These spicy sheet pan beef bowls with cucumber salad are flavorful and refreshing, perfect for an easy weeknight dinner. Thinly sliced flank steak, shallots, and garlic tossed in soy sauce, hot sauce, and seasonings. The beef is baked until tender and slightly caramelized then served over rice with a spicy sliced cucumber salad. I like to top my bowls with sesame seeds, green onions, and extra hot sauce. This simple meal can come together in under 20 minutes and is easily customizable.
Looking for more easy weeknight meals, try these ground beef taquitos or more loaded beef nachos! Find all of my dinner recipes and beef recipes here for more recipe inspiration.
Why You’ll Like This
- Done in under 20: this meal comes together super quick so you can have dinner on the table in no time, great for busy weeknights. Start the rice first, so it can cook while you’re prepping the other ingredients, then toss the beef together on a sheet pan and into the oven to cook while you finish your sides and toppings. Mix together the cucumber salad last so everything is ready to plate at the same time!
- Spice can be customized: Not a fan of spice or need to make this dish family friendly? The hot sauce can be left out and added on as extra at the end or just reduce the amount you use. Use a more mild hot sauce if desired.
- Budget friendly cut of beef: flank steak is budget friendly and versatile, it can be found in most grocery stores. This thin cut of beef takes just about 10 minutes to cook in the oven. Substitute with sirloin steak or skirt steak.
- Light & flavorful dish: full of salty, spicy, and crunchy flavors and textures – this dish hits all the notes. Cooking the beef with shallots and garlic is an easy way to add in extra flavor and tossing it in the hot sauce and soy mixture helps the meat to caramelize. Thinly sliced cucumbers and jalapenos are mixed with hot sauce, soy, rice vinegar, and seasonings to make a tangy, crispy topping. Avocados add a creamy note.
Key Ingredients
- Flank steak: sirloin steak or strip steak work as substitutes. You’ll need roughly 1lb. for this recipe but cook more or less as desired.
- Olive oil: extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, or vegetable oil can all substitutes.
- Soy sauce: coconut aminos or tamari can be a substitute to traditional soy sauce if you need a gluten free or soy free option.
- Hot sauce: I use green jalapeno hot sauce for this dish but any type will work. Salsa Verde or tomatillo salsa are easy to find options.
- Garlic: add as many fresh garlic cloves as desired, I use upwards of around 4 or 5 cloves. Jarred minced garlic can be an option as well.
- Shallot: find shallots in most grocery stores near the fresh garlic. Red onion, white onion, or yellow onions will also work. If you do not like shallot or onion, omit it.
- Rice vinegar: this adds the perfect tangy flavor to the cucumber salads and helps to create a bit of a ‘dressing’. Fish sauce or mirin can be a substitute.
- Cucumbers: I love using mini cucumbers, they are always so fresh and crunchy and I like the mild skin. Any kind of cucumber will work, like hothouse cucumbers, English cucumbers, or Armenian cucumbers – seedless cucumbers are best.
- Jalapenos: fresh jalapenos are best in the recipe, chopped pickled jalapenos can be an option in a pinch.
- Sesame seeds: add as many as you like! I love sesame seeds and tend to go overboard, so use at your own discretion – these make a great garish.
- Toppings: sliced green onion and avocado are my go to toppings for this dish.
- Steamed rice: brown rice, white rice, or cauliflower rice work here.
How to Make The Beef (with Photos)
Let’s talk a little about how to make the Spicy Sheet Pan Beef Bowls with Cucumber Salad(The printable instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Quick overview:
- To a sheet pan combine beef, shallot, garlic, and seasonings.
- Toss to combine and cook until tender.
- Steam rice and combine ingredients for cucumber salad.
- Serve beef over rice with avocado, sesame seeds, and cucumber salad.
- Firstly, to a large sheet pan add sliced beef, shallots, garlic, hot sauce, soy sauce, olive oil, and salt. Toss to combine. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cook for 5-10 minutes until tender.
- Secondly, while the beef cooks, steam rice.
- Thirdly, in a mixing bowl combine sliced cucumber, sliced jalapeno, sesame seeds, hot sauce, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Stir to combine.
- Lastly, serve spicy beef over steamed rice with sliced avocados, green onions, and cucumber salad.
Tools I Recommend
- Shallow Bowls – I love this matching set, it is perfect for serving the spicy beef over rice or noodles.
- Tongs – A must kitchen utensil, perfect for mixing the beef. I love these locking tongs for saving space and the alternating sizes.
- USA Pan Half Sheet Pan – my go-to sheet pans, these are truly non-stick and clean up nicely. I have had my pans for years and they are still in great condition.
More Easy Recipes
Recipe FAQs
No, flank steak does not need to be marinated – this recipe does not use a marinade but the soy sauce and hot sauce do keep the meat moist and add great flavor. While flank steak doesn’t need to be marinated, it does take on the flavor of marinades quite well. Marinating this cut of meat helps keep it tender and moist!
Skirt steak or sirloin steak are both good alternatives to flank steak. They are similar in size and shape. Both long, thin, and flavorful cuts of beef that contain a lot of marbling. These cuts are great in a marinade and cook up quickly, perfect for a plethora of different recipes.
Cool leftover beef completely and store in airtight containers in the fridge for 2-3 days, store leftover rice separately. Avocado and cucumber salad will not store as well, it is best to make these fresh.
Brown Rice, Steamed Rice, lo mein noodles, or quinoa are all good bases for these bowls. For a low carb option arugula or butter lettuce would work. Roasted vegetables, sweet pepper salad, sautéed bell peppers, or mango salsa are some additional side dish ideas.
Spicy Sheet Pan Beef Bowls
Equipment
Ingredients
For The Beef
- 1 lb. Flank steak, sliced thin
- 2 tbsp Green jalapeño hot sauce
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 medium Shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 2-3 cloves Cloves garlic, thinly sliced
For The Cucumber Salad
- 3 mini Cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 1 Jalapeño, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp Sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Green jalapeño hot sauce
- 1 tsp Rice wine vinegar
- Green onion and avocado, for garnish
- Steamed white rice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On a sheet pan combine beef, shallot, garlic, olive oil, hot sauce, soy sauce, and salt. Toss to combine. Cook for 5-10 minutes until beef is cooked.1 lb. Flank steak, 2 tbsp Green jalapeño hot sauce, 2 tbsp Olive oil, 1 medium Shallot, 1 tbsp Soy sauce, 1 tsp Kosher salt, 2-3 cloves Cloves garlic
- In a small bowl combine cucumbers, jalapeños, hot sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame seeds. Stir to combine.3 mini Cucumbers, 1 Jalapeño, 1 tbsp Sesame seeds, 1 tbsp Soy sauce, 1 tbsp Green jalapeño hot sauce, 1 tsp Rice wine vinegar
- Serve spicy beef over steamed white rice with the cucumber salad, sliced avocado, green onion, and sesame seeds for garnish. Enjoy!Green onion and avocado, Steamed white rice
Notes
Nutrition
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WAS FANTASTIC
Glad you enjoyed!