It’s no secret everyone loves Chinese takeout. And I have been craving it for a couple days now. But, with the weather in Minnesota being -50, I decided to take my cravings to my kitchen and create something close to Chinese takeout. And let me tell you this Chinese Beef and Noodles came out way better than any Chinese takeout I could have had.
Now although this recipe is Whole30 friendly, I wasn’t focusing on making it Whole30. I just wanted something quick, simple and delicious to satisfy my cravings. So, I started with the basics; lots garlic and onions sautéed in a mix of avocado and sesame oils. Then I added some ground beef and cooked it until it was brown.
Chinese Beef and Noodles: the sauce is the star of the show.
I knew I needed some kind of sauce to take this dish over the top. So I started mixing a few things together. I knew I didn’t want to use any added sugar so I decided to go with unsweetened apple sauce to sweeten the sauce up a little. And that made all the difference. The ground beef mixture turned out perfect and all I have to do now is add the noodles and toss it until it is well combined with the sauce.
Now, let’s talk about the noodles. I am using zucchini noodles because it’s the one vegetable noodle that can hold up to with the beefy sauce. I get so many questions about working with zucchini noodles. The one question I get all the time is “how do I make sure my zucchini noodles don’t come out watery”. Well, here are a few of my tips to making almost perfect (because you will always have some liquid left in there; it’s a vegetable) zucchini noodles EVERYTIME.
PERFECT ZUCCHINI NOODLES:
- First you want to spiralize the zucchini. I use the Inspiralizer (the best one on the market). After spiralizing your noodles, transfer them to a bowl lined with a clean kitchen towel and a large sheet of cheesecloth.
- Sprinkle the zucchini noodles with a few pinches of salt and let it sit for about 7-10 minutes. The slat will draw out most of the liquid from the zucchini.
- Now, squeeze the towel with the zucchini noodles and get as much liquid out as you can.
- Then transfer the noodles to a hot pan with avocado oil and sauté the noodles for a few minutes to cook it a bit (do not add any more salt). Serve it up with a sauce of your choice.
- Now, If you are making this recipe, add the noodles from the kitchen towel and cheesecloth directly to the beef mixture.
For more Asian- inspired flavor, check out our Sticky Asian Chicken HERE!
Let’s Get Cooking
Let’s Get Cooking
Low-Carb Chinese Beef and Noodles
Forget takeout. This quick and easy Asian noodles will hit the spot every time. Zucchini noodles with a rich sweet and spicy beef sauce.
Forget takeout. This quick and easy Asian noodles will hit the spot every time. Zucchini noodles with a rich sweet and spicy beef sauce.
Prep Time:10 mins
Cook Time:15 mins
Total Time:25 mins
Yields:4 Serves
1X
2X
3X
Ingredients
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4
medium zucchinis
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1
tbsp. Avocado oil
-
1
tbsp. Pure Sesame seed oil
-
2
garlic cloves â finely minced
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1
onion â sliced
-
salt and pepper
-
1
lb. pasture raised ground beef
-
SAUCE:
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4
tbsp. Coconut aminos
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2
tbsp. Unsweetened applesauce
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1
tsp. Korean pepper flakes (or crushed red pepper flakes)
-
1
tbsp. Unsweetened BBQ sauce
-
TO SERVE:
-
The greens
of 2 scallions, chopped
-
sesame seeds (about a tablespoon)
Instructions
- First, spiralize all 4 zucchinis and transfer the noodles to a large bowl lined with a clean kitchen towel and a large sheet of cheesecloth. Sprinkle on a few pinches of salt and set the noodles aside.
- Then, add all the ingredients needed for the sauce into a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set the sauce aside.
- Heat a large deep skillet over medium-high heat and add the avocado and sesame oils. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and sauté until the onions are tender and the garlic is fragrant, about 3-5 minutes while stirring continuously. Season the onion and garlic with a little salt and pepper. Push the onion and garlic to one side of the pan and add the ground beef to the skillet. Use a potato masher to break up the beef. Continue to cook the ground beef until it’s browned, about 3-5 minutes.
- Slowly add the sauce to the ground beef mixture and stir to combine. Turn the heat up a bit and continue to cook the mixture until the meat begins to caramelize a bit.
- Now, squeeze as much liquid out the zucchini noodles as you possibly can and add the noodles to the skillet with the beef mixture. Stir the noodles in with the beef mixture until all the flavors marry and the noodles are warm through, about 2-3 minutes. At this point, you can taste and add more salt if needed (but you shouldn’t need any more salt).
- Finish the beef and noodles with fresh scallions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
This was so delicious! I avoid making zucchini noodles sometimes because they get watery, but I followed these directions and they were perfect!!
Thank you Alden! I am so happy you enjoyed it. It’s one of my absolute favorite dishes.
Delicious!!! What a great dinner for busy weeknights. So easy and yummy!! Thank you.
yes baby!!! That’s always the goal.
I’ve made this multiple times now. Super easy and flavorful!
It is so easy and yummy right? So happy you enjoyed it
So easy and so flavorful! Thrilled I found your site! Thank you!
So happy you are here Casey! Thank you!
This wasn’t bad at all! I expected a little more flavor, as I thought it was a bit bland, but otherwise pretty good and easy to customize!
Interesting. Thank you for leaving a review and sharing your experience. We appreciate it. Hope you give us another chance and are able to find something else you enjoy.
So delicious! The whole family enjoyed! This recipe is definitely a keeper. The Korean Chili ? Flakes add the perfect amount of spice.
Thank you so much Vanessa! I am so happy you enjoyed it!
This is a MUST W30 recipe! It’s tangy and flavorful and my zucchini noodles were crisp based on the instructions. Also made some noodles for my husband daughter and they loved it with that variation!
Erica! I am so happy you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing how easy it is to make a variation for kids/the hubby
Yet another Clean Foodie Cravings hit! It was a little sweet but I think that was because of the bbq sauce I picked so I added some dashes of fish sauce and perfecto! My son first said he didn’t want zucchinis in it but then liked it anyway! Woot!!
Thank you, Ceri! We always love being kid-approved!
I made this tonight and my husband and I both really liked it! Instead of using a spiralizer I decided to use a mandolin and make also french fry size pieces of zucchini so they were kind of like penne in the dish which was easier and quicker than the spiralizer but just as good. My 6 year old wasn’t a huge fan but then again she is a noodle-head and so the zucchini noodles make her sad lol.
Aww lol, we don’t want zucchini noodle sadness lol. Next time you should totally just make the beef sauce, take a little out for her and serve it with noodles, and zucchini noodles for you and your hubby
This is on rotation at our house. My husband, 4 year old and I always look forward to this meal. Thank you!
I love when we are hubby and kid-approved! Thank you Amber!