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…
I made this last night using a half package of pho noodles, left over roast chicken, and frozen stir fry mix. Everyone practically licked their platter clean!
I had a steak in the fridge that I needed to use or freeze, and as soon as I got home from work, I came to Budget Bytes and searched for stir fry . I modified this to fit what I had available. I used a block of brown rice ramen, and for the sauce I used soy sauce, water, ground ginger, extra virgin olive oil, and a half tablespoon of Blair’s wasabi green tea hot sauce. (The brown sugar I had was hard as a brick, so I didn’t fool with it.) I sauteed the steak, then threw in a cup of frozen stir-fry vegetables. Once everything was hot, I added the sauce and the (cooked) ramen. So easy, and so incredibly good! Thanks, Beth!
I made this with egg noodles and even though I cooked them just a lil too long it turned out so yummy! Thank you Beth!
This is so going on the rotation for dinner, then bring to work! If you haven’t made this a meal prep, I suggest you have it with your Thai cucumber salad on the side (which is what I had today for lunch….SO GOOD)!
I made this last night, and tweaked it a bit for a healthier meal (drained and rinsed the ground beef; added all kinds of extra fresh veggies – onions, peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, and snow peas; , sauteed the beef/ginger/garlic/extra veggies in a little chicken broth to soften them up). I am gluten intolerant, so I used tamari and the rice noodles, and this was awesome! Hubby ate 2 bowls and said to remember how to make this. Then he started saying things like “What if we made this with chicken?” or “Wonder if it would be good with tofu?”. I have made your recipes before and no clue why it has been a while, but that might be changing with this tasty find!!
This is definitely on the rotation for a great weeknight meal that turns into an amazing lunch the next few days! Even with all the extra veggie chopping, I was out of the kitchen in around 30 minutes.
I made this for the first time because it was in the app, and boy am I glad! It’s a perfect Budget Bytes recipe: delicious, fast, easy, inexpensive, and spicy. I have noodles left over to make again (yay!), and garlic chili sauce to make your Szechuan Pork and Green Beans, another Budget Bytes favorite.
We make your food more or less constantly, but this is still hands down my favorite meal. Unfortunately, my fiance hates beef and compromise, so I don’t get to eat it a lot. Tonight I tried it with ground turkey to see if I could find a good middle ground. It’s not the same amount of awesome, but is very passable.
Great recipe! Made this tonight, it came together super quick and tastes amazing! I doubled the sauce, used a full pound of ground beef, and added some baby bok choy and mushrooms to bulk it up. Also I forgot ginger at the store so I left that out, but I’ll definitely add it next time. Thank you!
Just made this today, it came out great! I used spaghetti noodles because they were what I had already, and added a splash of mushroom soy while stir frying because that darkens the noodles really nicely, but otherwise I didn’t change a thing. I think next time I will use less chili garlic sauce, since I’m a wimp when it comes to heat. This might be better with other meat besides ground beef since the texture isn’t the best, but I’d have to experiment a little bit. All in all very tasty and simple!
Beth – made this last night as I wanted to use some ground beef that I had made the other night My husband thought this was rivaled many other dishes at an Asian restaurant. He has no idea how easy it was to make too! I only had carrot on hand, so I shredded that and used half a bag of Pad Thai rice noodles. Definitely plan on making this again in a pinch. Saved us lots of money because I was NOT in the mood to cook. Thanks!
I feel sad that I don’t feel the love like some people do on this dish. I just made it and it was really disappointing. Nothing like I’d hoped for. I love you, Beth, but this is not a keeper for us. I made it exactly like you did, except I didn’t use cilantro.
I’ve made this dish almost 10 times now. I love it. I add shredded cabbage. Mmmmmiam!! Thanks for the awesome & easy recipes.
This recipe is great! I made it for my boyfriend and I last night and we loved it! We love onions so we added yellow onion to the beef in the same step as garlic and ginger, and still used the green onion. We opted to used Sweet Chili Garlic Sauce so it was slightly sweet, but it was still delicious. The only negative was that it did not reheat very well the next day. It caused the rice noodles to dry out, so we added a little bit of water to reconstitute the noodles, which caused the dish to turn into mush. It tasted fine, not as great as the day before, so we added some more Sweet Chili Garlic Sauce and some Sriracha to add flavor back to it. Overall, it is a very tasty dish the day it is made!
Wow – you’ve done it again Beth! I made it with Ramen noodles and my son and I loved it. I can’t wait to try it again with some different veggies.
Made this tonight with rice. So good. Thanks for sharing.
Looks amazing and doesn’t seem to take too long to cook.
Will be adding this recipe to cookbook.
thanks for sharing!
Hugs