Mongolian Ground Beef and Noodles

I love Mongolian beef but I don't always have the right cut of steak in my freezer. So cue this amazing recipe that gives you all the great flavor using ground beef! 

I really enjoyed this meal, and it was even better the next day for lunch. I used the brown rice ramen noodles that I buy at Costco, and they worked really well here. 

But you don't need "fancy" noodles - just use what you have in the cupboard. 

This is a great recipe to have in your back pocket since it uses mostly pantry staples. Add a fresh green vegetable (broccoli, green beans, snow peas, asparagus would all be great!) and dinner is done. 

Mongolian Ground Beef and Noodles

1 pound ground beef
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup beef broth
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp. cornstarch 
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. pepper
pinch red pepper flakes
10 oz. linguine, or rice noodles or ramen
4 green onions, sliced

Cook the pasta or rice noodles in a large pot of boiling water until al dente, then drain. 

Meantime, combine the soy sauce, beef broth, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, ground ginger, black pepper, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl or measuring cup. Add the cornstarch and 2 Tbsp. of water, and whisk well until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. 

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Drain any excess fat, then reduce the heat to medium.

Add the minced garlic to the browned beef and sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant. 

Whisk the sauce again, then add to the skillet and simmer until slightly thickened. Add the noodles to the skillet, and toss well to combine. Top with green onions. Garnish with sesame seeds if you like.