Simple Korean Beef Bowls for High Protein Meal Prep

Name: Korean Inspired Beef Bowl
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Rice (1.5 cup, cooked); Young Green Onions (2 large); Zucchini (2 large); Carrots (1 large (7-1/4" to 8-/1/2" long)); Onions (0.25 cup, chopped); Garlic (4 cloves); Salt (1 dash); Sugar (1 tsp); Sesame oil (2 tablespoon); Korean Gochujang Sauce (6 tbsp); Rice Vinegar (2 tbsp); Lean Ground Beef (16 oz, raw (yield after cooking))

August 27, 2025

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I had a bottle of gochujang sitting in my fridge for a little while after impulse-buying it at the grocery store. I love Korean food, so I thought I’d pick up this sauce and figure out something to make with it. But I didn’t have the motivation to dig through a bunch of recipes and was feeling indecisive, so it just sat on the shelf in the door of my fridge, begging to be used. As the best-before date drew closer, I finally overcame my hesitation and looked up a few recipes for inspiration. This one doesn’t use many ingredients, which makes it perfect for the lazy chef like me.

What is Gochujang?

Honestly, I didn’t even know what gochujang was when I bought it. But “fermented chili paste” sounded good enough to me, and since I like Korean food, how could I go wrong? I’m glad I bought it. It’s absolutely packed with flavor and adds a nice spicy kick to any dish.

Gochujang is a fermented paste made from red chili peppers, fermented soybeans, and sticky rice. The rice gives it a touch of natural sweetness, the soybeans bring a deep umami flavor, and the fermentation ties everything together into a rich, complex sauce. It’s the kind of ingredient that instantly makes a meal taste like you put in way more effort than you actually did.

Why Zucchini?

One of the reasons I love using zucchini is that my mom always grows a ton of it in her garden, so I’m constantly looking for new ways to use it up. It also happens to fit right in with Korean-inspired cooking. There is even a Korean squash called aehobak that shows up in stir-fries, stews, and pancakes. So while the zucchini from my mom’s garden isn’t exactly the same, it works perfectly here.

That said, I’m not pretending this is an authentic Korean dish. It’s my own recipe, and I like to think of it as fusion cooking: borrowing flavors and techniques I love and mixing them with what I have on hand. Food is always evolving, and sometimes the most delicious meals come from blending traditions and using what’s around you.

Perfect for Meal Prep

Another reason I keep coming back to this recipe is how well it works for meal prep. You can easily make a big batch without much extra effort, and the flavors hold up beautifully after a night in the fridge. It reheats quickly, stays tasty, and makes a satisfying option for either lunch or dinner, which means less stress and more good meals ready to go. It is also fairly high in protein, even if it isn’t the leanest dish that Prospre has to offer. I hope you make this recipe, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

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Time

Cook Time

15 minutes

Inactive Time

- minutes

Preparation Time

5 minutes

Ingredients

Rice (1.5 cup, cooked)
Young Green Onions (2 large)
Zucchini (2 large)
Carrots (1 large (7-1/4" to 8-/1/2" long))
Onions (0.25 cup, chopped)
Garlic (4 cloves)
Salt (1 dash)
Sugar (1 tsp)
Sesame oil (2 tablespoon)
Korean Gochujang Sauce (6 tbsp)
Rice Vinegar (2 tbsp)
Lean Ground Beef (16 oz, raw (yield after cooking))

Instructions

Wash and cook the rice using your preferred method.
Chop the green onion, zucchini, carrot, and onion.
Mix gochujang, sugar, half the sesame oil, and soy sauce into a sauce.
Combine onion, rice vinegar, and a pinch of salt to make a quick pickle.
Sauté the zucchini and carrots until tender, seasoning with salt and pepper.
Mince the garlic, then add it to the pan with the remaining sesame oil. Cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds), then add the ground beef and brown it, seasoning with salt and pepper. Once the beef is cooked through, stir in the prepared sauce.
Plate the rice, top with beef, arrange zucchini and carrots, and finish with green onion and pickled onion.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size

1 Bowl

Amount per serving

Calories

440

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 21.1g

Saturated Fat 5.7g

Trans Fat 0g

Cholesterol 63mg

Sodium 727mg

Total Carbohydrate 39.1g

Dietary Fiber 2.9g

Total Sugars 15.6g

Includes 7.4g Added Sugars

Protein 22.4g

Vitamin D 0 IU

Calcium 76mg

Iron 4mg

Potassium 813mg

The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.