Home > Dinner > Beef Chow Mein Beef Chow Mein April 6, 2019 | 28 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. Easy 30-minute Beef Chow Mein has flavorful beef pieces, an abundance of veggies, and an addictively savory sauce, making it even better than takeout! Why We Love This Beef Chow Mein Quick to Make: Ready in 30 minutes, ideal for fast, satisfying meals. Flexible Ingredients: Easily substitute beef with chicken and vary the vegetables. Nutrient-Dense: Packed with a variety of veggies for a healthier option. Delicious Flavor: The homemade stir fry sauce gives an authentic taste. Customizable: Works with multiple noodle types, and veggies. Ingredients In Beef Chow Mein Flank Steak & Baking Soda: The steak provides protein, and baking soda tenderizes it. Stir-Fry Vegetables & Green Cabbage: These add a mix of nutrients and textures. Garlic, Ginger, & Green Onions: These infuse flavor into the dish. Vegetable Oil: Used for cooking the beef chow mein. Chow Mein Noodles: The base of the dish, providing texture. Cornstarch, Soy Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Beef Stock, Brown Sugar, & Sesame Oil: Combine to create a rich, flavorful sauce. How To Make Beef Chow Mein Marinate beef with baking soda, then in sauce. Prep cabbage, garlic, ginger, green onions. Mix sauce: cornstarch, soy, oyster sauce, stock, sugar, sesame oil. Cook noodles; set aside. Stir-fry veggies, then beef with aromatics. Add cabbage. Combine beef, veggies, noodles, and sauce. Garnish with onion tops, sesame seeds optional. QUICK TIP The key distinction between Lo Mein and Chow Mein is in their preparation: Lo Mein involves boiling noodles tossed with sauce and ingredients, while Chow Mein consists of stir-frying noodles with ingredients. STORAGE Leftovers Refrigeration: Cool leftover beef chow mein before storing in airtight containers; label with dates. Freezer: Freeze fully cooled dish in an airtight container or freezer bag. Label with the date and freeze for up to 3 months. More Noodles Garlic Beef and Veggie Ramen Skillet Beef and Broccoli Ramen Spaghetti Bolognese Chicken Ramen Chicken Stir Fry FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Beef Chow Mein 4.70 from 10 votes - Review this recipe Easy 30-minute Beef Chow Mein features flavorful beef pieces, an abundance of veggies, and an addictively savory sauce, making it even better than takeout! SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Beef Chow Mein 4.70 from 10 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Easy 30-minute Beef Chow Mein features flavorful beef pieces, an abundance of veggies, and an addictively savory sauce, making it even better than takeout! Course Dinner, Main Course Cuisine Chinese Keyword beef chow mein Prep Time 20 minutes minutes Cook Time 10 minutes minutes Total Time 30 minutes minutes Servings 4 Chelsea Lords Calories 167kcal Author Chelsea Lords Cost $8.20 Ingredients▢ 1 package (10 to 11 oz) frozen stirfry vegetables▢ 1/2 pound (8 oz) flank steak thinly sliced against the grain▢ 3/4 teaspoon baking soda▢ 2 cups green cabbage cut in small shreds▢ 1 and 1/2 teaspoons garlic cloves minced (2 large cloves)▢ 2 teaspoons fresh ginger minced (1-inch piece)▢ 1/4 cup green onions (3 onions)▢ 1 and 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil▢ 1 package (6 oz) chow mein noodles (WEL-pak noodles)▢ 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch▢ 1 and 1/2 tablespoons lite soy sauce▢ 1 and 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce▢ 1/3 cup beef stock (beef broth works)▢ 1 tablespoon brown sugar lightly measured, do not pack!▢ 1/2 teaspoon toasted (or plain) sesame oil▢ Freshly cracked pepper▢ Optional: toasted sesame seeds InstructionsBEEF PREP: Slice beef thinly (1/4 inch thick) against the grain, then cut long strips into 2-3 smaller pieces. Toss sliced beef with baking soda in a small bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 15 minutes for extra tenderness. After the 15 minutes optionally rinse beef thoroughly in a fine-mesh sieve. In a bowl, mix beef with 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of sauce, cover, and marinate for 15 minutes to an hour. Pat dry with a paper towel before using in recipe.VEGGIE PREP: Prepare ingredients ahead as cooking is quick! Finely shred cabbage. Coarsely mince ginger and garlic—avoid too fine to prevent burning (avoid jarred or tubed ginger/garlic). Thinly slice green onions, separating white roots from greens; aim for around 1/4 cup sliced roots. Set aside sliced green parts for later use.SAUCE PREP: Whisk cornstarch and soy sauce until smooth. Mix in oyster sauce, beef stock, brown sugar, sesame oil, and pepper to taste (I add 1/2 teaspoon). Whisk until smooth. Set aside for later use.NOODLES: Follow package directions to prepare chow mein noodles. Rinse in cold water and set aside.COOK: In a large nonstick skillet, add frozen veggies without thawing or adding liquid. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until mostly thawed, about 5 minutes. Add vegetable oil if sticking occurs. Transfer veggies to a plate. In same skillet, add 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and keep over high heat. Briefly cook the white onion roots for 1-2 minutes, then add garlic and ginger, being careful not to burn them—cook for only 10-20 seconds. Add beef (patted dry from marinade) and stir constantly for about 1 minute until lightly browned on both sides but not cooked through.COOK CONT.: Add cabbage directly to skillet. Stir continuously until wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Return reserved vegetables to pan. Add cooked noodles and sauce mixture. Toss with tongs for 1 minute. Finally, add thinly sliced green onion tops.Enjoy immediately with toasted sesame seeds if desired. Recipe NotesNutritional information includes chow mein noodles, but using a different type will affect the calculations. Nutrition FactsCalories: 167kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 847mg | Potassium: 321mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 109IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
Hi Chelsea, as always you are the queen of one pot meals. This Chinese version is no exception and I would gladly turn my stove on and make this, then order take out. Reply
I always love your easy one-skillet meals and this one does not disappoint! Looks SO good, and I’m glad you had such a pleasant 4th weekend! Reply
So cute to hear about your little nugget enjoying the parade! I really love the theme of it too. My 4th was more low-key and just involved staying at home, so I’ll just have to live vicariously through you ;). This looks delicious! My half-Asian heart is singing right now <3 Reply
This sounds amazing and love that it’s a one skillet meal! I’ve done one-bowl and one-pan desserts, but I’m definitely going to start trying out one-pot/skillet savory meals, too! Reply
Yay for one skillet meals! I really need more of them in my life! haha Love the sound of that sauce especially! Reply
Sounds like you had a great weekend, Chelsea! This skillet looks delicious! You seriously make the best one pan meals. Can’t wait to try this out! Reply
Your holiday sounds great! I bet it was so fun to see the parade through Gray’s eyes! This is my kind of dinner – one pot, and so delicious! My husband will love this!! Reply
I am like you I always like to start up the week with an easy dinner 😉 This recipe sounds perfect for a Monday night dinner 😉 Pinned! Reply
Made this tonight. Delicious!!! Will definitely make again. The cabbage adds a great flavour! Thanks for a great recipe! Reply
lo mein and chow mein do use different types of noodles. Lo mein are thick and yellow round shape noodles where as chow mein could mean pan fried, stir-fried, or deep fried noodles in Mandarin. The translations from Cantonese to Mandarin then to Western interpretation made them a bit confusing. Lo = to pick it from bottom up and toss | Chow = stri-fry. So not only the types of noodles are different the cooking techniques are different, too. Reply
Simply divine! I used a wok, because I doubled the recipe. The sauce was bliss and the beef oh so tender. Thank you, I will be adding this to my repertoire! Reply
Made it last week. We really enjoyed it but I’m not crazy about oyster sauce. Could i use housin next time I make it? The trick to marinade the meet worked really well. I was afraid it would be tough.. Reply
I’m so glad you loved! You could definitely use hoisin in place of the oyster sauce! Thanks Glenda! 🙂 Reply
