Heart Healthy-ish Bulgogi Bowls

If you’re craving a rich, saucy meal exploding with ginger and garlic, you’re sure to enjoy these Ground Turkey Bulgogi Bowls! This spicy meat sauce over Jasmine rice is a hot-and-cold delight paired with toasted sesame carrot sticks and a chilled, flash-pickled, cucumber ribbon slaw. This crave-worthy dish provides mouthwatering and savory goodness in every bite — without capping your sodium intake for the day.

Beef will always have a special place in the kitchen, but for the heart-healthy, weekday version of this Korean classic, ground turkey does the trick. When I’m home cooking for my parents, it’s all about the sodium levels! Each serving of these beefless bowls caps at 464 mg of sodium, just 20% of the CDC recommended daily value; which means that for heart patients, this meal hits the jackpot.

Low-sodium soy sauce provides a necessary saltiness while heaps of ground ginger, rice vinegar and sriracha sauce kick up the excitement. Shallots and ground garlic add an irresistible savory element to the bulgogi sauce and the marinated cucumber ribbons are a refreshing surprise. Pair this fresh and spicy combo with toasted sesame carrot sticks, bringing together all of the flavors that make this Korean BBQ dish work so deliciously.

 

Heart Healthy Ground Turkey Bulgogi Bowls

Yield: 8
Author:
Prep time: 1 HourCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 1 H & 30 M
A heart-healthy version of a Korean favorite.

Ingredients

Bulgogi sauce:
  • ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 Tablespoon sriracha sauce
  • ¼ cup rice vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 Tablespoons ground ginger
  • 1 thinly sliced shallot
  • 1 ½ pounds ground turkey
  • Cooking spray (or a drizzle of coconut/other vegetable oil)
Flash-pickled cucumber ribbons:
  • 2 English cucumbers, peeled
  • ⅓ cup rice vinegar
  • ½ tsp sugar
Sriracha crema:
  • ¼ cup light sour cream
  • 1 tsp sriracha sauce
  • 1 tsp water, more as needed
Toasted sesame carrots
  • 4 large carrots, peeled and julienned (or cut into sticks)
  • Drizzle of toasted sesame oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
Bowl assembly
  • 8 servings white rice

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, add ⅓ cup rice vinegar (for flash-pickled cucumbers) and ½ tsp of sugar. Trim and peel cucumbers. Using a peeler, shave cucumber lengthwise into ribbons, rotating as you go. When you reach the core, either discard or save for a snack/salad later to avoid food waste! Toss ribbons in vinegar mixture, set in refrigerator to chill.
  2. Prepare white rice (or any type of rice) using your favorite method. We make rice the old-fashioned way, by bringing 2 parts water to a boil, adding 1 part rice, lowering the heat to simmer and covering for 20 minutes.
  3. Heat a drizzle of sesame oil over medium-high heat in a large saute pan. Add matchstick carrots to pan and saute for 5-7 minutes, or until al dente. Lightly salt and pepper carrots, set aside.
  4. While carrots are cooking, assemble bulgogi sauce by combining low-sodium soy sauce, brown sugar, toasted sesame oil, sriracha, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, and shallot.
  5. Pull pan off heat, allowing to cool slightly before spraying cooking spray (or adding a small drizzle of coconut/vegetable oil) into pan over medium heat. Add ground turkey, cooking for 12-15 minutes or until browned. When turkey is cooked, add prepared bulgogi sauce and lower heat after bringing to initial boil. Allow meat sauce to simmer for 6 minutes, or until thickened.
  6. While meat sauce is simmering, prepare the sriracha crema by whisking together sour cream, sriracha, and 1 tsp of water at a time until the sauce reaches a drizzling consistency.
  7. Assemble bowls with a serving of rice topped with Bulgogi sauce, toasted sesame carrots, and flash-pickled cucumber ribbons. Drizzle sriracha crema over everything and feel free to top with scallions or sesame seeds. Enjoy!
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