Sesame Ramen Noodles with Ground Beef and Spinach

My teenage sons both play a spring sport (baseball and lacrosse respectively). Our household tends to churn with barely contained chaos from March to May as we chase our boys from field to field all over the state and beyond.

Family and friends often remind us to enjoy this season of life, that we will desperately miss the busyness and fun of watching our kids play sports.

And I know they’re on to something because its occurred to me I’m likely on the downhill slope of watching my oldest. He probably has more years behind him than ahead and that statement alone seems impossible. I could swear we were showing up to our first year of little league, nervous and bumbling (me, not him), figuring out the game just a year or two ago. Now, he drives himself to practice.

But back to that barely contained chaos I mentioned. Weeknight dinners quickly become a thing of the past and weekends show no sign of slowing down with multiple games, some of them out of town. On the go food is a must and if I don’t prepare at least a little bit ahead of time, we have no choice but to rely on drive throughs and frozen pizzas.

I was trying to think of a lunch I could prep ahead for the week. I was poking around Pinterest and some of my favorite food websites looking for inspiration and saw a recipe from Ina Garten for Mongolian ground beef and ramen noodles. I’ve never been disappointed in an Ina recipe, many know her as the Barefoot Contessa, so I saved the recipe and got to work testing it out. I loved the recipe but couldn’t resist tweaking it to make my own version (and you should do the same with this recipe, swapping and changing in little ways to make it just right for you).

Big handfuls of baby spinach add some fiber and nutrition to the dish, cooking down perfectly, without taking away from the flavors. I prefer ground beef, but ground turkey or chicken would work just fine too, so don’t let your protein preference steer you away from making this easy recipe.

In just under 20 minutes, I had a big pot of tasty beef, spinach and noodles. I portioned out a weeks worth of lunches and stored then in the refrigerator. My boys came home from school and immediately ate almost every last bit of what I prepped. I pulled two more packages of meat from the freezer and the next day made a double batch. I’m happy to report we all had delicious lunches for the week.

Sesame Ramen Noodles with Ground Beef and Spinach

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

• 8 ounces ramen noodles (or any thin noodle)

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced

• 1 pound lean ground beef

• 3 big heaping handfuls fresh baby spinach (most of a 5-ounce container)

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 heaping teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

• 1/4 cup hoisin

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional or to taste)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch

• 2 tablespoons cold water

• 3 green onions, minced

• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, minced

• Spoonful chili crisp for garnish

Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook ramen noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside while you make the rest of the dish.

Dice the yellow onion, mince the green onions and cilantro leaves. Save the green onions and cilantro for garnish.

In a large sauté pan, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion to the pan and cook, stirring constantly until the onion is fragrant and translucent, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger to the pan and cook for an additional minute.

Add the ground beef to the pan, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat into crumbles, stirring occasionally.

In a separate small bowl, combine the soy sauce, hoisin, brown sugar and red pepper flakes. Whisk to combine and pour over the meat once the beef is cooked all the way through, usually about 8 minutes.

Stir in the baby spinach, reducing the pan to a simmer. At first, it will seem like a LOT of spinach, but it cooks down very quickly. In the same bowl you used for the hoisin and soy, stir together the cornstarch and water. Whisk until the cornstarch dissolves. Pour over the beef and spinach, stirring to incorporate. Continue to simmer on low for an additional 5 to 10 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken a bit.

Remove the pan from the stove and combine with the ramen noodles, stirring until the noodles are well-incorporated. Scoop generous portions into a shallow bowl or plate. Garnish with minced green onion and cilantro. For a spicy kick, top each serving with a spoonful of chili crisp. Enjoy!