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30 Minute Thai Basil Beef Noodles. An easy, weeknight dinner that’s better than any takeout. Quick-cooking rice noodles tossed with a Thai-inspired sauce, fresh vegetables, and steak that’s pan-seared with a touch of butter. These basil beef noodles are saucy, salty, and have just the right amount of spice. Finish off your beef and noodles with yummy toasted garlicky sesame seeds. So delicious.
When I was a kid, we would almost never order take-out. My dad cooked dinner every night of the week. Occasionally we’d order pizza on a Friday or Saturday night, but other than that, as a family of 8 back then, we’d eat homemade meals most nights.
But there were a few times when somehow my brothers manipulated my parents into Asian take-out. Usually, this was when both parents were too distracted to think about cooking. My brothers loved Chinese or Thai take-out and would often order plates of fried rice or beef and noodles.
We loved these random days of Asian takeout! Of course, living in a ski town now, our options are a little slimmer. But this is why I’ve come to love making takeout-style dishes at home!
I’ve made a lot of Thai basil beef dishes, but never one with rice noodles. Around this time last year, I made one of my favorite recipes, my garlic butter chicken pad Thai.
Basically, these are beef pad Thai noodles, just minus the egg, and made with a few special additions that make these saucy Thai noodles so yummy!
The Details
Step 1: soak the rice noodles
The noodles should be thicker-cut rice noodles, or use a box of Pad Thai noodles. Pretty much all grocery stores should carry one or the other.
Soak the noodles just as the box states. But I like to drain them for around 6 minutes to ensure they don’t get soggy while cooking. A soggy noodle is the worst!
Step 2: make the sauce
It’s a pretty simple mix of tamari, Thai chili sauce, fish sauce (don’t skip), rice vinegar, black pepper, and chilies. And if your grocery store carries it, I love to add lemongrass or lemongrass paste too.
For the Thai chili sauce, I usually make my own at home. I shared the recipe below! But I also love the brand Whole Foods and Amazon carry too, it’s the Grandma’s Sweet Thai Chili Sauce.
Step 3: cook the beef + peppers
And now we can cook! Cook the beef and peppers together. Use thinly sliced flank steak here, and give it a good sear.
Next, add the butter, toss in a shallot, chopped garlic, and pickled ginger. Cook until the garlic turns golden.
Then, toss everything up with the noodles and the sauce. Simmer just a few minutes to thicken the sauce until it coats the beef and noodles.
At this point, you should remove the noodles from the heat to ensure the noodles do not get overcooked. Add lots of fresh Thai basil and or cilantro, then plenty of green onions!
Step 4: the garlicky sesame seeds
Ok, last thing, toast a clove of garlic with sesame seeds until the mix is crunchy.
Serve each bowl of noodles topped with Thai basil, cilantro, roasted peanuts, and the garlic crunch. All together it’s so delicious! And I really appreciate all the color – best kind of recipe!
These noodles are best served right away, but the leftovers are great for lunch the following day too. I like to add a touch of soy sauce and butter when enjoying the leftovers. It just brings them back to life a bit more.
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Lastly, if you make this 30 Minute Thai Basil Beef Noodles, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
30 Minute Thai Basil Beef Noodles
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 585 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces Pad Thai/wide rice noodles
- 1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Thai chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste (optional)
- black pepper and chili flakes
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil (or olive oil)
- 1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced
- 2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter, sliced
- 1 shallot, sliced
- 4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped pickled ginger
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro or Thai basil
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 1/3 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
Instructions
- 1. Soak the rice noodles according to packaged directions, then drain.2. To make the sauce. In a bowl, combine the tamari/soy sauce, Thai chili sauce, fish sauce, rice vinegar, lemongrass, black pepper, and chili flakes.3. Add the oil, beef, and bell peppers to a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook until the beef becomes crispy, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon butter, the shallot, 3 cloves garlic, ginger, and a pinch of chili flakes. Continue to cook the beef in the butter until the garlic begins to turn golden, 1-2 minutes.4. Add the noodles and sauce, tossing to combine. Cook until the noodles are warmed through and begin soaking up the sauce, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Add the cilantro/basil, and green onions, and toss again.5. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 clove of garlic, and the sesame seeds in a small skillet. Cook until toasted, 5. minutes. 6. Serve the noodles topped with green onions, peanuts, and garlicky sesame seeds. Add a squeeze of lime juice.
Notes
Homemade Sweet Thai Chili Sauce: Mix 1/3 cup honey, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 1-2 tablespoons chili sauce or hot sauce, 2 teaspoons lime zest, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce, 1 tablespoon grated ginger, and 1 clove grated garlic in a glass jar. Shake or stir well. Use as directed.
Amazing!!!
Thanks so much, Anna! Glad you enjoyed this recipe! xT
Absolutely love this recipe!! Adding to the rotation. Thank you!
Hey Katie,
Wonderful! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well! x
Ahhhh mazing 🥰 my family and I loved this dish so much. It will be definitely on repeat.
I used onion and bell pepper but also added mushrooms and finely shredded cabbage.
Thank you 😊
Hey Paulinis,
Happy Monday!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for making it! xT
defiantly one of the best meals I had ever made.
Hey Melissa,
Happy Friday!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xT
Delicious and easy enough for a weeknight. This goes into the rotation.
Hey Pam,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, love to hear that it turned out well for you! Xx
Fabulous!!! Prep may be a little more than 30 mins but totally worth it!
Hey Steph,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, I love to hear that it turned out nicely for you! Xx
T!
this recipe was a huge hit in my house! my husband commented FOUR times on it, went back for a third helping, and my 2 year old son loved It too. We loved it so much in fact that I made it last week AND this week. so delicious. would recommend to anyone!
Hey Samantha,
Happy Friday!! Lol wow! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it and your comment! Xx
Super tasty! A few things- I used thin ramen rice noodles because that’s what I had on hand and it was still great. I cooked the peppers separately due to concern from other reviews, but mine did not produce any water so I would have been fine cooking the beef and peppers together. I couldn’t find flank or skirt steak at my grocery store so I used boneless beef chuck shoulder arm steaks – thin cut. I may have overcooked the beef because I’m new to thin cuts of beef, but it was still delicious. I agree with the comments about this taking longer than 30 minutes and probably closer to 45-60 minutes when you factor in all the slicing and steps.
Hey Marissa,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, I’m so glad it was yummy! Thanks for sharing your notes on what worked well for you in this recipe! xx
Loved this recipe! It really is quick and easy and full of flavor. I loved the peanuts, sesame seeds and cilantro it really adds to the dish! Thank you for this recipe!
Hey Alondra,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback, so glad it was delish! xT
My first time using flank steak. The flavours were spectacular and the recipe came together within 30 mins for me, but i did pre-slice my steak and pre-make the sauce.
However my meat turned out a bit tough. Any suggestions on how to improve the meat texture?
Thanks 🙂
Hey Desiree,
Happy Monday! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, I’m so glad it turned out well for you! Any chance the meat was over cooked? xT
Desiree, just curious if you sliced your flank steak against the grain. I’ve found that to be the key for cooking a tender flank steak
Hi Desiree, did you cut the steak against the grain? Cutting with the grain (along the muscle fibers) will make each slice tougher, cutting against it will slice up the tough fibers making them easier to bite/chew!