Okay, so technically I didn’t “stir fry” anything here, but this is what you make at home to mimmic stir fry when you don’t have the proper equipment. This was really more of a “brief sauté” but that just doesn’t have the same ring to it. Regardless, these Easy Beef Stir Fry Noodles were fast and delicious, and that’s what really counts, right? I made this dish as simple and fast as possible, which was my goal. No frills, just good and easy. The ingredients are basic, but the flavor is still big.
Can I Add More Vegetables?
I used carrots and green onions as my only vegetables, but you could always toss in a handful or two of broccoli slaw, thinly sliced bell peppers, snow peas, bean sprouts, or really just about any vegetable that floats your boat. We’re going for fast, filling, and convenient with this one! Sweep out that fridge and make it work.
What Kind of Noodles Should I Use?
I used rice noodles for this because that’s what I was in the mood for, but in a pinch you could probably use just about any long pasta that you’d like. Ramen? Okay, go for it. Fettuccini? It’ll pass. Lo mein? Do it. Flexibility is the name of the game when it comes to stir fry!
What is Chili Garlic Sauce?
Chili garlic sauce is a really simple mixture of ground up red chiles, garlic, vinegar, and salt. It’s a really easy way to inject heat and flavor into any meal or homemade sauce. I used Huy Fong brand, which you can find in most major grocery stores in the United States. It’s the same brand as the popular “green top” sriracha that is available in most stores.
If you can’t find chili garlic sauce you can use sriracha or sambal oelek in its place.
Is The Beef Stir Fry Noodles Spicy?
Yes, thanks to the chili garlic sauce, this recipe is deliciously spicy. If you want to try something similar without heat, consider using the sauce that I used in my Vegetable Lo Mein recipe. Want spicy noodles without the beef? Check out my Spicy Dragon Noodles.
Easy Beef Stir Fry Noodles
Servings 4Ingredients
SAUCE
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.30)
- 1 Tbsp water ($0.00)
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.02)
- 1-2 Tbsp chili garlic sauce ($0.68)
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil ($0.57)
STIR FRY
- 8 oz. rice noodles ($1.43)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 Tbsp grated ginger ($0.10)
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil ($0.02)
- 1/2 lb. lean ground beef ($3.74)
- 1 carrot ($0.16)
- 3-4 green onions ($0.50)
- 1 handful fresh cilantro (optional) ($0.25)
Instructions
- Cook the noodles according to the package directions, being careful to leave them al dente and not over cooked. drain the noodles in a colander and set aside.
- Prepare the sauce by stirring together the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, chili garlic sauce, and sesame oil. Set the sauce aside.
- Mince the garlic and grate the ginger. Use a large-holed cheese grater to grate the carrot (or julienne using a mandoline). Slice the green onions on a diagonal, separating the fleshy white portions from the green ends.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the ground beef, garlic, and ginger. Sauté until the beef is cooked through. Add the white portions of the sliced green onions and sauté for one more minute. Add the shredded carrots and sauté for one minute more (leaving the carrots slightly crunchy).
- Add the drained noodles and the prepared sauce to the skillet. Stir until everything is coated in sauce and any extra moisture has been absorbed by the noodles. Turn the heat off and top with the green portion of the sliced green onions and fresh cilantro leaves.
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Beef Stir Fry Noodles – Step by Step Photos
Start with 8oz. of rice noodles (or whatever type of noodles you prefer) and cook them according to the package directions. Make sure to only cook them until they are al dente (not overly soft) so that they don’t get mushy when added to the skillet later. Drain the cooked noodles in a colander. (This is a 14oz. box, so I used just over half and saved the rest for later.)
While the noodles are cooking, prepare the stir fry sauce. This is a super basic, pared down sauce. Stir together 3 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp water, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, 1-2 Tbsp chili garlic sauce (depending on how spicy you like it–I used 2 Tbsp), and 1 tsp sesame oil.
I love using chili garlic sauce in my stir fry because it’s like killing three birds with one stone. This rustic sauce contains red pepper, garlic, and vinegar, three ingredients that I’d normally add to a stir fry sauce separately (this particular sauce is made by Huy Fong, makers of the most popular sriracha). You can also use sambal oelek or sriracha in place of this sauce.
You can also prepare the rest of the ingredients while the noodles cook, so that everything is ready to toss together quickly in the skillet. Grate about one inch of fresh ginger (about 1 Tbsp). I keep my ginger in the freezer, which makes it really easy to grate. Also mince two cloves of garlic.
Use a large hole grater to grate one carrot. If you don’t have a grater, you can use a spiralizer, mandoline, or a julienne peeler.
Slice 3-4 green onions, separating the white/fleshy ends from the green ends (they’ll be added to the stir fry at different times).
Finally, heat 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 1/2 lb. lean ground beef, the minced garlic, and grated ginger. Sauté until the beef is cooked through.
Add the white ends of the sliced green onions and sauté for one minute more. Add the shredded carrots and sauté for one additional minute. I added the carrots last because I wanted them to stay fairly crunchy.
Finally, add the drained noodles and prepared sauce.
Stir until everything is coated in sauce and no extra liquid remains on the bottom of the skillet (it should get absorbed by the noodles). Turn the heat off.
Top with the remaining green portions of the sliced green onions and a handful of fresh cilantro leaves (optional).
Then eat!
You don’t have to tell me twice…
Chili garlic sauce sounds so convenient. I feel that seasoning foods properly isn’t particularly difficult, but it’s always a hassle to pull out another type of seasoning.
I used this as the basis for a ‘catch all’ dish for dinner tonight. I julienned some carrots, shredded two baby bok choy, and cut a small handful of garlic chives into short lengths. Cooked the beef with 2cloves of garlic and some ginger, then added the firm veggies. The sauce was the end of a bottle of oyster sauce, a splash of soy sauce, and maybe half a cup of leftover japanese noodle broth. Served it with sesame oil and hot chili oil on he side. It was delicious, and used up a lot of things in my fridge that needed to be used, and took half an hour from stepping into the kitchen to cut veggies to sitting down to eat.
Ooh! I have some baby bok choy as well that I will add. I’m gonna make this tonight. I’m thinking of substituting the vegetable oil for coconut oil too. I can’t wait to try this.
YUM! I use Ramen packs (without the seasoning) all the time when I want to make a stir fry noodle dish. I always forget to get Rice Noodles.
Where do you get rice noodles so cheap? Mine were $4.99 plus tax for an 8 oz. box at Hy-Vee. 😒 Target had a 16 oz. box for $5.49, so that’s a better deal but still almost twice the price. Unfortunately, ALDI doesn’t carry rice noodles, and that’s my discount grocer.
It was just my local grocery store. It was on sale, but I think the regular price was only $2.99. :/
We found the 14-ounce package shown in the recipe at Walmart for $2.19 on April 22, 2017.
This looks so good. Could tofu be substituted for the beef and if so, would the cooking change? Also, when would mushrooms be added. Thanks so much for your wonderful recipes.
You could probably do tofu instead, but I’ve never tried it so I can’t say about the specifics. I’d sauté the mushrooms in the skillet with the garlic and ginger in place of the beef, though. :)
Once again you’ve created a recipe that will stay in my family’s dinner rotation for years to come. You rock!
P.S. I used wide lo mein noodles and added shaved Brussels Sprouts. ‘Twas killer.
I’m curious how you are liking the stainless steel pot set you bought a while back. It looks like you are using the skillet for this recipe. I’d love a follow-up post on how you’re doing with those pots! Recipe looks yummy.
Yep, I still love them! :D
I’ll have to try this next week. I’ve made something similar using broccoli and oyster sauce as the sauce.
This looks delish and nutrish. We’re making all our stir fries at home after seeing a news report on the local t.v. station about a local Chinese restaurant that hauled a road kill deer off the road and served it in the restaurant! Um, no thanks.
That actually happened? That is so profoundly disturbing on so many levels.
O. M. G. Nooooooooo.
If we wanted more of a steak type of meat rather than ground beef what cut would you recommend that wouldn’t be tough? Thank you, I love your site!
Hmm, I’m not sure, but if you slice thinly and always against the grain, then make sure to cook it very briefly, that should help prevent most cuts from being tough.
Top Sirloin is a really great stir-fry cut that is pretty widely available. Though my absolute favorite stir-fry cut is Hanger Steak, but it’s not available everywhere. Definitely a lesser-known cut and there just isn’t a whole lot of it on each animal; but it’s a super flavorful and generally economic hunk o’ cow.
Mmmmmmmmmm!!!
Made this tonight since you posted just before I ran to the store… So easy and delicious! Used broccoli slaw and added some thin sliced jalapeño, I can’t wait to make it again and maybe try out snap peas or book choi :)
Very good! I didn’t want to buy sesame oil, so I used a teaspoon of peanut butter in the sauce instead. I also added a block of crumbled tofu to add some additional volume and protein! Thanks!
Great recipe, I’ve always struggled with proper noodles as I don’t own a wok or having some of the obscure ingredients, but this step by step recipe does everything that I’ve been trying to achieve! Noodles with good saucy coverage. Bookmarked, will be trying this out later this week.
I was just planning out my meals for the week and I was thinking “I need something Asian with Sriacha….” Lo and behold I go on your site and this is your most recently made recipe. We’re perfectly in sync!