This turned out much better than I expected and was so easy. It will definitely be making the rounds in my weekly meal prep plans. If you’ve ever ordered Mongolian chicken or beef from a Chinese restaurant, the flavor is very comparable to that dish. I chose to use ground beef for convenience. The classic dish is made with sliced beef or chicken that is fried before it’s simmered in the sauce, but ground beef is obviously a shortcut and makes the dish much easier to make and still tastes just as good!

The recipe makes about 4 servings, but you can easily double or triple the recipe for more. This should freeze really well. It is also gluten and dairy free. There are a couple of ingredients that you need to check have a “gluten free” label. I have added a note next to those ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of ground beef (I used 85/15 grass fed)
• Sliced green onions added to your liking
• 4 servings of white rice (generally 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of water)

Sauce:

• 1/3 cup coconut aminos (soy sauce works as well if you’re not trying to avoid gluten)
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon corn starch (check for the gluten free label)
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• Crushed red pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Start by getting your rice cooking on the stove according to the package instructions. As soon as it begins to boil, cover it, set a timer, and get started on the sauce.
2. Grate the ginger and mince the garlic before adding it to a bowl with all of your other sauce ingredients.
3. Dice the green onions and set aside.
4. Brown the ground beef on medium high and add the green onions as the beef gets close to being done.
5. Add your sauce to the ground beef and turn the heat down to medium low. Allow the sauce to simmer for 5-10 minutes to let the flavor soak into the beef.
6. Enjoy the beef on top of a bed of white rice! Store leftovers in the fridge to warm up and eat within 3-4 days or store in the freezer.

If you’re new to meal prepping, having good food storage containers will allow you to easily divvy out single portions to store ready to go in your fridge and freezer. I recommend glass containers so that you can microwave your container. The “microwave safe” label on plastic containers is simply promising you that it won’t melt in the microwave, but it does not promise you that the chemicals in the plastic won’t leach into your food as it’s heated. All plastic leaches chemicals when heated. That’s why I switched all my containers to glass. Here are a couple of links to my favorite food storage containers on Amazon. If you get glass containers with plastic lids, just don’t microwave the lid.

Set of 4 rectangular glass containers with glass lids: https://amzn.to/4dmiWFG

Set of 3 round glass containers with lids (various sizes): https://amzn.to/4152lik

Set of 9 round glass containers with lids (various sizes): https://amzn.to/4cihu5W

All of these containers can be used in the microwave and oven (without the lids) and are freezer safe! Perfect for prepping several meals and storing in advance, which can help you be prepared and also save money!