I've never seen an Asian-style recipe call for ground beef before, but in this case it totally works.  I like to have the noodles soaked and the veggies chopped ahead of time so I can throw the dish together quickly on a busy weeknight.  Feel free to dial back the red pepper flakes if you don't like a lot of spice.  Also, don't be afraid of the peanut butter.  I made the recipe 3 times before my peanut butter-hating daughter found out, and that's only because I carelessly left the dirty measuring cup in the sink.  She loves the recipe and admitted that she couldn't taste the peanut butter at all.

Start by chopping the veggies - you need scallions, garlic, ginger, bell peppers, and shredded carrots (you can buy them already shredded).

You'll also need 8 ounces of rice noodles. I found these in the International section of the grocery store.

Soak the noodles in hot water for 10-15 minutes. Stir every now and then to make sure they don't stick together (do yourself a favor and use a larger soaking vessel than I did).

The noodles will be nice and flexible when they're done. You can make these days ahead of time - just toss with a little oil and store in a zip-top bag in the fridge.

Time to cook - saute the garlic, ginger, and crushed red pepper flakes in oil. Be careful not to burn.

Add a pound of ground beef and cook thoroughly.

I find this nifty tool to be worth its weight in gold when cooking ground beef. It's called the Papered Chef mix and chop. A big shout out to my neighbor Denise for giving it to me - thanks Denise!!

Perfect!

Add the beef broth and soy sauce.

Then stir in the peanut butter.

Stir, stir, stir.

Add the carrots and bell peppers - they cook fast so we're almost done. In just a few minutes you can stir the noodles in to heat them through. Garnish with the sliced scallions and chopped peanuts if desired.

Yummo!

Enjoy!

This recipe works well with thin rice noodles too (also called rice vermicelli or rice sticks).

Spicy Asian Beef and Noodles

Serves 4

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil

• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 3 cloves minced garlic

• 3 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

• 4 scallions, sliced (reserve green tops for garnish)

• 1 pound ground beef

• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 cup beef broth

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

• 1/2 cup red or yellow bell pepper matchsticks

• 1/2 cup carrot matchsticks

• reserved green scallion tops, sliced

• 8 ounce softened rice noodles

• Optional garnish: chopped peanuts and/or toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute oil, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, and sliced scallions (whites) for about a minute.

2. Add the ground beef, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until beef is browned.

4. Add beef broth, soy sauce, and peanut butter; stir until combined.

5. Add bell peppers and carrots and saute until tender; 6-8 minutes.

6. Pour mixture over a bed of noodles.

7. Garnish with green scallion tops and optional chopped peanuts and sesame seeds if desired.

adapted from Laura's Lean Beef