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Korean-Style Ground Beef Bowl

Ground beef with soy, sesame, garlic, and ginger over rice. One of the most-saved recipes on TikTok and r/MealPrepSunday for years running.

Total Cost $12.86
Per Serving $3.22
Prep 10 min
Cook 15 min
Servings 4
  • beef
  • rice
  • fast
  • high-protein
  • meal-prep

Ingredients

  • 500 g lean ground beef $10.00
  • 300 g dry long-grain white rice $0.75
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce $0.23
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil $0.30
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar $0.08
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced $0.32
  • 1 tsp ground ginger $0.07
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil $0.06
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced $1.00
  • 0.5 tsp chili flakes or gochugaru (optional) $0.03
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional) $0.02
  • Recipe total$12.86

Instructions

  1. Cook the rice according to package directions.
  2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  3. Add the ground beef. Break it up and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and no pink remains — about 7–8 minutes. Drain excess fat if needed.
  4. Add the garlic and ginger. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  5. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, and brown sugar. Stir to combine. Cook 2 minutes until the sauce reduces slightly and coats the meat.
  6. Taste and adjust — more soy for salt, more sugar to balance, chili flakes if using.
  7. Serve over rice. Top with green onions and sesame seeds.

Nutrition per Serving

Estimated values per serving.

524 Calories
29g Protein
58g Carbs
18g Fat
1g Fiber
680mg Sodium
~20% DV Iron~4% DV Calcium

Gluten-Free

This recipe can be made gluten-free with substitutions.

  • Replace soy sauce with tamari in the same quantity (minimal cost difference)

All other ingredients are naturally gluten-free.

Budget Notes

  • Lean ground beef at $20/kg is the biggest cost driver. Medium ground beef at $19/kg works fine — just drain off the extra fat after browning. Saves about $0.50 total.
  • This meal preps extremely well. The beef keeps for 4 days in the fridge and reheats in 2 minutes.
  • Doubling the rice and halving the beef is a legitimate way to stretch this further, especially if feeding more than four people.
  • Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) is available at most Ontario Asian grocery stores for a very low price per gram. Regular chili flakes work the same.