GROUND BEEF MONGOLIAN NOODLES
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Easy to make Ground Beef Mongolian Noodles is sweet, spicy, and perfect for busy weeknights! You can make these Mongolian beef noodles in 30 minutes or less, and it tastes even better than the restaurant version.
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
GROUND BEEF MONGOLIAN NOODLES
There is no food group that I love more than pasta! Recently, I’ve been enjoying Asian flavors and wanted to create an easy beef noodle recipe and came up with these mongolian beef noodles. This recipe can be made so quickly, it has become a staple on our weeknight table.
Here are more go-to quick recipes: Delicious Dinners | 30 Minutes Meals or Less and 20 A+ BACK TO SCHOOL DINNER RECIPES.
Mongolian beef noodles
I modeled my recipe after PF Chang’s Mongolian Beef with a sweet soy glaze, garlic, and green onions. However, instead of flank steak, I used lean ground beef. This is the perfect dish to satisfy all your quick fix Asian/Chinese food cravings and it’ll make your house smell amazing while cooking!
If you notice, there’s no salt in the beef and sauce mixture. Hoisin sauce tends to be salty and I haven’t found a low-sodium version of it yet. That’s also the reason I recommend using low-sodium soy sauce for this recipe.
🛒 Ingredients you’ll need
The full recipe for mongolian ground beef noodles with ingredient amounts and instructions is at the bottom of this post. You can save a tree and the recipe to your personal and private recipe box here on Call Me PMc. This way, you’ll never misplace it.
- lean ground beef
- fresh ginger minced
- garlic clove minced
- brown sugar can reduce to 1/3 or 1/4 cup
- beef broth
- low sodium soy sauce low sodium
- hoisin sauce if you can find low-sodium, I recommend it.
- black pepper
- red pepper flakes optional
- noodles – linguine, fettuccine, or spaghetti
- cornstarch
- water
- green onions sliced
🍳Equipment you’ll need
- 5 quart braiser or large skillet
- pasta pan
- measuring cups and spoons
- Wood Stirring Spoon
- Bowls
Mongolian ground beef noodles
- For the ground beef – I used 90% lean ground beef. You can also use ground turkey, pork, or chicken.
- For the minced garlic. I recommend fresh garlic or jarred minced garlic in water instead of dried granulated garlic or dried garlic powder. Fresh has much more flavor than dried.
- For the ginger– If there’s one ingredient that you simply must use fresh, it’s ginger. Dried ginger tastes nothing like fresh ginger. Ginger is a root, and it adds so much flavor to recipes. A little ginger goes a long way! It’s in the produce section of your grocery store. It’s inexpensive, and you’ll need a very small knob. Furthermore, it’ll last 3 to 4 weeks on the countertop.
- For the soy sauce. I highly recommend you use low-sodium soy sauce.
- For the hoisin sauce. Hoisin is an Asian barbecue sauce that can be found in the International food section at your grocery store. There’s really no substitute for hoisin.
- Red Pepper. A reader recommended Assi brand red pepper, which is an authentic Asian brand. If you want to try it, you can purchase it here.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s an Americanized version of a 1950s Taiwan entree made with ground beef (The traditional protein is beef strips) and noodles tossed in a rich stir-fry sauce with a hint of sweetness.
Mongolian beef noodles are made with thick, hearty noodles/ Spaghetti, linguine, or even rice noodles can work just as well, as long as they can soak up that rich, savory Mongolian sauce without falling apart. You can also use more traditional Asian noodles like udon, ramen, or lo mein.
My family enjoys these recipes that have a similar flavor profile: MONGOLIAN MEATBALLS RAMEN RECIPE, 30-MINUTE MONGOLIAN TENDERLOIN, and Mongolian Beef Meatballs.
No. Typically, Mongolian sauce is described as sweet and savory. It can easily be spicy if you want it to be by adding red chili flakes or sriracha.
Ground Beef Mongolian Noodles
A closer look at noodle options:
- Udon Noodles. These wheat-based noodles are thick, chewy, and great at soaking up sauces. Their texture makes them a perfect match for Mongolian beef.
- Ramen Noodles. Though ramen is usually linked with quick, simple meals, the fresh, thicker style of ramen noodles holds up beautifully in stir-fries like this one.
- Lo Mein Noodles. Slightly thicker and chewier than ramen, lo mein noodles bring a satisfying bite to the dish and pair well with the bold flavors of Mongolian beef.
- Spaghetti or Linguine. If you don’t have traditional Asian noodles on hand, these pantry staples make a handy substitute and still deliver a tasty result.
- Rice Noodles. Naturally gluten-free, rice noodles come in different widths and work well if you’re looking for a lighter or allergy-friendly option.
Mongolian Beef Noodles Cooking Tips
When making Ground Beef Mongolian Noodles, a few simple steps can take the dish from good to great.
Noodles. Cook them just until al dente so they stay firm and don’t turn mushy once they hit the pan with the sauce. For extra flavor, let the noodles sit untouched on a hot wok or skillet for a minute or two. This light charring gives them a bit of crispness and helps the sauce cling better. To avoid clumping, toss the drained noodles with a little neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola, before adding them back in.
Beef. Resist the urge to stir it right away. Letting the ground beef sear in the pan without moving it creates a deeper, more savory flavor. Once it has that nice browned crust, then stir and finish cooking. Also, sprinkle in red pepper flakes or a dash of sriracha for a little kick.
Vegetables. Broccoli, bell peppers, onions, or carrots not only boost the flavor but also make the meal more satisfying, colorful, and nutritious. Be sure your pan or wok is hot enough so everything cooks quickly and sears instead of steams. Finally, avoid overcooking to keep the texture crunchy. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds for a nice visual touch.
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Ground Beef Mongolian Noodles
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Equipment
- 5 quart braiser or large skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 4 teaspoons fresh ginger minced
- 6 cloves garlic clove minced
- ½ cup brown sugar can reduce to 1/3 or 1/4 cup
- ½ cup beef broth
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce low sodium
- 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce if you can find low-sodium, I recommend it.
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 10 ounces noodles linguine, fettuccine, or spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 4 medium green onions sliced
Instructions
- In a large skillet with high sides brown the ground beef on the stovetop. Add the ginger and garlic the last 2 minutes of browning the ground beef. Break up the meat as it cooks.
- While the ground beef is cooking, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. (I recommend you do not salt the water.) Drain.
- Drain the ground beef and return it to the skillet along with the soy sauce, beef broth, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, pepper, and hoisin sauce. Stir to combine.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and add it to the ground beef mixture. Stir and bring the mixture to a low boil. After the sauce has thickened slightly add the drained noodles to the beef mixture. Stir to combine.
- Allow the noodles to sit in the sauce a few minutes to absorb flavor. Serve hot with a garnish of sliced green onions.
Okay. So it was my turn to cook, but I was ready. I was chill. I had everything I needed…oops…Oh No! Where was the Hoisin sauce?! You have Got to be kidding! Someone thought they were being kind in cleaning the fridge… but throwing away my Housin sauce? I was infuriated, but I already had the hamburger browning, so I looked online for substitutions for Housin Sauce, but I didn’t have any single component, so I just said something between a prayer and a curse and just started…dumping stuff together in a bowl. I put 4 T of soy sauce, 3 T brown sugar, 2 T Ketchup, 1 T garlic, a 1/2 T Worcester sauce together. I then took a big breath and tasted it…and it was quite good! I added some dry cole slaw mix and finely diced carrots into the beef mixture and continued with the recipe, only adding the sauce I made. It was a huge hit and everyone wants me to make it again! I have No Idea if what I made tasted Anything like real Housin sauce, but it was good, and I thought you might find the story amusing!
Yes!!! I do!!! I love it! And, if you aren’t a writer, you should be! Very entertaining! And I’m happy the combo of your recipe and mind worked out for you!!
We absolutely love this recipe and have made it several times. We use a fresh Thai chili instead of flakes, ground chicken or turkey, whole wheat spaghetti, a tablespoon of raw sugar instead of the brown sugar, and add Chinese broccoli sliced on a diagonal.
Yay! I’m happy you like it, love your changes.
Absolutely delicious!!!! the whole family loves it, including my hard to please 9 year old!
Made as written except used less sugar. Started with 1/4 cup brown sugar, thinking I could taste and add more but it seemed pleasantly balanced and I was very happy with the recipe. Just what I was looking for. Thanks!
I made this recipe last night and it turned out great!!!! My family loved it. Using fresh ginger and garlic gave it so much flavor. I read many of the reviews before making this dish and I will agree on cutting back on the brown sugar because it can become to sweet. Other than that I will be making this one again.
This was very good and easy. I did have to make some changes cause that’s what I do. I used 1/4 tsp of ground ginger for every tsp of fresh I didn’t have fresh and wasn’t going to the store 8 miles away just for that. I also didnt have low sodium soy sauce so I used the same measurements with the regular as the low sodium and it was fine but don’t use salt anywhere else in the dish. I cooked the ground beef half way then added fresh mushrooms and onions I also used the powder beef stock and mixed it with water for a half cup cause it’s what I had I did not drain my ground beef it didn’t have much grease and the mushrooms and onions soaked it up. I cut the brown sugar to 1/4 cup because hoisin is also sweet to me I added frozen peas and carrots it was great thank you
Kim B
This is the first recipe I’ve tried by this site. I will definitely look for another one to try. This is definitely a keeper for a quick, weeknight meal. And…i had all the ingredients on hand. Even some left over fresh ginger waiting to be used. Nothing better than fresh! I did cut back a little on the brown sugar. And very glad you said not to put rice in the noodle water. Plenty of salt with the other ingredients! Even with using low sodium soy sauce. I only had regular hoisin but that’s ok. I did cut up some baby carrots into thirds sliced on a diangle, put those with a small bag of baby pea pods, a small amount of water, and did lightly salt those in a bowl and microwaved until tender, and added those to the pot. Broccoli would have also been awesome. Will definitely make again and share this recipe. I’m ready to try something else now.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe. It’s one of our favorites. And, yes, I LOVE broccoli in this. It’s about the only way I can get my boys to eat broccoli. lol
This is really good, I made it as written the first time. The second time I made it as written and added a medium head of coarsely shredded cabbage and a large sliced onion. I’m trying to incorporate more veggies and this was a perfect recipe to do that with.
Could you’ve use Gochujang Paste instead of the red chili flakes? If so, how much?
I’m not familiar with Gochujang Paste