A Sweet Pea Chef Korean Beef Bowl
Posted: 4/1/21 Updated: 4/2/21
These ground turkey meal prep bowls have a delicious Korean-inspired sauce! Packed with flavor and under 400 calories per bowl, you can prep this recipe on the weekend for healthy and delicious lunches through the week.
It's amazing how versatile ground turkey can be! From Thai turkey lettuce wraps to turkey taco lunch bowls, it's not only versatile, but works great in meal prep as well.
Inspired by Korean beef, ground turkey is cooked up in a mixture of sweet and savory sauce that adds flavor to rice and vegetables. You can store it in the fridge or the freezer...perfect for stocking up on healthy meals!
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Reasons you'll ♡ this recipe
- it's ready in under 30 minutes, making it great for a quick meal prep or weeknight dinner
- it freeze/thaws great
- the sauce adds the perfect amount of flavor to the turkey, rice and vegetables
About Korean beef
This recipe was adapted from Taste of Home's Korean Beef and Rice, which in turn, was inspired by Korean beef bulgogi. Beef bulgogi is a traditional Korean recipe that consists of thin strips of beef marinated in a delicious sauce. The beef can be skewered, then grilled, or sauteed in a frying pan. The marinade can vary widely by chef, but typically consists of a mixture of soy sauce, garlic, ginger, green onion, sugar and pear.
If you are interested in reading more about the history behind beef bulgogi, I encourage you to read this article.
Adapting these flavors into a 30 minute recipe
My goal for this recipe was to adapt the traditional flavors, but lighten it up, speed up the prep, and make it with ingredients that are readily available to North American (US/Canada) home cooks. With those goals in mind, that is how these Korean turkey bowls came about.
Ingredient notes
- ground turkey- feel free to swap for ground beef, or chopped chicken thighs. I don't love ground chicken because it can end up drying out. Mashed tofu also works well in this recipe.
- soy sauce- if you are gluten-free, you can swap for tamari, coconut aminos or liquid soy seasoning
- honey- balancing out the soy sauce with a touch of sweetness is essential, but you don't necessarily need to use honey; feel free to swap for maple syrup or brown sugar. Monk fruit sweetener works if you want to make it low carb (see recipe card for quantities).
- red pepper flakes- adds a touch of heat, but you can easily leave them out if you're serving to kiddos
Step by step directions
1. Shake up sauce- You'll want to mix up the sauce before you begin cooking. In a small jar, add honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Shake it up, then set aside.
2. Cook turkey- Heat a non stick pan over medium heat. Add the ground turkey to the pan, and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring and breaking it up with a spatula.
3. Garlic & ginger- When turkey is cooked through and no pink remains, make a space in the middle of the pan. Add the minced garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring a bit, for 1 minute. Then mix it right into the ground turkey.
4. Sauce it up- Shake the sauce back up, then pour it evenly over the turkey. Let it cook for 1-2 minutes until bubbly and everything is coated in the sauce.
5. Portion out- Portion out the ground turkey + sauce into 2 cup or larger meal prep containers with steamed broccoli and rice. Refrigerate for up to 4 days, and heat it up until steaming hot in the microwave to serve.
Ingredient swaps
- rice- swap for cauliflower rice (or even zoodles) and try an alternative sweetener in the sauce to make this low carb
- honey- swap for brown sugar, maple syrup or monk fruit sweetener
- soy sauce- swap for tamari or coconut aminos to make it paleo-friendly (you'll need to swap the rice as well)
- ground turkey- may be swapped for ground beef, mashed tofu, or chicken thighs (chopped into cubes)
Storage
- fridge- store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- freezer- store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- thaw- overnight in the fridge.
- reheat- in the microwave until steaming hot.
More meal prep bowls
- 36 Healthy Ground Turkey Recipes
- Moroccan Inspired Meal Prep Bowls
- BBQ Meatloaf Meal Prep Bowls
- Healthier Firecracker Meal Prep Bowls
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Easy Pesto Chicken Pita Recipe
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Chopped Chickpea Salad (Make Ahead)
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Cobb Salad Recipe
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Black Bean and Corn Salad
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These ground turkey meal prep bowls have a delicious Korean-inspired sauce! Packed with flavor and under 400 calories per bowl, you can prep this recipe on the weekend for healthy and delicious lunches through the week.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ cup uncooked rice 2 cups cooked
- 1 head broccoli chopped into florets
Turkey
- ¾ lb lean ground turkey see note 1
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger finely chopped
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey see note 2
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce see note 3
- 1 ½ teaspoons sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Garnish
- green onions (optional)
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Cook rice according to package directions. Portion out into four 2-cup capacity meal prep containers and allow to cool.
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Shake up all sauce ingredients and set aside.
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Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the broccoli and cook for 5 or so minutes, until slightly softened. Remove from heat and divide between meal prep containers.
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Add turkey to pan. Cook, breaking it up with a spatula, for 5-8 minutes, until completely cooked through and no longer pink.
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Make a space in the middle of the pan. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute, stirring up a bit.
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Give the sauce a shake up and pour over the ground turkey and garlic/ginger. Stir until everything is mixed through, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
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Divide turkey/sauce mixture between the meal prep containers. Sprinkle with green onions if desired.
Storage
-
Once everything has cooled, store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To serve
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Heat in the microwave until steaming hot, and enjoy!
1- ground turkey may be swapped for ground beef, cubed chicken thighs, or mashed tofu
2- honey may be swapped for maple syrup, brown sugar, or 2-3 teaspoons monk fruit sweetener
3- to make it gluten-free, swap the soy sauce for tamari, coconut aminos, or liquid soy seasoning
Storage
Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheating
Heat in the microwave until steaming hot.
Serving: 1 bowl , Calories: 380 kcal , Carbohydrates: 52 g , Protein: 28 g , Fat: 7 g , Saturated Fat: 1 g , Cholesterol: 46 mg , Sodium: 852 mg , Potassium: 811 mg , Fiber: 4 g , Sugar: 15 g , Vitamin A: 1005 IU , Vitamin C: 136.5 mg , Calcium: 92 mg , Iron: 2.5 mg
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