Meatless Monday Gochujang Veggie Bowls

If you give a girl a bottle of Gochujang sauce… So, these Meatless Monday Gochujang Veggie Bowls are a follow-up to the other day’s recipe for sheet pan Gochujang chicken drumsticks & potatoes. Because if you bought a bottle of sauce to make those, you’re going to want ideas on how to use up the rest, right?

Why Gochujang Veggie Bowls, per se?

Well, I had some Gochujang sauce left in the bottle, see… and I had some leftover rice in the fridge, see… and I was thinking about one of my favorite older recipes for Korean style ground beef & spinach rice bowls, but really prefer that particular recipe made spicier with chili garlic paste. So, I thought it might be fun instead to play around with some of this sauce and try out a vegetarian recipe that incorporates similar flavors — but to work with some of the heartier veggies like sweet potatoes and green beans that tend to go on sale this time of year.

Isn’t the finished result pretty? Then I threw an egg on top to help pull everything together — but you could easily keep this recipe vegan, just by omitting the egg. Try these easy Gochujang veggie bowls on your own next Meatless Monday — or on any day, really!

Meatless Monday Gochujang Veggie Bowls

Ingredients

– for the roasted veggies

1/4 cup Gochujang sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sesame oil
Sea salt, to taste
One medium sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped
16 oz fresh green beans, trimmed and halved
One medium yellow onion, cut into eighths

– for the sauted veggies

1 Tbsp canola oil, divided
1 tsp sesame oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tsp minced garlic)
5 oz fresh baby spinach
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
8 oz baby bella mushrooms (see Note)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp Gochujang sauce

– for serving

3 cups cooked rice
4 large eggs
Canola oil (for frying eggs)
4 green onions, chopped (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, then line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Combine Gochujang sauce, soy sauce, garlic powder, olive oil, sesame oil, and sea salt in a small bowl.

Add the chopped sweet potato to one end of the prepared baking sheet, drizzle it with about half of the Gochujang mixture, stir to coat, and spread out in a single layer on one end of the pan. Roast the sweet potatoes at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and stir the sweet potatoes. Add the green beans and onion to the other end of the pan in as close to a single layer as possible, drizzle with the Gochujang mixture, and stir to coat.

Return pan to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes or until veggies are done to your own taste — as written, the sweet potatoes will be fairly soft and the green beans and onion crisp-tender, so just adjust the cooking times if you prefer something different.

Meanwhile, start the rice for your bowls cooking (if not using leftover rice) and saute the rest of your veggies: Heat 1/2 Tbsp canola oil and 1/2 tsp sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering and swirl to coat the pan, then add garlic and saute for just a few seconds. Add spinach and crushed red pepper, then continue sauteing over medium heat until spinach is wilted and dark green, stirring occasionally. Remove cooked spinach from the pan to a separate bowl.

Add another 1/2 Tbsp canola oil and 1/2 tsp sesame oil to the same pan you used for the spinach. Add mushrooms and saute over medium heat for about four minutes, stirring occasionally, then drizzle in the soy sauce and Gochujang and continue sauteing until browned and softened.

While finishing up your veggies, fry four eggs sunny side up in a little canola oil in a separate pan. Divide the cooked rice evenly among four bowls, and top each bowl with each of the veggies, an egg, and (optional) green onions.

Mix up your bowls, add more Gochujang sauce or soy sauce to taste, and enjoy!

Note: Next time I’d probably up the mushrooms to 16 oz, because they are just. that. good. 😉 Note that I also used Gochujang sauce, not paste, and that the ALDI sauce I used here is on the sweeter side. If you’re using another brand, taste the sauce after mixing it for the roasted veggies to see if you want to add in a little honey as well.

Bask in the comforting aroma of roasting Gochujang veggies…

Roasted vegetables represent vegetarian comfort food at its finest; the Gochujang mixture just kicks things up a notch in these savory veggie bowls. Each element here works in harmony: You get a nice interplay of textures when you pair the crisp-tender green beans and onion with the chewy mushrooms and soft spinach and sweet potatoes, while the salty soy sauce and rich sesame oil kick up the sweet-smoky-spicy flavor of the Gochujang sauce — and the runny egg ties everything together.

Filling rice, hearty mushrooms, and protein-packed egg help make these Gochujang veggie bowls a meatless meal that even confirmed carnivores can get behind. This flavor-packed all-in-one meal also reheats well for lunches, making it a good choice for your weekly meal prep if you prefer to portion it out in lunch-sized servings rather than serving it all at once as a dinner for four.

Meatless Monday Gochujang Veggie Bowls, printable recipe

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Meatless Monday Gochujang Veggie Bowls

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The filling rice, hearty mushrooms, and protein-packed egg help make these Gochujang veggie bowls a meatless meal that even confirmed carnivores can get behind.

Course dinner

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Author Rachel Singer

Ingredients

- for the roasted veggies

• 1/4 cup Gochujang sauce
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• Sea salt, to taste
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped
• 16 oz fresh green beans, trimmed and halved
• 1 medium yellow onion, cut into eighths

- for the sauted veggies

• 1 Tbsp canola oil, divided
• 1 tsp sesame oil, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tsp minced garlic)
• 5 oz fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 8 oz baby bella mushrooms (see Note)
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp Gochujang sauce

- for serving

• 3 cups cooked rice
• 4 large eggs
• Canola oil, for frying eggs
• 4 green onions, chopped (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees, then line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Combine Gochujang sauce, soy sauce, garlic powder, olive oil, sesame oil, and sea salt in a small bowl.
• Add the chopped sweet potato to one end of the prepared baking sheet, drizzle it with about half of the Gochujang mixture, stir to coat, and spread out in a single layer on one end of the pan. Roast the sweet potatoes at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven and stir the sweet potatoes. Add the green beans and onion to the other end of the pan in as close to a single layer as possible, drizzle with the Gochujang mixture, and stir to coat.
• Return pan to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes or until veggies are done to your own taste -- as written, the sweet potatoes will be fairly soft and the green beans and onion crisp-tender, so just adjust the cooking times if you prefer something different.
• Meanwhile, start the rice for your bowls cooking (if not using leftover rice) and saute the rest of your veggies: Heat 1/2 Tbsp canola oil and 1/2 tsp sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering and swirl to coat the pan, then add garlic and saute for just a few seconds. Add spinach and crushed red pepper, then continue sauteing over medium heat until spinach is wilted and dark green, stirring occasionally. Remove cooked spinach from the pan to a separate bowl.
• Add another 1/2 Tbsp canola oil and 1/2 tsp sesame oil to the same pan you used for the spinach. Add mushrooms and saute over medium heat for about four minutes, stirring occasionally, then drizzle in the soy sauce and Gochujang and continue sauteing until browned and softened.
• While finishing up your veggies, fry four eggs sunny side up in a little canola oil in a separate pan. Divide the cooked rice evenly among four bowls, and top each bowl with each of the veggies, an egg, and (optional) green onions.
• Mix up your bowls, add more Gochujang sauce or soy sauce to taste, and enjoy!

Notes

Next time I'd probably up the mushrooms to 16 oz, because they are just. that. good. 😉 Note that I also used Gochujang sauce, not paste, and that the ALDI sauce I used here is on the sweeter side. If you’re using another brand, taste the sauce after mixing it for the roasted veggies to see if you want to add in a little honey as well.

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