The Easiest Korean Ground Beef Recipe

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The Easiest Korean Ground Beef Recipe

a photo of a bowl of steamed white rice topped with korean ground beef and sliced green onions

This easy Korean ground beef recipe is a tasty dinner idea that is light on the budget but heavy on the bold Korean flavors! You’re family is going to love it!

So, you need an idea for ground beef that isn’t casserole, taco, or soup? Yeah, me too, so I set out to make something wonderful and delicious and then couldn’t help myself and made it a budget friendly dinner idea too!

I grew up with the same plate my entire life:

  • Meat
  • Veggie
  • Carb

And then I grew up and did the exact same thing with a few twists to our staple dinners that Mom had made:

But then I got to thinking, just because it isn’t 1999 doesn’t mean that mom’s don’t want quick, easy and cheap dinner ideas. It just means they need them with a modern twist! So, Korean Ground Beef was born. It’s a cheaper version of bulgogi, and we love bulgogi!!

I’ve made it with mushrooms, peas, peppers, and all sorts of additions but the truth is, it doesn’t need anything but ground beef, sauce and rice. It’s easy to make, even easier to freeze (both pre and post cooking) and all you have to serve is a little steamed veggie next to it.

Recommended Equipment

Before You Begin…

If you’re planning to serve this Korean ground beef over rice, then the first thing you will want to do is get your rice cooking. That way the rice will be ready when the beef is finished.

Ingredients for Korean Ground Beef

I mentioned that this recipe is budget-friendly so let me prove it now by listing out the ingredients you will need. Everything is easy to find at the grocery and might even be in your pantry already. Here is your shopping list:

  • Canola or Vegetable Oil: used to cook the ground beef and garlic
  • Ground Beef: You can also use ground chuck.
  • Garlic: adds flavor to the meat
  • Soy Sauce: adds Asian flavor and saltiness
  • Orange Juice: adds flavor and acidity
  • Brown Sugar: adds depth of flavor and sweetness
  • Sweet Chili Sauce: adds a little heat and sweetness

Best Sloppy Joes [+ Video]

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Best Sloppy Joes [+ Video]

a photo of a sloppy joe with the meat mixture spilling out the sides and potato chips sitting next to it.

All these years I’ve thought sloppy joes were the worst dinner ever, but after months of testing I’ve finally found a recipe I LOVE!

Every time I heard that we were having sloppy joes for lunch at school as a kid, I cringed.  I was never too excited for sloppy joes at home either. Not knowing what was in the sloppy joes made it harder for me to eat — it should have been called “Mystery Joes” or something along those lines.

For years, we tried new recipes and each one was getting closer and closer to me finally accepting the sloppy mess of a meal. Everyone went crazy for them at school and families we knew loved them, clearly I was missing something. 

We have finally found the best sloppy joe recipe EVER! Not just the best, but a totally crave-able recipe! It’s the perfect balance of sweet and salty and a little spicy.

Creating the Best Sloppy Joes Recipe

As a teenager, I watched Adam Sandler and Chris Farley perform “lunch lady land” on Saturday Night Live. Interestingly enough, this skit gave me a new outlook on sloppy joes, not sure why.

Well, a couple decades later this bad boy lands on my plate and a whole slew of feelings came rushing back: disgust, anxiety, unpleasant crunchy things, failure after failure of trying this recipe in the past, and almost complete despair of ever finding a Sloppy Joes recipe that actually tasted good.

Would this one be another flop? I sat down to the dinner table with that fake smile, that “thanks honey, this looks great” face on that I had nailed down over my childhood years. The smells began to hit my nostrils and to my surprise they were pleasant, smokey richness, grilled onions and peppers, almost like a bbq restaurant smell.

I began to feel a little excitement in this Mystery Joe. I went in for the first bite and it was all over from there, seconds and thirds landed on my plate and my taste buds were chest bumping each other.

What is a Sloppy Joe? 

To be clear, a sloppy joe is not a sandwich with chili piled on top. A sloppy joe is a sandwich consisting of ground beef or pork, onions, tomato sauce or ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and other seasonings, served on a hamburger bun. 

The dish originated in the United States during the early 20th century. According to legend, a cook named Joe at Floyd Angell’s café in Sioux City, Iowa, added tomato sauce to his “loose meat” sandwiches and the “sloppy joe” sandwich was born. And the rest, as they say, is history!

Sloppy Joe Ingredients 

For this easy sloppy joe recipe, you’ll need a handful of ingredients. I bet most of these ingredients are in your pantry already! For the sloppy joe meat mixture, you’ll need…

  • Butter
  • Onion
  • Red Bell Pepper
  • Garlic
  • Ground Beef

Although you can’t have sloppy joes without the meat, the sloppy joe sauce is what really makes this recipe. For the sloppy joe sauce, you’ll need…

  • Brown Sugar
  • Dijon Mustard
  • Worcestershire Sauce
  • <

Roasted Garlic Tomato Basil Orzo

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Roasted Garlic Tomato Basil Orzo

a photo of a large serving bowl full of cooked orzo pasta, roasted tomatoes and garlic and chopped fresh basil.

Easy orzo pasta with roasted garlic and tomatoes and fresh basil is just what I crave on a hot summer night. In the summer, I’m all about the quick and easy meals that are light and refreshing.

When Cade and I first started the blog I was whisked off on a fun little business trip where we got to try small servings of an entire menu. During the tasting a roasted garlic pasta was served to us with huge whole garlic cloves that were heavily fragrant.

I carefully ate around them only to notice my seat mate was enjoying the entire dish, full cloves of garlic and all. “Do people really eat garlic?” I thought. I mean, I knew it went in dishes but to be an actual component felt odd.

I sliced a chunk off of a clove, swirled and twisted my noodles up around it and the fork and I’ve been sold ever since. The sweetness of the garlic comes out in the roasting time and no, it doesn’t remove the smell off your breath, but it’s worth it!!

Ingredients in this Orzo Recipe

This orzo recipe may give you garlic breath, but we are going to add a few more flavor to it! Here is what you will need:

  • Cherry Tomatoes: black cherry, piccolo or Vittoria varieties are our favorites
  • Olive Oil: for roasting the tomatoes and cooking the garlic
  • Salt and Pepper: for seasoning the roasted tomatoes and for seasoning the whole dish
  • Garlic: flavor, flavor, flavor
  • Butter: helps pan roast the orzo and adds loads of flavor
  • Orzo: sauteing the pasta beforehand adds a delicious nutty flavor
  • Lemon Juice: fresh is best
  • White Wine: we use cooking wine, but feel free to use whatever brand you want
  • Chicken Stock: could easily swap this out for vegetable broth to make this dish vegetarian
  • Water: helps cook the orzo
  • Basil Leaves: I highly suggest using fresh basil only.
  • Parmesan Cheese: freshly grated parm on top is the best
  • Red Pepper Flakes: adds heat, add as much as you want!
  • Pine Nuts: adds texture and flavor

The measurements for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Roasted Garlic Tomato Basil Orzo

This recipe comes together so easily and most of the time is spent waiting for the tomatoes to roast and the orzo to cook. Here are the basic steps:

  1. Roast the tomatoes.
  2. Pan roast the garlic and then the orzo.
  3. Let the orzo simmer in all the flavors.
  4. Add the liquids to cook the pasta.
  5. Season to taste and top with the pine nuts, basil and parmesan.

All the details can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post. You can also save or print the recipe from there.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

We have so many recipes that use garlic, tomatoes and basil. It is a classic combination of simple flavors that you can just never go wrong wi

One Pan 10-Minute Sticky Mexican Chicken

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One Pan 10-Minute Sticky Mexican Chicken

a photo of 4 seasoned and cooked chicken breasts sitting in a dutch oven.

This one pan sticky Mexican chicken recipe only needs 6 simple ingredients and you’ll be eating the most flavorful chicken dinner in just 10 minutes! I love the combination of the citrus from the lime, a hint of sweet from the honey to counteract the spicy seasoning. It’s a perfectly balanced chicken recipe!

I love quick and easy chicken recipes! Chicken tends to take over in the quick dinner category which is funny because ground beef is actually faster to cook, but alas, here we are. Ok, so I’ve fallen in love and I need everyone to join me. I love this sticky Mexican chicken recipe and I really think it will be your back pocket recipe as well.

Where This Recipe Came From

This recipe started with a dying lime.

It was breathing it’s last few wispy breaths from the fruit basket I detest and I just knew that it was time for a little cpr. With only 6 ingredients I busted out dinner in just 10 minutes and now I can’t stop using the Mexican chicken in everything from tacos to rice bowls, and salads to soups, plus everything in between.

I really think the key is to use either our homemade taco seasoning or the Kinders brand, which I buy at Costco. I wouldn’t recommend the little taco seasoning packets as they don’t boast as much flavor. But if you must, the recipe will still be delicious.

I’d love to hear how you use the chicken! Reach out and share your recipes and photos on instagram @ohsweetbasil

Ingredients for Sticky Mexican Chicken

Sometimes the best recipes come from the most simple ingredients combined in just the right way. Here are the 6 ingredients you will need:

  • Chicken Breasts: cut into bite size pieces, the chicken breasts can also be cooked whole if you prefer (see recipe notes for instructions)
  • Taco Seasoning: we like to use our homemade recipe, but you can use store bought (we recommend Kinders)
  • Olive Oil: used to cook the chicken and keep it from sticking
  • Green Onions: greens only, chopped in 1″ pieces, adds flavor
  • Lime Juice: adds a bright citrus flavor
  • Honey: adds natural sweetness and balances the seasoning

The measurements for all the ingredients are listed in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

  • One Pan: the whole recipe is made from start to finish in one pa

Lemon Herb Spatchcock Chicken Recipe

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Lemon Herb Spatchcock Chicken Recipe

a photo of juicy roasted sliced chicken breasts topped with fresh herbs and surrounded by slices of lemon.

If you want the juiciest chicken with crispy skin and the most incredible flavor, then you have to make this lemon herb spatchcock chicken!

When I was pregnant with our second child I was not in any kind of position to cook, eat or even think about either thing. But it was like taking a surfer away from the ocean, I was determined to make better than ever meals when I had the baby. And spatchcock chicken was strangely at the top of my list. I have absolutely no idea why I hyper-fixated on chicken, but it ended up being a blessing. It gave me something to look forward to. To decide without ever deciding that I was going to not only survive, but thrive post traumatic pregnancy.

I’m not saying that anyone who is going through something hard should just think about chicken to fix things, because again, I WOULD NOT think about chicken during that time. But maybe there’s something about positive psychology that could take us from A-B that is found in the kitchen. So without telling you what I think… yet… what is the happiest memory you have around food?

Why does food more often attach itself to happiness than sadness?

I’ll move on, I know you just want the recipe, but it’s something to think about. Is there a secret about food and cooking that might make a difference in your happiness in the midst of your trial?

What is a Spatchcock Chicken?

A spatchcock chicken is the same thing as a butterflied chicken. It is a method for cooking chicken where you remove the backbone of a whole chicken and flatten it so that it lays flat and roasts more evenly. For some reason, this little bird’s legs curled up again at the end, but otherwise it will lay far more flat than this.

Why Do You Spatchcock a Chicken?

When you roast a whole chicken, the chicken breasts sit higher and cook first and dry out while the rest of the chicken comes to temperature.

With a spatchcock chicken, everything is at the same level and roasts evenly resulting in juicy chicken breasts, thighs, legs…the whole bird!

And the skin gets so crispy and delicious! I dare say that once you spatchcock, you’ll never go back to roasting a chicken any other way.

Do You Flip a Spatchcock When Cooking?

No, a spatchcock does not need to be flipped while cooking. You roast it with the meat side up and it will come to temperature just fine without flipping.

What Do I Need to Make Spatchcock Chicken?

All you need to do is grab a whole chicken and then hit the produce section for some fresh herbs and citrus. You’ll likely have everything else you need in the pantry already. BONUS…this recipe is so budget friendly! Here is what you will need:

  • Whole Chicken: a 4-5 pound chicken works best, skin on<
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