This flavorful and easy Korean Beef Bowl is an easy meal prep recipe. Cook once and enjoy throughout the busy work week for less than $4 a meal!
How many times have you told yourself that you’d eat healthier, more nutritious foods every day if you only had more time to cook? I’ve told that to myself hundreds of times. And to everyone around me. Eating freshly cooked, well-balanced meals is the ultimate dream, but the reality is somewhat different, isn't it? Sigh.
When you come home after a long day of working and running errands, you’re tired and you’re hungry and the only thing you want to do is quickly grab something from the fridge and crash on the couch. We’ve all been there. I'm seriously the worst hangry person.
I love to cook, but, sometimes, I just want to take some time off and not stand in the kitchen for even 30 minutes to cook dinner or grab lunch. I believe cooking is just like everything else in life. Sometimes, ya just need to take a break from it for a while just so you can start appreciate it again. After all, eating healthy and cooking fresh foods does require passion. It does feel really good when you're cooking something truly great, something that will make you feel happy and full.
Plus you get tasty meals like this chicken meal prep and this salmon meal prep when you learn how to meal prep.
How To Meal Prep
Before you start going through your fridge, trying to find something filling that requires little to no time to make, take a step back. What do you usually have in your fridge or your pantry that you can just grab and eat straight away? I bet you it’s not a full meal. Probably some kind of snack. At best, maybe some fruit, veggies, and hummus?
Friends, I have something for you that you’re going to LOVE! This Korean Beef Bowl is simple, easy, and will make sticking to your healthy eating habits so much easier. Yes, meal prep for the win...again!
So, how does meal prep work? Basically, take a couple of hours every week to prep and cook your meals for the rest of the week. That way, you will always have a healthy and yummy meal waiting for you at the end of the day -- or an already packed lunch that you can just grab and take with you.
I’ve already shared my tips on How To Meal Prep Chicken and included some of my favorite Easy Chicken Recipes that are great for meal prep. I’m doing the same now with ground beef and this Korean Beef Bowl, because we all need a little variety in our lives, and what better way to do that than with this delicious ground beef recipe.
How To Save Time with Meal Prep
I believe that in life, you've got to do what works for you. Otherwise, you're never gonna stick with it.
The same goes for meal prep. Most of us have time off on weekends and that’s when I usually take my time and meal prep for the entire work week ahead. This is great because I basically cook just once and have meals ready for the rest of the week.
I love meal prepping for the entire week, but sometimes, depending on what I have planned and what's on my schedule that week, I break it down and meal prep twice a week, prepping my meals just for the next 2-3 days at once.
Find the way that works best for you. If you’re meal prepping for your entire family, it may be better that you do it twice a week than spend one entire day prepping all the meals for all your family members for the entire week, no?
Once you get going and see how much time you actually save every day by prepping your meals in advance, you won’t be able to stop! You can prep all your meals, from breakfast and lunch to dinner and even the snacks in between. Your waistline and your tastebuds will thank you and that feeling of opening your fridge to glorious prepped meals will make you smile every time.
How To Meal Prep Ground Beef
One great thing I love about this Korean Beef Bowl for meal prep is that it works for both lunch and dinner. It’s so versatile as well and adds the much-needed protein to your diet.
For this Korean Beef Bowl, I use organic grass fed ground beef if possible, but it is usually much pricier. If not that, go for lean 93% or higher ground beef. You could also exchange it for ground turkey, ground chicken, or even ground bison for other types of proteins.
How To Store Korean Beef Bowls for Meal Prep
This ground beef meal prep will keep in the fridge up to 7 days if stored properly in meal prep containers.
If you decide to freeze your ground beef meal prep in a freezer ziplock bag or a freezer-safe container, it will save up to 3 months.
How To Reheat Korean Beef Bowls for Meal Prep
When you’re ready to eat, you can either let your ground beef meal prep thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat in the microwave for around 2 minutes or reheat it in the microwave while frozen for 4-5 minutes.
And there you have it - a hot, filling, protein-packed meal ready in just 2 minutes!
More Easy Ground Beef Meal Prep Recipes
At this point, I’m pretty sure you don’t need any more convincing. Ground beef is great for meal prep and works amazingly well in this Korean Beef Bowl. In case you run out of ideas, I’m sharing with you some of my favorite ground beef recipes that are healthy, delicious, and, of course, very easy to make.
- Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Pesto & Goat Cheese Burger
- Ground Beef Enchiladas
- Texas Chili Recipe
- 4 Easy Mason Jar Salad Recipes
- Quinoa Taco Stackers
- Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Bowls
- Healthy Quinoa Make Ahead Casserole
- Spinach & Feta Burgers With Garlic Aioli
- Taco Salad Recipe
What’s your favorite ground beef recipe to meal prep? Let me know in the comments below!
How to Meal Prep - Korean Beef Bowls
How To Meal Prep - Korean Beef Bowl
Equipment
- Stock Pot or Large Deep Skillet
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
For the Brown Rice:
- 1 ½ cups brown rice
- 3 ¼ cups low sodium chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
For the Carrot Salad:
- 5 carrots, cut into matchsticks
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 1 ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
- 2 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds
For the Korean Beef Bowl:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 lbs lean ground beef
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Additional Toppings:
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 3 medium-boiled eggs
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions
For the (Optional) Medium Boiled Eggs:
- To medium boil the eggs, cover the eggs with a few inches of water and bring to a boil in a deep saucepan over high heat.
- Once boiling, cook 6 minutes.
- Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place directly into an ice bath (a large bowl filled with cold water and ice). Allow to set in the ice bath for 2 minutes to stop cooking.
- To remove the peel, gently tap the bottom, flat end of the egg with a spoon, then carefully slide the spoon around the egg, in between the out layer of the egg and the inside of the peel to remove the entire peel. Set aside.
For the Brown Rice:
- In a deep pot, combine brown rice with low sodium chicken broth and sea salt and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook the rice at a low simmer for about 25 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Then, set it aside to cool.
For Korean Beef:
- In a large skillet, add olive oil and heat over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground beef and cook until it’s well-browned, about 6-8 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef into small, even pieces.
- Then, add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until it’s fragrant, about 1 minute.
- In a small bowl, add coconut sugar, low sodium soy sauce, fresh minced ginger, orange zest, fresh orange juice, sesame oil and crushed red pepper flakes, and stir to combine.
- Add in the soy sauce mixture to the ground beef, and stir until well combined. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes to heat through.
- Then, remove this from the heat, and set aside.
For the Carrot Salad:
- In a large bowl, add carrots, rice vinegar, raw honey, freshly grated ginger, low sodium soy sauce, and sesame seeds. Toss to coat.
To Assemble Korean Beef Bowl Meal Prep:
- Start by adding our steamed brown rice to the meal prep container, followed by the Korean ground beef mixture, and then the fresh carrot salad and a few sliced cucumbers to fill out the rest of the container. Top with sliced green onion and a soft boiled egg.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.
Brian Bell
Im guessing your using short grain brown rice, because long grain takes up to 45 min to cook.
Sue
This was really good. I didn't have any ginger, so it would have been even better with the ginger. The carrot sauce is good for dipping the cucumber too. I just made it for dinner, but I can see that it is great as a make ahead meal. I'm guessing if I make it and freeze it, I should leave off the veggies and egg.
Dustin
This was a good meal prep recipe 🙂
Denise
what size container should be used for the meal prep recipes??
Thanks