Beef Lo Mein Recipe

With this healthy Beef Lo Mein recipe, you’ll be recreating this famous Chinese restaurant menu item at home. It’ll be as easy as ABC.

Before we start, let’s learn some interesting facts about today’s dish.

What Is Beef Lo Mein?

Lo mein is a famous noodle dish that you can easily find in most Chinese restaurants.

It is often made with vegetables, meat or seafood, and egg noodles. A special savory sauce is added to season and bind all the ingredients together and make a flavorful dish.

What Are the Differences Between Chow Mein and Lo Mein?

Although you may find some restaurants use “chow mein” and “lo mein” interchangeably, they’re not the same dish. Here are the most typical differences between these two noodle dishes:

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Chow mein literally translates to “fried noodles”, indicating that the noodles have a crispy texture. Meanwhile, lo mein means “stirred noodles” in English.

Both dishes use a type of noodles made with egg and flour, which is similar to pasta. That being said, many chefs often use thicker noodles for lo mein and thin, elastic ones for chow mein.

To make lo mein, the noodles are cooked in boiling water and drained thoroughly. Then, they will be stirred with meat, vegetables, and a starchy sauce.

On the other hand, it is important to steam the noodles for chow mein to keep the moisture content low. This cooking method will ensure that the noodles will fry up to be nice and crispy later.

This may sound surprising, but meat is not a must-have ingredient in a chow mein recipe. These stir-fried vegetables and noodles can be served as a side dish to accompany a meaty main dish.

Is This Recipe Healthy?

Yes, our Beef Lo Mein recipe is healthy. Here’s why:

• Low in fat: Our Beef Lo Mein contains only 4 grams of saturated fat per serving.
• High-protein: We recommend using relatively lean cuts of beef that contain less intramuscular fats such as flank steak.
• Low in sodium: Chinese dishes are often well-seasoned with various types of savory sauces. For today’s recipe, we’re using reduced-sodium soy sauce to decrease the amount of sodium per serving as much as possible.
• High in fiber: Adding more vegetables to your meal means you’ll be consuming fewer calories and more fiber. This will ensure that you stay full for longer.

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Main Ingredients

Before we start cooking, let’s take a look at the ingredients for today’s Beef Lo Mein recipe:

• Beef: We’re using flank steak for this recipe, but you can use striploin if preferred.
• Aromatics: We’re adding garlic and ginger to stir-fry with the beef to give it a warm, savory flavor.
• Noodles: As mentioned, lo mein is often made with thick egg noodles. That being said, we’re using spaghetti as an alternative because we couldn’t find lo mein noodles in our area.
• Vegetables: We’re using broccoli, bell peppers, red onion, and carrot. Feel free to add more or leave out any vegetables that you don’t like.
• For garnish: We’re using chopped scallions and sesame seeds.
• And a special savory sauce.

Sauce

Here is what we used to make our lo mein sauce:

• Red pepper flakes: The addition of a little heat to any stir-fried dish will stimulate your palate and make you want to eat more. However, if you don’t enjoy the tingling heat, simply omit it.
• Sesame oil: This fragrant oil will give the noodles a nutty and appetizing aroma. Only use a small amount, however, else it will overpower the other ingredients.
• Black pepper: Although Chinese cuisine often uses white pepper in its recipes, black pepper will work just fine.
• Soy sauce: As mentioned, we’ll be using reduced-sodium soy sauce for this recipe.
• Hoisin sauce: At first glance, this sauce can easily be mistaken for oyster sauce. Hoisin sauce, however, is made from fermented soybean paste and has a sweet and savory flavor.
• Cornstarch: It will thicken the sauce slightly and give the noodles a velvety texture.
• Water: It helps dissolve the cornstarch.

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How to Store and Reheat the Leftovers

Before you store your leftover lo mein, make sure you let it cool completely before putting it away.

We recommend keeping the noodles in an airtight container to keep the beef from drying. The noodles will last for up to 7 days in the fridge.

If you want to reheat the lo mein, we suggest putting it in the microwave for 2 minutes. Be sure to use a microwavable container and cover the noodles loosely with a lid.

For even more noodles and beef inspiration, be sure to check out our beef and noodles recipe post!

What to Serve With

Today’s pick of a side dish is our very own winter melon meatball soup. This comforting soup will ensure that you feel full and satisfied.

We suggest making the soup first as it only takes 15 minutes to cook. Once the soup is done, you can cover it with a lid to keep it warm.

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Upgrade Your Pasta Night with These Savory Beef Recipes

Salisbury steak is another popular beef dish that originated in the United States. It is made by shaping ground beef into patties and then cooking them in a rich brown gravy. This recipe also includes onions and mushrooms.

Indulge in a rich and satisfying meal with this creamy steak fettuccine recipe. Tender strips of beef are cooked to perfection and served over a bed of al dente pasta, all smothered in a decadent cream sauce that's sure to impress.

For those who can't get enough of beefy pasta dishes, we've compiled a list of even more delicious options to try in this roundup.

Beef Lo Mein Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Our healthy Beef Lo Mein recipe makes this delicious dish in the blink of an eye. All it takes is 18 minutes and hardly any effort at all.

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• cook TIME 8 mins
• prep TIME 10 mins
• total TIME 18 mins

• COURSE Main Course
• CUISINE Chinese
• SERVINGS
  4

  servings
• CALORIES 491 kcal

INGREDIENTS

1x2x3x

• 16 oz flank steak (cut into strips)
• 12 oz cooked spaghetti (6 oz pasta dry)
• 4 oz broccoli (cut into florets)
• 2 oz red bell pepper (seeds removed, cut into thin strips)
• 4 oz carrots (peeled and cut into thin strips)
• 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil (divided to 1 tbsp, 1 1/2 tbsp)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp scallion (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp sesame seed
• 2 1/2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flake
• 2 tsp garlic (minced)
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp ginger (peeled and minced)
• 2 fl oz water
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp hoisin sauce
• 4 oz red onion (thinly sliced)

INSTRUCTIONS

Image instructions

1

Make the sauce: In a bowl, mix well together 1/4 tsp red pepper flake, 2 tsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 2 fl oz water, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 2 1/2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce, and 2 tsp hoisin sauce.

2

Stir-fry the vegetables: In a hot skillet over medium heat, add 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, 4 oz carrot, 4 oz broccoli, 2 oz red bell pepper, and 4 oz red onion. Cook and stir constantly for 3 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a plate and set aside.

3

Cook the beef: In the same skillet, add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp garlic, and 1 tsp ginger. Stir for 30 seconds over medium heat until golden. Add 16 oz beef to the skillet and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

4

Combine all the ingredients: First, add 12 oz pasta to the skillet and stir for 1 minute. Then, add the cooked vegetables back to the skillet and stir well. Finally, turn the heat to low, add the sauce and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.

5

Garnish and serve: Sprinkle 1 tbsp sesame seed and 2 tbsp scallion on top and serve.

NUTRITION

Nutrition Facts

Beef Lo Mein Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 491Calories from Fat 180

% Daily Value*

Fat 20g

31%

Saturated Fat 4g

25%

Polyunsaturated Fat 3g

Monounsaturated Fat 10g

Cholesterol 68mg

23%

Sodium 542mg

24%

Potassium 765mg

22%

Carbohydrate 45g

15%

Fiber 4g

17%

Sugar 6g

7%

Protein 33g

66%

Vitamin A 5426IU

109%

Vitamin C 48mg

58%

Calcium 89mg

9%

Iron 3mg

17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keywords: beef lo mein, beef lo mein recipe, how to make beef lo mein