Gochujang Ground Beef with Roasted Garlic & Green Pepper

This spicy-sweet gochujang ground beef is packed with roasted garlic, green pepper, and scallions. Fast, bold, and endlessly versatile—serve it in lettuce wraps, rice bowls, or tacos.

Lou LaMedica

May 15, 2025

Cooking

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Gochujang Ground Beef with Roasted Garlic & Green Pepper

Ingredients

How to Make It

How to Serve It

Gochujang Ground Beef with Roasted Garlic & Green Pepper

There’s a reason I keep coming back to this one. It’s spicy, a little sweet, deeply savory, and tastes like you actually tried—even though it comes together fast. This is my go-to for lettuce wraps, rice bowls, tacos, and “I need something bold and satisfying” nights.

The secret? Layering flavor. Roasted garlic, gochujang, and gochugaru build heat and depth without turning the whole thing into a firebomb. Green pepper and scallions keep it bright. A little honey balances the funk. And you finish with sesame oil because you’re not a rookie.

Ingredients

1 lb 80/20 organic ground beef

4 scallions, whites and greens separated

1 small green bell pepper, diced

3–4 cloves roasted garlic, smashed into a paste

1 tbsp gochujang

1 tbsp gochugaru

1–2 tsp honey

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp Better Than Bouillon (chicken base)

2 cups water

Kosher salt + black pepper

Neutral oil or olive oil

To finish: Drizzle of toasted sesame oil

How to Make It

1. Start with the aromatics

In a large skillet, heat a splash of oil over medium. Add the scallion whites and diced green pepper. Cook until softened, about 3–4 minutes. Stir in your roasted garlic paste and let it melt into the mix.

2. Brown that beef

Crank the heat to medium-high. Add your ground beef, season with salt and pepper, and break it up. Let it sit in places to get some browning—don’t rush it. Use a splatter screen if you want to save your cooktop (I always do). Stir occasionally until it’s browned all over.

3. Build the sauce

Add in the gochujang, gochugaru, honey, and oyster sauce. Stir well and let it cook for a minute or two until it smells amazing and starts to stick to the beef.

4. Simmer it down

Stir in the Better Than Bouillon and pour in the water. Bring to a simmer and let it bubble for about 7 minutes, or until the sauce thickens and coats the beef like a glossy, spicy glaze.

5. Finish strong

Stir in the scallion greens and turn off the heat. Hit it with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil to bring everything together.