Korean-Inspired Gochujang Meat And Beans

This sweet and spicy Korean-Inspired Gochujang Meat And Beans is a one-pan meal served your way. Stretch the ground meat and add fiber with a can of chickpeas. This deliciously filling meal will become a quick meal prep favorite!

Try these authentic recipes for gochujang and recipes that use it:

• A Guide to Gochujang (Korean Chili Paste) from My Korean Kitchen
• Homestyle Bibimbap from Seoyoung Jung at Serious Eats
• Korean Spicy Chicken with Gochujang from Kimchimari

What are the ingredients in this Korean-Inspired Gochujang Meat And Beans?

The only ingredient you might not already have on hand is the gochujang paste (at least that was the case for me). All of these ingredients should be available at your local grocery store or Asian grocery store. Here’s a little info on what I used in this recipe:

• soy sauce – A staple that adds a salty and savory component to the meat and bean mixture. Feel free to add more soy sauce or add another pinch of salt if yours is low sodium.
• honey or maple syrup – Use your choice of sweetener in the stir fry sauce. I like honey for the flavor as well.
• gochujang paste – This is a Korean fermented condiment made from red chili powder, glutinous rice, fermented soybean powder, barley malt powder, and salt. For more info on gochujang, please read How to Make Gochujang from Korean Bapsang.
• toasted sesame oil – Using toasted sesame oil as the cooking oil gives a wonderful toasty nutty flavor to the recipe. If you don’t have any, you can use avocado oil or olive oil.
• lean ground turkey – For this recipe, I prefer to use a super lean ground turkey, since we’re gonna drizzle it with a mayo sauce later. If using beef, I would also opt for a leaner package!
• onion, garlic & ginger – Aromatics you can’t skip! These are some of my favorite flavors and are vital to the flavor base of the recipe.
• chickpeas – Chickpeas are really great at absorbing whatever flavors they are immersed in. For this recipe, they take on some of the meat flavors and the sweet and spicy sauce. It’s a great way to stretch any ground meat recipe!
• frozen green beans – This is an optional addition, but if I already have the green beans in the freezer, I’m gonna add them! It’s super easy to put them right on top and fits with the meat and ‘beans’ theme.
• mayonnaise, gochujang paste, honey & rice vinegar – This is everything you need to make the drizzle sauce. No matter what combo you choose for serving (green beans or raw veggies), don’t skip this sauce! It brings the entire dish together.
• cooked rice, English cucumber, carrots & green onions – These are some additional options for what to serve with the meat and beans mixture. You can add the rice for a more filling meal, or go for the veggies instead. My favorite combo is including the green beans with the meat mixture, plus serving with cooked rice.

Equipment you’ll need to make this recipe:

There are a few pieces of kitchen equipment I think you’ll need to make this recipe turn out as good as can be. Here are my recommendations:

• For your chef’s knife, definitely look into getting yourself a Misen Chef’s Knife (affiliate link!). This is an affordable, all-purpose knife useful for everything, but especially cutting squash and other vegetables in this recipe.
• For a cutting board, I recommend this Greener Chef XL Bamboo Cutting Board (affiliate link!). I use mine almost every day! The XL size is perfect and not too huge. I use it for everything except cutting raw meat.
• For the cooking pan, you’ll want to use a large pan like this GreenPan 5Qt Ceramic Skillet (affiliate link!). If you don’t have something like that, a Dutch oven would also work. It just has to be able to fit everything inside.

How to make Korean-Inspired Gochujang Meat And Beans:

While this might look light a lot of steps, it’s really just adding ingredients to the same pan at different times. To make it easier your first round with this recipe, I would skip the raw veggies and maybe even the green beans. This way, you can put all your attention on the meat and beans. It’s super flexible!

First, start by whisking together the soy sauce, sweetener of choice, gochujang, and 1 tablespoon of cold water until it’s smooth. You can also put these ingredients into a mason jar with lid and shake until combined. Set the sauce aside until needed later in the recipe.

Heat the toasted sesame oil in a large and deep non-stick skillet or Dutch oven over a medium heat. Add the onion, and cook for 5-6 minutes until it is just soft and starting to color.

Be sure to keep an eye on it, as sesame oil has a lower smoke point than some other cooking oils. The onion will burn more easily, but if you stir often and make sure the heat doesn’t get too high, it should be good to go.

Next, add the ground turkey to the pan with the onions. Cook it for another 5-6 minutes until the turkey has cooked through and started to brown. Break up the meat with the back of your spoon or spatula as it browns.

Once the meat is fully cooked through, add the garlic and ginger, then stir and cook for 1 more minute until you can smell the garlic. Grab the drained chickpeas and the prepared sauce from earlier.

Reduce the heat to low, and then pour in the drained chickpeas. Next, pour the prepared sauce into the pan, stir everything to disperse the sauce over the meat and beans. Cook for a final few minutes until the sauce has thickened and is a little sticky looking. If you’re adding green beans, move on to the next step. If not, the recipe is ready done now.

If you’re adding the frozen green beans, spread them over the top of the meat and chickpea mixture, but don’t stir them in! You want to let them steam on top of the meat and beans for about 5-7 minutes while the sauce simmers lightly underneath.

Meanwhile, whisk together the ingredients for the gochujang mayo drizzle until smooth. You can do this at any point during the cooking process. Use a small bowl with lid so you can easily put leftover sauce in the fridge later.

Test one of the green beans to see if it’s done to your liking – they should be heated through but still firm.

And it’s done! Feel free to taste and see if it needs more salt or soy sauce. Serve with whatever additions you’ve chosen. Enjoy!

Best tips for making this Gochujang Meat And Beans recipe:

Here are my best tips for making this recipe at home in your own kitchen:

• You will want to pay close attention when you first start cooking the onions in the toasted sesame oil so it doesn’t burn. The rest of the cooking is a little more flexible.
• In the summer, I would probably serve this with the fresh veggies and maybe even some cilantro if I had it. In the fall and winter, I’d go with the frozen green beans and rice instead!

Ways to customize this recipe:

Here are some ways to customize this recipe to your own tastebuds:

• For a slightly sweeter dish, you can add an additional tablespoon of honey to the stir fry sauce.
• You can swap the ground turkey for your favorite ground meat or whatever you have on hand.
• Pick your choice of veggie additions. You can add frozen green beans and steam them on top. Or, skip the green beans and do a sliced raw veggies including cucumber, carrots and green onions. Delicious either way!

Ways to meal prep this recipe:

There are a couple ways to save time by preparing all or part of this recipe ahead of time. Here are some options:

1. Complete prep: Prepare the recipe from start to finish. Divide the cooked rice (if made) and cooked meat mixture between 4 meal prep containers. In separate containers, divide the cucumber, carrots and salad onions, and add a sauce pot each containing the mayo drizzle, equally divided. Portions will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 
2. Prep the meat and beans only: Make only the meat and beans mixture and store it in the large container with lid in the fridge. Serve as you want through the week (don’t forget the drizzle sauce!). Portions will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 

Is this recipe freezer-friendly?

I have not personally tried freezing cooked chickpeas. I think the cooked meat and beans mixture may easily dry out in the freezer, so I would not freeze it.

How to store Korean-Inspired Gochujang Meat And Beans:

It is recommended to store the the drizzle sauce separately from the rest of the meal. Keep the raw veggies separate as well, or be sure to remove them before reheating. Store everything in containers with airtight lids in the fridge for up to 4 days.

How to reheat Korean-Inspired Gochujang Meat And Beans:

Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of water over the meal (especially the rice) to help create steam. Loosely cover with the lid and microwave on High for 90 seconds, stirring and then continuing to heat in 30 second increments until it’s hot and steamy all the way through.

This meal reheats really well in a HotLogic Mini Portable Oven – see my full review here! Be sure to drizzle 1-2 tablespoons water over the rice to create steam.

Recipe developed by Rachel Phipps.