Healthy Asian Shredded Beef and Brown Rice Bowls

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Now, let’s get to the reason that you all are here: these Healthy Asian Shredded Beef and Brown Rice Bowls!

If you’re a steak eater, you’re going to LOVE these shredded beef bowls. They’re hearty and filling, but MUCH healthier and lower in sodium than your typical Asian takeout.

I will admit that this recipe calls for a few more steps and pans than I normally like to use, but the results are so worth it! Plus, leftovers reheat very well, so this would be a great recipe to meal prep for the week. You can cook the beef and brown rice in bulk, and divide everything into individual containers for weekday lunches that your friends and coworkers will really envy!

The recipe requires that you brown the chuck steak in a skillet before putting it in the slow cooker, and I urge you not to skip this step. Browning the steak first gives it a delicious crisp outside, and slow cooking it for a long time at a low temperature makes the steak fall apart with just a fork. Both steps are necessary.

I serve these Asian Shredded Beef bowls with sautéed bell peppers, carrots, and onions over brown rice. While I haven’t tried it with other veggies, I am sure broccoli would also be delicious. Feel free to change things up!

Healthy Asian Shredded Beef and Brown Rice Bowls

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

4 hours

Total time

4 hours 15 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Slow Cooker Beef

2 – 2.5 lbs beef chuck
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Salt & Pepper
¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2.5 Tablespoons coconut sugar or brown sugar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Rice Bowls

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large bell pepper, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 small yellow onion, chopped into 1 inch pieces
3 whole carrots, peeled and chopped into ½ inch discs
1 large garlic clove, minced
¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt & Pepper
Brown Rice
Sliced green onions and chopped peanuts for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Trim the beef of any large chunks of excess fat; however, do not remove all of the fat or the beef will dry out while cooking. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and 1 Tablespoon of oil. Add half of the beef to the pan and brown on all sides, but do not cook all the way through, 1-2 minutes per side. Remove the beef from the pan and place it into the bottom of a slow cooker. Repeat until all of the beef is browned.
In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining slow cooker ingredients: soy sauce, garlic, sugar, sesame oil, ginger, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Pour over the beef and cook on HIGH for 3.5-4 hours or LOW for 6-7 hours.
Once cooked, turn off the slow cooker and shred the beef using two forks. Let the beef sit in the sauce to keep warm until ready to serve.
Return the large skillet back to medium heat and add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chopped bell pepper, onion and carrots to the pan. Sauté for 7-8 minutes until the onion is translucent and the veggies are soft. Add the garlic clove and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar and red pepper flakes to the pan and toss to combine. Add the beef (strained from the cooking sauce) to the pan and toss. Taste the mixture and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Serve the beef and veggies over warm brown rice and garnish with sliced green onions and chopped peanuts.

Notes

*Recipe adapted from Lexi's Clean Kitchen