Gluten-Free Mongolian Beef Noodle Bowls taste just like the popular take out dish but swap rice for chewy rice noodles instead!
Thank you times a MILLION for your supportive and excited comments, posts, and emails regarding my new eBook! It’s always nerve-wracking putting such a large and important part of yourself out there, especially on the internet but, while I didn’t think it was possible, I’m even more excited to help those of you who want or need to go gluten-free actually do it. I even had a couple people say they want to give the ebook as a gift. Yes, please! By all means, spread the GFL (gluten-free love, of course.)
In the meantime, we slurp Mongolian Beef Noodle Bowls, aka my most favorite take-out fake-out dish of. all. time!
Since developing my Asian Noodle Bowl recipe a couple months ago I’ve made them at least a half dozen times which is…a lot of Asian Noodle Bowls. Especially for Ben who isn’t a huge fan of repeating recipes all that often. The noodle bowls are something I truly crave on the regular but to give poor Ben a break I decided to give them a spin to match the flavors of one of our all time favorite take-out dishes – Mongolian Beef…and then proceed to make it like five nights in a row. My bad!
As much as I love the Asian Noodle Bowls, this dish is K-I-L-L-I-N-G it in the delicious department. Whisper-thin slices of beef are stir fried with green onions and store-bought coleslaw mix then tossed with chewy rice noodles and an irresistible Mongolian sauce. You know the one – perfectly balanced between salty and sweet.
Bonus, you can control the amount of green onions in the noodle bowls. Don’t you hate ordering Mongolian Beef at a restaurant then receiving a side of beef with your salad of green onions? Not happening here! I can’t wait for you to try this recipe so I’m cutting the chit chat short. Onward!
Watch How to Make Them
How to Make this Recipe
Start by soaking then draining 8oz gluten-free rice noodles according to package directions. The rice noodles will still be a little bit hard after soaking but that’s ok, they’re supposed to be that way. They’ll finish cooking and get nice and chewy in the sauce.
Next, thiiiinly slice 1lb flank steak. My grocery store used to sell pre-sliced stir fry beef but recently stopped for whatever reason. I was a bit miffed before realizing I can slice the beef even thinner at home, which is key for a good stir fry!
Use a very sharp knife to slice the steak against the grain, as thin as you can get it. This will allow the beef to stir fry really quickly and get a luscious golden brown crust.
Last step before we stir fry is to mix up the sauce. All you need is 1/2 cup LOW-SODIUM gluten-free tamari or soy sauce (dish will not be GF if using soy sauce,) 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup water, and 1/4 teaspoon (or more or less) red chili pepper flakes.
Time to cook. Heat 1/2 Tablespoon high heat cooking oil in a wok or very large skillet over heat that’s just a touch below high. Make sure the oil is very hot before adding 1/3 of the beef in an even layer in the bottom or else it will steam instead of sizzle.
Season the beef lightly with salt and pepper then let sear until a crust has formed on the bottom. Flip then sear until the beef is just barely cooked through, and then remove to a plate. Repeat heating 1/2 Tablespoon oil in the wok, then seasoning and searing another third of the beef until it’s all cooked, and then set the plate aside.
Heat one last 1/2 Tablespoon oil then add 3 cups coleslaw mix and 5 green onions to the wok. Season lightly with salt then stir fry until the coleslaw begins to wilt, just a minute or two, then add 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger plus 3 minced garlic cloves and stir fry for another 30 seconds.
Last step is to add the sauce and drained rice noodles.
Stir fry until the noodles are tender, 3-4 minutes, then add the beef back into the wok and toss to combine. If it’s a touch too salty at this point, you can add splashes of water to balance everything out.
Divy the noodles up between bowls then grab your chopsticks and dive in!
Honestly, just stop what you’re doing and go get the ingredients to make these noodle bowls tonight. It might be tempting to say to heck with it and stop at the Chinese food counter at the grocery store instead, but these noodles taste FAR better than anything that’s been sitting in a warming tray for the past hour. I hope you love these Mongolian Beef Noodle Bowls as much as I do!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 oz gluten free rice noodles
- 1/2 cup gluten free reduced-sodium Tamari, or soy sauce if not GF
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes, or more or less
- 2 Tablespoons grapeseed or vegetable oil, divided
- 1 lb flank steak, sliced very thin against the grain
- salt and pepper
- 5 green onions, green parts chopped into 2" pieces, white and light green parts into 1/2" pieces
- 3 cups coleslaw mix
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger, from 1" piece of ginger
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
Directions
- Pre-soak rice noodles according to package directions then drain and set aside. Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together tamari or soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and red chili pepper flakes then set aside.
- Heat 1/2 Tablespoon oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over heat that's just a touch below high. Make sure oil is very hot before adding 1/3 of the beef in an even layer in the bottom of the wok. (If oil is not hot enough or you overcrowd the wok, the beef will steam vs sear.) Season lightly with salt and pepper then allow beef to form a crust on the bottom before flipping and stir frying until just barely cooked through. Remove beef to a plate then repeat with remaining beef, using 1/2 Tablespoon oil to stir fry each batch, and then set the plate aside.
- Heat remaining 1/2 Tablespoon oil in the wok then add green onions and coleslaw mix, season lightly with salt, and then stir fry until coleslaw begins to wilt, 1-2 minutes. Add ginger and garlic then stir fry for another 30 seconds.
- Add drained noodles and sauce to wok then stir fry until noodles are tender, 3-4 minutes. Remove wok from heat then add beef and toss until warmed through, and then serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Tried this tonight and it was SO good! Came out absolutely delicious! I could get the flank or flat iron steak, so I got London broil and the butcher sliced it for me. It probably wasn’t as tender as it could’ve been but still a huge hit with me and my family! I didn’t make it gluten free as I used soy sauce and doubled the sauce because of picky eaters I had to make the noodles separately. This is a keeper for sure! Thanks so much for the delicious recipe!!!! YUM
Quick, simple, delicious and a real keeper.
Good Lord! This dish was so scrumptious! I made double because hubby bought double meat and the rice noodles come in 16 oz. and I thought I made a terrible mistake. Low and behold every drop was eaten, several meals but still! The only thing I might do different was to add a little cornstarch with some water before serving the first time. My hubby raved about this dish for days!! We are considering making it again like real soon! I know this dish will most definitely be one of our all time favorites!!!! Geesh!! Thank you Kirstin!! A suggestion: Add 1/2 chopped onion in place of the green onion and use the green onion only as a garnish – it works!! we LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe!
What in the recipe was red to tint the noodles? Mine turned out to be a big brown mess. Not like the picture.
Hi Liza, I’m sorry to hear the recipes didn’t work out for you! The only thing red in the recipe is the hot sauce, maybe too much was used? I haven’t had any other reports or experience myself of having the noodles turn out soupy. If you try again I’d just suggest continuing to cook until the sauce has reduced down a bit. I hope that helps!
The recipe says 8oz of rice noodles but the picture is of a 16oz package. I’m assuming I just use half the pack but didn’t want to make it wrong and not have enough noodles or use the whole pack and make it too noodley. Please help!
Can’t wait to make it tonight ?
Yep, just use half the package!
Could I substitute coconut aminos for the tamari/soy sauce?
You bet – I’d cut the amount of brown sugar to maybe 2-3 Tablespoons to account for the coconut aminos’ sweetness.
This has become our new favorite. We have made it several times and I now substitute the cabbage with broccoli, carrots, red peppers, mushrooms and sugar snap peas. Yum….
Hi….I find it interesting that the recipe calls for Low sodium Tamari or soy sauce yet in the directions it say to add salt on two different occasions. That doesn’t make it low salt any longer. I won’t be adding these two salts.
Kat, this recipe isn’t considered low-sodium, though I recommend using low-sodium soy sauce since the sauce recipe is concentrated versus being diluted with water or other liquids. I always salt ingredients along the way to achieve a well-seasoned dish, but feel free to omit if you are sensitive to salt.
I made this dish last night, very flavorful. I had to thicken it a bit because the liquid didn’t soak up and was runny, have you had to do this also or did I do something wrong?
Losing my mind – this was so delicious and completely fulfilled my Chinese/Asian good craving. Eating this kind of food out is literally impossible when you’re gluten free. I used gluten free soy sauce and rice stocks because I had it on hand. So good and SO easy. Thank you!
Food* and sticks* dinner made me delirious apparently.
This is awesome! I am making this for the second time tonight. My husband and son could not get enough. It is my new fav! Thank you
We made this last night and we loved it! It was sooo good. It reheated well today for lunch too. Thanks!
I just made this! I’m holding the bowl in one hand and typing with the other…..this is amazingness! I used chicken instead of beef and cut the brown sugar down a bit but other than that…..I reiterate….amazingness! Chinese craving gone! Thanks for the recipe?
This makes my heart happy. :) I’m so glad you love the dish!