Stir Fried Noodles With Beef and Cabbage: Like fried rice...but with noodles

For JEL, who told me that I had moved away from simple dishes.

In the aftermath of Son's birthday party, I found myself stuck with a fridge full of unused ingredients like shredded cabbage (was supposed to be for ginger slaw), sliced red onions (also for ginger slaw), chopped fried kimchee, and upon surveying the fridge, made a commitment to EAT THROUGH (I also call it cooking down) the fridge. I decided not to go to the grocery store for the entire week and instead cook what I had at home.

Which meant I got pretty creative. One day upon evaluating my ingredients, I thought it would be nice to make some sort of beef noodle dish using the onions and the cabbage. Which is exactly what I made. The great thing was that I used Thai rice noodles, which mean allergic Son could also partake and it was only one dish preparation for the entire family. I used some frozen meat I had, chopping it up fairly small, the shredded cabbage and the sliced onions.

Daughters and Son clobbered it and ate it like there was no tomorrow. For Daughters, after stir frying, I drizzled some soy sauce on top, as they love it but Son cannot eat. I did it for dinner one night, and the following day for lunch. Both times it was devoured, both times polished off.

It is super quick, fast, and easy. It's also really flexible in terms of ingredients, so don't be afriad to mix up what you're putting in. This is a great dish to add to your repertoire.

Stir Fried Noodles with Beef and Cabbage
Serves 4 (my family of four anyways)

1 13-15 oz package of rice noodles (mine are from Trader Joe's - 13.2 oz)
1-1.5 lbs of meat (ground meat would work, but nicer cuts are also good. I used some bulgogi meat that had not been marinated and just cut it up)
3 cups of shredded cabbage (or any other green veggie like green beans, spinach, or broccoli)
1 cup of sliced red onions (or green onions, brown onions, or white onions)
3 tablespoons oil (I use safflower)
Salt and pepper

Optional toppings
1/4 cup of cilantro
1-2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1-2 tablespoons sambal oelek

Cook noodles according to package directions. Usually cooked in boling water for 7-8 minutes. Drain and rinse. Set aside.

In a large fry pan/saute pan/wok, heat oil and add meat and onions. Season with salt and pepper. Add cabbage and cook until cabbage is wilted and cooked. Add cooked noodles, and season with salt and pepper. Toss and mix well together.

Serve immediately. Offer to drizzle soy sauce, sprinkle cilantro, or top with sambal oelek.

Printable recipe