REVIEW - Thai Basil Beef with Peanut Salsa - Half Baked Harvest, Super Simple

I have been branching out the last couple of weeks and trying new recipes from my cookbooks. If you know me at all, you know that I’m not much of a recipe following type of gal, but rather one who cooks from method and throws things in for good measure.

When your pantry and grocery stash for the week lend you to create something new from one of your favorite cookbooks, you do a little happy dance. Tonight, I made Thai Basil Beef with Peanut Salsa from Half Baked Harvest, Super Simple. I knew I had ground beef that had pulled from the freezer from my latest Butcher Box order as well as most of the rest of the ingredients.

 
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I started by browning the ground beef in 2 tablespoons of sesame oil. After about 8 minutes, the meat was browned and I added the garlic and ginger, for about a minute, until fragrant. Next, I added the sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, and water, stirring to combine. I let the sauce reduce for about 8 minutes while I got the rice noodles going.

 
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For the rice noodles, I brought a large stockpot of water to a boil, then added the noodles removing the pan from the heat. I let the noodles sit in the hot water for about 10 minutes.

Once the sauce came together and the noodles were cooked through, I added them to the sauce, tossing to coat.

 
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Finally, I plated up the dish into a large bowl, topped the dish with a fresh chiffonade of basil and served with the peanut salsa the recipe calls for (I forgot to take a photo, it was delish).

 
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Bottom line, this recipe is a keeper. It was simple, it used a lot of pantry staples yet had a fresh enjoyable flavor and as my husband said, “This is much better than the take out we had the other night.”. I’ll take it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

 
 
Thai beef basil, fast thai food, ground beef recipe
Dinner
Thai
Yield: 4
Author:
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Thai Basil Beef

Thai Basil Beef

A delicious dish that comes together in less than 20 minutes.
Prep time: 5 MCook time: 15 MTotal time: 20 M

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces of rice noodles
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
  • 1 (1-inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1/2 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
  • 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped plus more for serving
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 1/2 cup salted peanuts, chopped
  • 1 red Fresno pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 3 carrots, shaved into ribbons
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • Fresh mint leaves for serving (optional)

Instructions:

  1. 1.  Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat.  Add the rice noodles and cooked according to package directions, until softened.
  2. 2.  Make the sauce.  In a large skillet, heat the sesame oil over medium heat.  When the oil shimmers, add the beef and cook, breaking up the beef with a wooden spoon until browned 5-8 minutes.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.  Stire in the sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, and 1/2 cup water and cook until the sauce thickens slightly about 5 minutes.  Add the rice noodles and cook, tossing to coat, until warmed through, about 1 minute.  Remove the skilled from eh heat and stir in the basil and half of the lime juice.
  3. 3.  Make the salsa.  In a small bowl, stir together the peanuts, the remaining lime juice, and the Fresno pepper.
  4. 4.  Divide the noodles amount four bowls and top each with peanut salsa, carrots, green onions, and mint, if desired.

Calories

602.46

Fat (grams)

29.94

Sat. Fat (grams)

7.78

Carbs (grams)

44.84

Fiber (grams)

4.95

Net carbs

39.89

Sugar (grams)

19.88

Protein (grams)

40.39

Sodium (milligrams)

789.67

Cholesterol (grams)

100.92
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Created using The Recipes Generator
Dinner, Family FriendlySusie Lanerice noodles, beef, peanutComment