Skillet Ground Pork and Bok Choy Noodle Bowl

From the roundup: 22 Easy High Protein Fall Dinners the Whole Family Will Actually Eat

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Lo mein noodles work perfectly here if you cannot find ramen or rice noodles, and I have also swapped the ground pork for ground turkey on weeks when that was what I had thawed. This skillet ground pork and bok choy noodle bowl comes together in about 25 minutes, which means I can start it after the last kid is dropped off and have it ready before anyone gets hungry enough to complain. The bok choy is the part I was unsure about the first time, but two to three minutes in the hot skillet is enough to wilt it without turning it to mush, so it actually stays distinct against the noodles instead of disappearing. I mix the sauce in a small bowl before anything goes in the pan so I am not measuring over a hot skillet while the pork waits.

Why you will love this

• Everything cooks in one wide skillet, so there is almost nothing to wash at the end of the night.
• Ground pork browns faster than beef and adds a deeper savory flavor than ground chicken in a noodle dish.
• Bok choy only needs 2 to 3 minutes in the pan, so it stays a little crisp instead of turning to mush.
• The sauce is five ingredients whisked together in one bowl before you even turn on the stove.
• A soft-boiled egg on top makes it a complete meal without any extra cooking if you prep the eggs ahead.

Tips for success

• Use a large wide skillet, not a deep saucepan. You need the surface area so the pork actually browns and sizzles instead of steaming in its own liquid. I learned this the hard way and ended up with gray, soggy pork.
• Let the pork sit undisturbed for the first 2 minutes before breaking it up. That initial crust is where most of the flavor comes from, so resist the urge to stir it right away.
• If the pan looks greasy after the pork is cooked, tilt it and spoon out the excess fat before you add the garlic and ginger. Too much fat in the pan will make the sauce slide right off the noodles.
• Rinse the cooked noodles under cool water immediately after draining. If they sit and clump together before you add them to the skillet, they are nearly impossible to toss evenly in the sauce.

If the noodles turn out dry or clumpy

• Add water 1 tablespoon at a time and toss over medium heat. The starch from the noodles will help the sauce cling once there is a little moisture in the pan.
• Clumping usually means the noodles sat too long after draining. Next time, time them so they finish right as the pork is almost done.
• If the whole bowl tastes flat after tossing, a small splash of soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil stirred in at the end usually fixes it.

Substitutions

Ground turkey or ground chicken both work here, though the pork has more natural fat so the other proteins can taste a little lean. If you go that route, add an extra teaspoon of sesame oil to the sauce to compensate. For the bok choy, napa cabbage or a few big handfuls of baby spinach are fine swaps. The spinach will wilt almost instantly, so add it right before the sauce goes in. Rice noodles or lo mein noodles both work in place of ramen, and even plain cooked spaghetti holds up well if that is what you have.

To make this gluten-free, swap in tamari for the soy sauce and double-check your oyster sauce label, since some brands contain wheat. For kids who are sensitive to any heat, just leave out the red pepper flakes entirely. The sauce is mild without them and still has plenty of flavor from the ginger and garlic.

Make-ahead and storage

You can cook the ground pork mixture, including the sauce, up to 2 days ahead and keep it in the fridge. When you are ready to eat, cook fresh noodles and bok choy, then stir the pork back in over medium heat until everything is hot. This is actually my preferred way to meal prep it because the noodles stay at the right texture instead of absorbing all the sauce overnight.

If you do store the whole finished bowl, it keeps in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The noodles will soak up most of the sauce as they sit. Reheat it in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water or broth and stir until it loosens up. I would skip the freezer on this one. The noodles turn soft and gummy once thawed and the bok choy goes limp in a way that is not great.

Brittany Stage

Skillet Ground Pork and Bok Choy Noodle Bowl

Savory ground pork browns with garlic and ginger, then gets tossed with tender bok choy and noodles in a simple soy-based sauce. It is a one-pan fall dinner that comes together in under 25 minutes with almost no cleanup.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Asian-inspired

Calories: 485

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb ground pork
• 4 heads baby bok choy halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger peeled and grated or finely minced
• 3 tbsp soy sauce low-sodium preferred
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil toasted
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes optional
• 8 oz dried ramen or rice noodles cooked according to package directions
• 2 tsp neutral oil such as vegetable or canola
• 3 tbsp water to loosen the sauce if needed
• 3 green onions sliced thin, for garnish
• 1 tsp sesame seeds optional garnish
• 4 soft-boiled eggs optional, for extra protein

Equipment

• large wide skillet or wok (12-inch or larger)
• medium saucepan for noodles
• small bowl for sauce

Method

 

1. Cook your noodles according to the package directions, then drain and rinse them under cool water to stop the cooking. Set them aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes if using. Set that sauce aside too so everything is ready to go.
2. Heat the neutral oil in a large wide skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the ground pork in one layer and let it sit undisturbed for about 2 minutes so the bottom develops a brown crust. Then break it apart with a wooden spoon and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until no pink remains, about 5 to 6 minutes total. A wide skillet is key here because you want the pork to brown and sizzle, not steam.
3. Push the cooked pork to one side of the pan. Add the garlic and ginger to the empty space and cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Then stir the garlic and ginger into the pork.
4. Add the bok choy to the pan and toss it with the pork. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the bok choy turns bright green and the white stems are just tender but still have a little bite. You do not want them fully soft.
5. Pour the sauce over the pork and bok choy and stir to coat everything evenly. Add the cooked noodles and toss to combine. If the noodles look dry or start to clump, add 1 to 3 tablespoons of water and toss again over the heat for about 1 minute until everything is glossy and well coated.
6. Taste and adjust with an extra splash of soy sauce if it needs more salt. Divide into bowls and top with sliced green onions, sesame seeds, and a halved soft-boiled egg if you are using one. Serve right away while the noodles are still hot.

Notes

Use the widest skillet you own so the pork browns properly. Noodles do not hold well in leftovers, so cook them fresh if prepping the pork and bok choy ahead.

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