Pan Fried Beef Noodles with Garlic and Cabbage
Make takeout at home with this award-winning Chinese Pan-Fried Beef Noodles Recipe! This easy recipe is made in just one pan.
‘Tis the season… to not know what the heck to make for dinner! We have been ordering carryout a lot lately because we are so busy and keep forgetting to meal plan. While I love supporting our local Chinese restaurants here in the Midwest, it gets expensive to order takeout from them all the time! And honestly, it’s a bummer to spend so much on carryout from a Chinese restaurant when you can make these delicious Beef Pan Fried Noodles for 1/3rd of the cost.
“Thank you! I found these pan fried beef noodles on Pinterest. Everyone loved it! Great recipe!”
– Dawn
This yummy Asian beef noodles recipe is made using one large skillet. It definitely qualifies as an easy recipe for busy weeknights!
In this recipe, I combine tender, juicy beef with noodles, white or yellow onion, cabbage, and a delicious, sweet-and-savory sauce with loads of garlic!
For those of you that hail from my native town of Jefferson City, Missouri, this dish is based on the house beef recipe from Hunan restaurant, my all-time favorite Chinese restaurant. Their version of the dish is a simple beef and cabbage served over rice. The sauce is sweet and garlicky. It’s amazing!
In this recipe, I add a few extra things to their base recipe and serve with fresh noodles to make it a complete meal.
Oh, and did I mention that this recipe is award-winning? It placed second in a nationwide recipe contest for Asian noodle recipes! I was thrilled when I found out.
And honestly, it’s a bummer to spend so much on carryout from a Chinese restaurant when you can make a delicious carryout-style meal at home for 1/3rd of the cost!
Substitutions and Additions
I tried to make the ingredients in this recipe accessible so you won’t have to make a special trip to an Asian market to get them! You should be able to make this recipe using just ingredients from your local grocery store.
Regardless, here are a few ingredient substitutions so you can use what you have on hand at home!
- You can substitute vegetable oil for the sesame oil.
- The sky is the limit for the type of noodles you use! I do recommend using thin noodles if you can. Thin egg noodles, chow mein noodles, spaghetti, Ramen noodles, fettucine or lo mein noodles will all work fine. Just make sure to follow the package instructions to cook them first! Do not rinse them in cold water after draining; instead, toss them in a neutral cooking oil to prevent them from sticking together.
- Use dark soy sauce or low-sodium soy sauce in place of the light soy sauce.
- You can use packaged minced garlic instead of fresh garlic. Add a teaspoon of fresh ginger if you have it.
- If you don’t like cabbage, substitute your favorite vegetable!
As always, consider this recipe a starting point! You can add several fresh vegetables. Add any of these, along with the onions.
- bean sprouts
- snow peas
- bell peppers
- baby bok choy
- Chinese broccoli
- shredded carrots
- baby corn
- green beans
- kale
- sliced mushrooms
Serving Suggestions
If you prefer to serve the beef and cabbage over rice, do that! To make this dish extra fun, serve with a pair of chopsticks.
Saving Leftover Beef Pan Fried Noodles
Honestly, these are the best noodles the day after, when the flavors have had time to mellow! Save any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
I prefer to reheat this in the skillet, but of course, the microwave works too!
If you love these Beef Pan Fried Noodles, I think you will also enjoy this Asian Chicken Rice bowl!
Beef Pan Fried Noodles
Ingredients
- 2.5 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
- 1/2 white onion, diced fine
- 1/4 head green cabbage, shredded
- 1 pound lean beef, sliced thin (flank steak, skirt steak, or sirloin steak)
- 12 ounces Fortune Yaki-Soba Stir Fry Noodles, OR cooked spaghetti noodles, lo mein noodles or rice noodles
Sauce Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup green onions, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup light soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons white sugar , or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Toppings (optional):
- additional diced green onions, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes
Instructions
- If needed, cook the noodles to the package instructions. Set aside.
- To a large non-stick skillet, add 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Heat oil over medium high heat until hot and sizzling.
- Sauté the veggies: Add onions to the hot oil. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until softened and fragrant.
- Add cabbage and sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes until the cabbage is slightly wilted.
- Remove onions and cabbage from pan and allow to rest on a large plate.
- Return skillet to burner and add 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Heat oil over medium-high heat until hot and sizzling.
- Sear the beef: Pat the beef strips dry with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Then, add beef to the skillet and sear in a single layer for 3 minutes per side, until golden brown.
- Remove steak strips from the skillet and allow to rest on a separate, paper towel-lined plate.
- Return the skillet to the burner and add the remaining ½ tablespoons of oil. Heat over low-medium heat.
- Make the sauce: Add green onions and sauté for 1 minute. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, scraping the bottom of the pan frequently.
- Reduce burner to low heat. Add soy sauce, sugar and black pepper and stir vigorously to combine. The sauce will thicken quickly, stir for about one minute.
- Toss cooked, drained noodles into the soy sauce mixture to combine. Add sauteed onions, cabbage, and beef. Toss again to coat the ingredients with the sauce.
- Serve warm with diced green onions, sesame seeds or crushed red pepper flakes on top of the noodles.
I added some bean spouts and snow peas. Topped with extra green onions . Next time I might add a bit or cornstarch to thicken the sauce. So easy and delicious
Great