Quick + easy dinner idea: Asian Beef and Zucchini Noodles. So full of gingery/garlicky flavor, low carb, budget-friendly, and ready in 20 minutes.
Dear 2020, I’m done. We are breaking up now.
There are no words to describe this current year. Out of control political climate + worldwide pandemic + forest fires all over my beloved state of California. Anyone else feel exhausted?
But we still gotta eat. So here’s a simple, satisfying dinner recipe that can whipped up in no time at all, with just a few simple ingredients.
Asian Beef and Zucchini Noodles Deets
What I love most about this recipe is the minimal ingredient list. Since I am drowning in zucchinis from the garden and always have some grass fed beef in the freezer, this is the PERFECT meal for times when I’m just over meal planning + need a simple solution.
❤️ zucchini noodles… are a great low carb alternative to regular pasta. The trick is to salt them a bit before hand to release some of the water content. This keeps the noodles nice and firm during cooking.
❤️ ground beef… is an excellent, budget-friendly source of nutrients and protein. As always, I recommend getting the best quality beef you can afford. There’s a HUGE difference between grass fed, pasture-raised beef and commercial, feedlot beef.
❤️ garlic… for flavor and health benefits. The more the better, IMHO.
❤️ the sauce… a simple Asian sauce made from coconut aminos (or tamari), sesame oil, ginger, red pepper flakes, and honey (optional).
❤️ green onion + sesame seeds for garnish
That’s it. And it all comes together in about 20 minutes time.
Simply put, this is a super savory, gingery/garlicky, satisfying, and family-approved dinner recipe. Way better than take out. And it tastes great leftover the next day for lunch as the noodles soak up all that saucy goodness.
A note about ingredients
You can make this recipe with either coconut aminos or tamari (gluten free soy sauce.) Coconut amnios will be a slightly milder and less salty flavor. For Whole30 use coconut aminos and leave out the honey. For paleo, use coconut aminos.
Want something a little lighter?
Try my vegetarian Asian Zucchini Noodles.
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Asian Beef and Zucchini Noodles (gluten free, paleo, + whole30)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Quick + easy dinner idea: Asian Beef and Zucchini Noodles. So full of gingery/garlicky flavor, low carb, budget-friendly, and ready in 20 minutes. Gluten free, paleo, and Whole30.
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini (about 1 and 1/2 pounds)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup coconut amnios or tamari (like THIS or THIS)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil (like this)
- 1–2 tso grated ginger
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (like this)
- 2 tsp honey (optional)
- 1 tbsp avocado oil or ghee
- 3–4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 pound grass fed beef
- green onion and sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Spiralize zucchinis into noodles, place into colander, and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt. Place colander onto large plate and set aside while zucchini noodles release water and drain.
- To make sauce, whisk together coconut aminos (tamari), sesame oil, ginger, red pepper flakes, and optional honey. Set aside.
- Heat avocado oil/ghee in large skillet over medium/high heat. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 4-5 minutes, breaking up the beef as it cooks. Stir in the Asian sauce, turn down heat to medium and allow flavors to soak into beef.
- Meanwhile, pour zucchini noodles onto clean kitchen towel and gently pat dry. Add zucchini noodles to skillet with beef and stir to combine. Allow to cook for about 2 minutes, until noodles begin to soften.
- Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately . Enjoy!
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Love this recipe! I omit the green onions and sesame seeds for the low oxalate diet! 🙂
another big hit with my family! Our zoodler made a zoodle twice as long as my kid and she loved helping to make them. This summer I plan to zoodle all the zucchini abundance from the garden and freeze them. The beef is so damn easy and delicious. I only recently started to eat meat again and steak is so tricky. This will be my go to for yummy beef and broccoli over rice, beef and noodles, maybe a beef street taco? thanks again, k. your blog helps me so much. peace, Sara.