Mongolian Beef Noodles
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
My Mongolian Beef Noodles combines tender flank steak, bell peppers, and silky ramen noodles, all coated in a lusciously savory sauce. With each bite more delicious than the last, this recipe is a testament to the magic that happens when simple, quality ingredients meet thoughtful preparation.
The Best Mongolian Beef Noodles Recipe
Sure, ramen may have a reputation as the college kid’s go-to meal, but that doesn’t mean we can’t elevate it. Let’s think of it not as a humble bowl of noodles but as a blank canvas for culinary creativity, taking it from just edible to entirely exciting.
Mongolian Beef has always been my take-out weakness – the flavors, the textures, it’s simply irresistible. But instead of dialing up the local takeaway, I decided to channel that craving into crafting this delectable dish at home. Trust me, not only is it ridiculously simple to make, but it also outshines any restaurant version.
Why You’ll Love This Mongolian Beef Noodles Recipe
- It’s Deliciously Rewarding: The irresistible fusion of tender beef, crunchy bell peppers, and slurp-worthy noodles blanketed in a savory sauce truly hits the spot.
- Better than Take-Out: Forget waiting for delivery or standing in line for a table at your local restaurant. This homemade version is not only quicker to make but also, in my humble opinion, surpasses any take-out or restaurant rendition in terms of taste and freshness.
- Great for Variety: Tired of the same old meals? This recipe brings a delightful change to the table, proving that international cuisine is not too far out of reach for your home kitchen.
- Flank Steak: The star of this dish, flank steak provides a lean, beefy flavor. It’s crucial to cut it against the grain for tender, bite-sized pieces.
- Cornstarch: This helps to create a light, crispy coating on the beef.
- Vegetable Oil: Used for searing the beef to a perfect brown.
- Green Bell Pepper: Adds a fresh, crunchy contrast to the dish.
- Ramen Noodles: My choice of noodle, Ramen is soft, slurp-able, and perfectly carries our savory sauce.
- Green Onions: These provide a pop of color and a fresh, sharp flavor.
- Sesame Oil: Contributes a toasty, nutty undertone to the sauce.
- Soy Sauce: It’s the primary seasoning, providing a deep umami and salty flavor. Make sure to use a low sodium soy sauce to control the sodium level.
- Brown Sugar: It brings a touch of sweetness, balancing the savory elements of the sauce.
- Chicken Broth: Forms the base of our sauce, providing a rich backdrop of flavor.
- Garlic: A must-have for a flavor boost.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Add a hint of heat. Feel free to adjust to your heat preference.
Ready to whip up some Mongolian magic in your kitchen? Let’s get started.
Start by slicing your flank steak into thin strips. Then, in a large ziploc bag, add the cornstarch and beef. Give it a good shake until every piece is well-coated. The cornstarch is key to getting that lovely, light crispiness on our beef.
Heat up some vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet, and when it’s hot, introduce your beef. You’ll want to work in batches to ensure each piece gets properly browned – no sticking together allowed! Once done, set your beef aside. sing the same skillet, sauté your bell pepper strips until they’re just soft. Set these aside with your beef.
Now, it’s time to build that rich, flavorful sauce right in your skillet. Combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, chicken broth, and red pepper flakes, and let it simmer. The aim is to get it thick and glossy, but remember – you’ll want enough to coat your noodles!
While your sauce is simmering, cook your ramen noodles as per the packet instructions.
Return the beef and bell pepper to your skillet and give them a good toss in your sauce. Now add your cooked noodles to the party, making sure everything gets a good mix. A sprinkle of green onions, and you’re ready to serve!
Frequently Asked Questions
What cut of beef is best for this Mongolian Beef Noodles recipe?
Flank steak is recommended for this recipe due to its lean but flavorful nature. It can be easily sliced into thin strips, which allows it to absorb the sauce better and cook quickly.
Can I substitute another type of noodle if I don’t have ramen noodles?
Absolutely! You can use other types of Asian noodles like soba or udon, or even spaghetti or linguine in a pinch. The key is to ensure that whatever noodle you use is cooked to al dente, to absorb the sauce while maintaining its texture.
Can I make this dish ahead of time?
This dish is best served fresh, as the noodles can become a bit soggy if left soaking in the sauce for too long. However, you could prep the components ahead. Cook the beef and prepare the sauce, then store them separately in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to eat, just cook the noodles, heat up the beef and sauce, and combine everything.
Can I adjust the level of sweetness or spiciness in this dish?
Absolutely, the recipe is quite flexible. If you prefer a less sweet dish, reduce the amount of brown sugar. For less spice, lower the amount of red pepper flakes or leave them out entirely. It’s all about adjusting the recipe to suit your personal preferences.
Expert Tips
- Prepping the Beef: Partially freeze your flank steak before slicing. This makes it easier to cut thin, even slices.
- Cooking the Beef: Don’t overcrowd your pan when cooking the beef. Doing it in batches ensures each piece gets a good sear and doesn’t steam.
- Stir-Fry Heat: Maintain high heat when stir-frying. This seals in the flavors and keeps the beef tender.
- Noodle Cooking: Cook your ramen noodles just until they are al dente. They will continue to cook and absorb flavor when mixed with the sauce and other ingredients.
- Sauce Reduction: Pay close attention when reducing the sauce. It should thicken and reduce by about a quarter but remember you need enough to coat your noodles nicely.
Storage
Fridge
Transfer any leftovers to an airtight container and pop them in the refrigerator. They will keep nicely for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to enjoy them again, you can reheat the dish in a skillet over medium heat, adding a little bit of water or broth if needed to loosen up the noodles and sauce.
Freezer
While this Mongolian Beef Noodles dish is super tasty, it’s not the best candidate for freezing due to the cooked noodles. The noodles can become mushy once thawed and reheated. However, you could freeze the Mongolian beef separately.
To do this, let the cooked beef cool down, then transfer it into airtight containers or freezer-safe bags. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, thaw it in the fridge overnight and reheat in a skillet. You’ll just need to cook up some fresh noodles to toss with your reheated beef and sauce.
Other Asian Style Recipes To Try
- Sweet And Sour Meatballs
- Yakisoba
- Three Cup Chicken
- Black Pepper Beef
- Korean Beef Bulgogi
- Beef Lo Mein
- Mongolian Beef
- Asian Ground Beef Noodles
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Mongolian Beef Noodles
Video
Ingredients
- 1½ pound flank steak
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 green bell pepper (sliced into thin strips)
- 8 ounce ramen noodles (uncooked)
- 3 green onions (chopped)
For Sauce
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- ¾ cup soy sauce (low sodium)
- ⅔ cup brown sugar (packed)
- 1¼ cup chicken broth (low sodium, or no sodium added)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Slice the flank steak into small thin pieces against the grain. In a large ziploc bag add the starch and the beef to it. Close the ziploc bag and shake really well until each pieces is coated with cornstarch.
- In a non stick skillet heat the oil. When the oil is hot, add beef and cook until browned. It will take 2 or 3 batches because you don’t want the steak pieces to stick to each other. Also if you need more oil after the first batch feel free to add more. Remove beef from skillet to a plate and empty the oil from the skillet.
- Add the bell pepper to the skillet and saute it for a couple minutes just until it gets soft. Remove the pepper from the skillet to a plate and set aside.
- In that same skillet add sauce ingredients, the sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, chicken broth and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook over medium heat until sauce thickens a bit and reduces by about a quarter. It took me about 10 minutes until the sauce thickened and reduced. You don’t want to reduce it too much because you need more sauce for the noodles.
- In the meantime cook the ramen noodles according to package instructions.
- Return the beef and bell pepper to the skillet and toss in the sauce. Add the cooked ramen noodles to the skillet and toss everything together. Top with green onions and serve.
Equipment
Notes
- Soy Sauce: Since there’s a lot of soy sauce in this recipe, I strongly recommend using a low sodium soy sauce.
- Beef: Flank steak works great for this dish, but feel free to substitute with sirloin if that’s what you have on hand.
- Noodles: Ramen noodles are preferred, but udon or soba noodles could be an exciting alternative. You can find ramen noodles in the Asian aisle of your local grocery store.
- Heat Level: Adjust the amount of red pepper flakes according to your heat preference.
- Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave, adding a little water if needed to loosen the sauce.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
I have made this dish 10+ times. It’s a hit with the kids! We are vegetarian, so I use tofu or soy curls. With vegetable or salad. Thanks for this staple for menu rotation 😋
It’s wonderful to hear that you’ve adapted the Mongolian beef noodles recipe to be vegetarian-friendly and that it’s a favorite in your household! Using tofu or soy curls is a creative twist. Thanks for sharing your experience! 😊
I made this last week in a rush end up adding diced peppers/celery used leftover sirloin steak which was still rare as directed but didn’t need to cook the steak as long as it was already cooked added stir fry veggies broccoli and extra soy to enhance it liquid a bit it came out pretty good.
I’m glad to hear you were able to make the recipe your own with what you had on hand! Using leftover sirloin steak and adding extra veggies sounds like a great twist. Thanks for sharing how you adapted it!
Jo… I’ve made this several times, and wanted to leave another rave review for your recipes. For whatever reason, we seem to NEVER have leftovers! Thanks, and keep up the great work.
Thanks so much for the love! And about those leftovers… I think that’s a compliment in itself, isn’t it? 😉 It’s always a win when a dish is too good to leave anything behind. Keep enjoying and stay tuned for more deliciousness! 🍜❤️
We made this the other night. Loved it!
It looks great, so glad you liked it!
This came out amazing. Excellent!! Tip.. slice the meat when it’s partially frozen. It makes it so much easier. Also, I used skirt steak instead of flank steak and it was still amazing. Bravo for this. Definitely a keeper.
It was delicious. Definitely making again. The only thing I changed was I used onion instead of pepper. Not a fan of pepper.
Loved this!! My family all made this together. The only thing we changed was the noodles. We used angel hair pasta and no ramen. We don’t get many moments like we did last night when we made it. Oh and it microwaves well too the next day. The meat was still tender. My youngest asked me to find more of your recipes to try. Thank you for your time sharing your recipes.
My family loved this recipe and requested that it be placed into the regular dinner rotation! Teenager said the leftovers were great cold. I used red bell pepper instead of green (that’s what was available) and it added some nice color. The flavor was fantastic and using ramen noodles instead of rice was a pleasant change of pace. Instructions were easy to follow.
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I made it tonight for dinner, and my husband and I really enjoyed it. I plan on trying it with chicken instead, as well. Definitely a keeper. I’ll be making this again.
Your recipes are such a hit with my family and friends – so thank you for yet another good one!
Joyce
I’m so happy to hear this, glad you’re enjoying my recipes!
Absolutely amazing! My family loved this! This recipe is going in my rotation.
So delicious! I made it for the first time and my family just devoured it! They gave it 10 out of 10 stars!
Can I use ground beef instead of flank steak?
It wouldn’t work the same way with the cornstarch. I would just cook it in a bit of oil then add it to the sauce. Let me know how it turns out for you if you give it a try.
I really liked this recipe. However, the recipe didn’t call for leaving the seasoning packets out, which wasn’t a big deal. And, I cooked three 3oz. packages of ramen noodles, which was a little more than the recipe called for. My final result was very soupy. Very tasty – but very soupy.
This looks great and I am anxious to try it. Should I assume you don’t use the flavor packet that comes with the ramen noodles since you make your own sauce?
Not in this recipe, but you can save it and use it for something else. 🙂
Could you use Chow Mein Noodles instead of Ramen?
Sure!