Sometimes eating Paleo can feel pretty limiting if you get into a rut with making the same meals over and over again. Especially when going out to eat and finding something that’s Whole30/Paleo can seem like you’re gearing up to head off to war. I have good news for you! Your food doesn’t have to be boring and you can eat as well, and better, than you would at a restaurant.
This pretend take-out or P.F. Chang’s Mongolian beef is a fun dinner if you’re feelin’ bored or just looking for a healthy, whole foods alternative to Chinese food. I remember during my first round and probably first few months of Paleo after that, I never made anything out of my comfort zone in the kitchen so I would have never attempted this. Now that I’ve made it a ton, it makes me laugh because it’s actually really simple!
I love thinking back to how I cooked and prepped when I first started out. It wasn’t very long ago and yet I’ve learned so much in that short time by going through this process. Foods and ways of cooking them that I didn’t even know existed before are now normal parts of my diet. The best part is that I’m still learning and discovering and I doubt I’ll ever be done!
Anyway…
Another variation of this I make, depending on what I have on hand, is adding broccoli instead of the peppers and onion. Serve it over cauliflower rice, in lettuce wraps or Asian salads.
Recipe notes:
Once the Mongolian beef recipe is all combined together in the final step, if you think you want the sauce to be thinner, you can add 1/8 cup water or beef broth to thin it out a bit.
If you’re doing this meal for a meal prep, remove the steak from heat just slightly before it’s cooked to your steak preference. That way, when you microwave it later, it will finish cooking to how you want it instead of overcooking.
Leave out the red pepper flakes if you don’t like a medium spice level. Add 1/2-1 teaspoon sriracha if you like it hotter!
FYI: Most of the ingredients this Mongolian beef recipe calls for (like the coconut aminos and tapioca flour) can be found much cheaper on Thrive Market than places like Amazon or Whole Foods!
Whole30 Mongolian Beef: Better Than Takeout
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon tapioca flour
For the Meat and Veggies:
- 1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced across grain
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour or cassava flour
- 1/2 cup lard or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup white onion, thickly diced
- 1/2 cup red pepper, thickly diced
- 1/2 cup green pepper, thickly diced
- Green onion to garnish
Instructions
- Coat steak in cassava or tapioca flour by either dipping both sides of steak into a bowl with flour in it, or add flour and steak to a gallon Ziploc and coat. Set aside
- Add all sauce ingredients except tapioca flour to medium sized bowl and combine
- Pour into medium sauce pan on low heat, bring to a simmer
- While that’s coming to a simmer, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to large skillet or large cast iron pan over medium heat
- Add onions and peppers and saute until soft, about 4 minutes
- Remove onions and peppers and place aside in a bowl or plate
- At this time, add teaspoon of tapioca flour to sauce mix and whisk in until no clumps are seen, allow to continue simmering, whisking occasionally
- Add 1/2 of the lard or olive oil to the large skillet or cast iron you used to cook the veggies
- Once heated, carefully place 1/2 of the sliced steak into skillet
- Cook until brown, about 3-4 minutes, flipping halfway through
- Remove from heat and set aside on plate or paper towels
- Add the last half of the lard or oil and steak
- Cook until brown, about 3-4 minutes, flipping halfway through
- Once done, add in first batch of steak, veggies and sauce
- Stir and let combine for a few minutes
- Remove from heat, garnish and serve!
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Michelle says
Fabulous recipe! I made this for a Whole30 meal prep and already shared it with friends. I like my sauce a little thicker so I after I combined everything, I simmered it altogether for an additional 10 minutes so the sauce would thicken further. Taste was fantastic. This is definitely a keeper. Thank you!