Lunch, dinner, basically any time a meal sized hunger pang hits. We all need an easy back pocket meal that flies together with minimal effort while still scoring high on the tastiness scale. Right now I am living my best bowl food life on repeat with this gluten free and oh so very Simple Beef Bibimbap Ramen recipe. Think savory ground beef and sautéed zucchini, shiitake mushrooms, and shallots. Rainbow carrots peeled into thin, crunchy ribbons. A fried egg with a saucy yolk is a must -> ALWAYS. And serve over ramen. You with me on this one? It’s a bowl of umami magic.
I recently visited a ramen restaurant who says they strive to make the best ramen in all of Portlandia. Awesome, count me in. Chopsticks ready.
My visit lasted 20 seconds.
No ramen for you they said with nose upturned, a scowl on their face, and a deep exhale of irritability. Apparently asking for gluten free ramen was considered offensive. Or at least at this one little corner of Portland. Portland is actually a mecca for gluten free inclusivity. I guess they didn’t get the memo.
They also didn’t get the addendum to the memo that the majority of us who are gluten intolerant didn’t willingly choose that path of foodie life. We succumbed to our gluten free lifestyles kicking and screaming while all the tasty bread, pizza, pasta, baked goods, AND ramen were stripped from our hands. So LISTEN UP ramen restaurant, you can save your snark for someone else. I’m taking ramen into my own hands.
So hop on the gluten free ramen train friends. Organic millet and brown rice ramen is in town. And it’s darn tasty.
Thankfully there are companies (and more are regularly joining the ranks) who have the gluten free-ers in mind. Lotus Foods is one of them. (This is not a sponsored post btw, just my affections pouring out). Lotus Foods has my back when I’m craving a bowl of soul comforting gluten free ramen.
Let’s quickly break down why Lotus Foods’ organic millet and brown rice ramen is my go-to for a tasty bowl of bibimbap. It’s:
- Gluten free (an important criteria obviously)
- Nutritious (no wheat belly here)
- Easily digestible (yes please)
- Good source of fiber and protein (definitely a bonus)
- Tasty, tasty, tasty (I’m sold)
- Bonus: You can find their ramen on shelves at Costco (Family-sized package of ramen at a great price = winning)
This Simple Beef Bibimbap Ramen is a perfect weeknight meal when you want something soul comforting and hearty on the table fast. I also love making it for lunch when I want something that’s quick and easy, filling, and full of flavor. Bibimbap (pronounced BEE-beem-bop) is traditionally served over a bowl of rice (which would also work for this recipe) and then you take all of your bowl components and mix them in with the rice to incorporate all the flavors. But I’m switching things up a little because I love noodles. This rice ramen bibimbap variation has definitely become one of my meal planning go-tos. It’s a pan to plate meal in less than 30 minutes. Let’s break it down.
Sauté some veggies. I used zucchini, shiitake mushrooms, and shallots but you could really use any veggies you have on hand. I also peeled rainbow carrots into thin ribbons and left them raw for a little extra crunch of sweetness but you could quickly sauté them as well if you prefer.
Brown the ground beef in the same pan used to sauté the veggies. Then add the sauce. Let’s pause here and talk about THE SAUCE. The sauce is what brings this simple bibimbap ramen bowl all together. Sesame oil, garlic, sweet red chili sauce, ginger, and liquid aminos (tamari would also work) take this bowl food to a lunch or dinner time craving on repeat. It delivers the umami magic.
Serve the veggies and the savory ground beef over a steaming bowl of ramen along with a slurpy yolked fried egg on top! Just like traditional bibimbap that is served with white rice you must mix it all up so the umami magic can work its flavors throughout the whole bowl. And that’s it!
And how did the ramen restaurant visit end?
I went to the restaurant next door.
They serve gluten free Korean food. They mentioned that the ramen restaurant has A LOT of people asking them EVERY DAY if they serve gluten free ramen, which according to the Korean restaurant is why they are a little snarky.
Maybe it’s time to hop on that gluten free ramen train.
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Simple Beef Bibimbap Ramen
Prep Time: 10 minutes- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 22 minutes
Yield: Serves 4
Category: Lunch, Dinner
Method: Sauté, Boil
Cuisine: Asian fusion
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Pin RecipeDescription
This dish takes its name from the Korean word for mixing rice but this variation mixes it with rice ramen instead. Sautéed vegetables, savory ground beef, and a fried egg are served over rice ramen, then mixed all together so the flavors and textures combine to create a gloriously tasty gluten free bibimbap ramen bowl!
Ingredients
Bibimbap sauce:
- 2 teaspoons sweet red chili sauce
- 4 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons liquid aminos (or tamari would work as well)
- 1 thumb ginger, peeled and minced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
Ramen:
- 4 gluten free millet & brown rice ramen cakes (Lotus Foods brand)
Bibimbap toppings:
- two swishes of light olive oil
- 2 small zucchini, washed, halved and sliced into thin half-moons
- 1/2 pound (8 ounces) shiitake mushrooms, washed and sliced
- 2 small shallots, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
- salt and pepper
- 2-3 rainbow carrots, washed, shaved lengthwise into ribbons using a peeler
- 3/4 pound (10 ounces) lean ground beef
- 4 fried eggs (see Notes)
- salt and pepper
- toasted sesame seeds, to garnish (optional)
- crushed red pepper, to garnish (optional)
- sriracha (optional)
Instructions
Bibimbap sauce:
- In a small bowl combine sweet red chili sauce, sesame oil, liquid aminos, ginger, and garlic.
Ramen:
- Add ramen cakes to a large pot of boiling water. When noodles begin to unfold (about 1 minute), seperate gently with a fork and reduce heat to a low boil. Continue to cook for 3 minutes or until the noodles are just soft. Strain and set aside.
Bibimbap toppings:
- Heat a swish of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, mushrooms, and shallots. Cook until the veggies are tender and the zucchini is slightly browned, about 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Over medium-high heat, add another swish of olive oil in the same pan used to sauté the veggies. Add ground beef, breaking up meat into pieces. Cook until beef is no longer pink, about 4-5 minutes.
- Pour bibimbap sauce on top of the ground beef and continue to cook the beef for another 1-2 minutes. Then remove from heat.
Putting it all together:
- Divide ramen between bowls. Arrange beef, fried egg, veggies, including ribboned carrots, on top of ramen.
- Then taking your chopsticks or fork, mix all together so the flavors and textures combine to create a gloriously tasty gluten free bibimbap ramen bowl!
- Optional: Garnish with toasted sesame seeds, crushed red pepper, and top with sriracha.
Notes
Everyone has their favorite way of frying an egg. My fried egg method is the same as this very detailed guide on how to fry an egg from Cookie + Kate so check it out if you need some pointers!
You with me on this ramen magic?!
Disclaimer: All brand recommendations are purely my own opinion and are brands/products that I personally use and enjoy. This post may also contain affiliate links which I may receive a small commission from (without any additional costs to you).
This recipe was well loved by my whole family. Thanks Shannon!
★★★★★
Thank you so much Leslie! I am so glad you all loved this recipe!
This was relatively easy and delicious. I even made up a sweet red chili sauce substitution on the fly (a bit of garlic chili sauce, sriracha, and a touch of sugar in case you’re wondering), and it worked. I also sautéed the carrots for a few minutes (separate from the other veggies), but with the delectable sauce, I know it would be hard to mess this up.
★★★★★
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe Hillary!
My family is vegan but we still made this recipe and just didn’t add the beef or egg (obviously). I love that I don’t box myself into vegan only recipes because this was so flavorful, delicious, quick, and easy! HIGHLY recommend this recipe, to anyone 🙂
★★★★★
Thanks so much for this comment Miranda! I love that you made this recipe work for your lifestyle rather than ruling it out because it wasn’t vegan. And I’m SO glad to hear that you and your family enjoyed it!
My whole family loved this, even the 3 year old! I didn’t have a shallot and I grated the carrot to make it more child friendly, but it was still a hit. This will be added to our regular meal rotation for sure.
★★★★★
Doesn’t that just make your heart sing when your kiddo gets on board with what you’ve cooked up?! So happy to hear your whole family loved this!