it run over 15 minutes). If you choose this option, a flank steak or tenderloin would work. Freeze for 10 minutes before slicing to make it easier to get the thin pieces. Cook time should be much different but you may need to do it in batches so they sear instead of steam!
- Pasta – My kiddos love spaghetti, so that’s what I use. If you would like, rice noodles fit this meal well. I would add a little more sauce if that is the case (since rice noodles seem to soak up a little more of it)!
- Toppings – Green onions, sesame seeds, and if you like spice… I highly recommend adding a little Momofuku Crunch. It takes this whole meal up a notch!
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 12 oz Pasta spaghetti
- 5 Cloves Garlic
- 3 Green Onions
- 1/3 C Soy Sauce
- 1/2 C Beef Broth
- 3 T Hoisin
- 1/4 C Brown Sugar
- 1/2 t Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 t Ginger
- Sesame Seeds
- Green Onion
Instructions
- Bring salted water to a boil and cook the pasta to Al dente. I chose to use spaghetti noodles but you can use rice noodles or any others of your preference!
- While that cooks, Mix the sauce together (soy sauce, beef broth, hoisin, sugar, red pepper flakes). Give it a good whisk and set aside
- In a large pan or wok, heat to medium and add in the ground beef
- Break into small chunks and cook the beef until browned
- Add the minced garlic and ginger.
- Cook for 1 minute and then pour in the sauce.
- Cook for 2 minutes to heat through and add the cooked pasta.
- Top the sesame seeds, green onions and anything else you like
- Enjoy!
