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
Beef Chow Mein
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!
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
Instructions
- BEEF 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 Notes
Nutritional information includes chow mein noodles, but using a different type will affect the calculations.
Nutrition
Calories: 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made it last night and it was great.
Yay! So happy you enjoyed! 🙂
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..
I’m so glad you loved! You could definitely use hoisin in place of the oyster sauce! Thanks Glenda! 🙂
Looks great
Thanks Carol! 🙂
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!
So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for the comment!
This was really good. Loved the sauce.
I’m so happy to hear! Thanks Ayanna! 🙂
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.
Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Made this tonight. Delicious!!! Will definitely make again. The cabbage adds a great flavour!
Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m soo happy you loved this so much! Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂
I made this yesterday and my husband loved it! It’s a keeper…thanks!
So happy to hear that!! Thank you Jolene 🙂
This looks so good! Love one pot dinners like this one!
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!