Easy Vegetarian Bibimbap

Cast iron hot stone bibimbap topped with a fried egg

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Make this easy vegetarian bibimbap in 35 minutes or less and serve it family-style for a quick and healthy dinner.

Servings servings

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 15

Total Time 35

Equipment

Cast iron skillet large

Ingredients

2 cups water
1 cup white rice dry
2 to 3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small yellow onion sliced
3 small Fresno chile peppers or other chili peppers, sliced thinly
1 med orange bell pepper sliced thinly
1 cup shredded carrots
1 small cucumber sliced into thin strips
4.5 oz mung bean sprouts soaked in water 5 minutes then drained
2.5 oz baby spinach roughly chopped
½ tsp sesame oil
1 tsp low sodium soy sauce
2 to 4 large eggs
½ cup bibimbap sauce

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

First, steam the rice. Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan, then stir in rice, cover, and turn heat to low. Steam for about 20 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed and the rice is fluffy.
Cook the veggies. Heat about 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil in a large cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Once it's hot, add onion, chili peppers, bell pepper, and carrots and sauté until slightly softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Next, add the cucumber and mung bean sprouts. Sauté until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Then add spinach, sesame oil, and soy sauce and cook for another minute or two until the spinach is wilted. Finally, transfer the contents of the pan to a bowl and set aside.
Next, crisp the rice. Add about 1 to 2 tbsp more vegetable oil to the cast iron pan and return to medium heat. Carefully swirl the oil around in the pan to evenly coat the bottom and sides. Then, add the steamed rice, pressing it into the bottom and sides of the pan to create a "bowl" shape for the veggies to sit in.
Add the cooked veggies back into the pan, on top of the rice. Cook for about 5 minutes or so, to allow the rice enough time to crisp.
In the meantime, fry eggs to your liking in a separate pan.
Finally, add bibimbap sauce to the veggies and carefully stir to incorporate, without disturbing the rice. Top with fried eggs, then serve family-style.

Notes

Bibimbap sauce: Sometimes you can find premade bibimbap sauce at the grocery store, but we definitely recommend making it from scratch for the best flavor! All you need is a few basic ingredients and a small bowl to mix it in. We recommend using the classic gochujang bibimbap sauce recipe by My Korean Kitchen (here) for this vegetarian bibimbap. (Tip: you can skip the toasted sesame seeds for even easier prep, without losing too much flavor!)

Serving suggestions: This recipe is intended to be served family-style at the dinner table. Grab a serving spoon, a couple of plates or bowls, and spoons & chopsticks for eating with. Note that you can prepare as many fried eggs as you want to serve fresh, and even skip putting them on top of the bibimbap if you'd rather incorporate them on each individual dish.

Storing & reheating: Leftover veggies and rice can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just make sure to avoid storing any cooked eggs with the rice and veggies, since they won’t keep or reheat as well. Reheat leftover bibimbap in a frying pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat, or warm in the microwave for about 2 minutes.

Author: Nicole

Calories: 365kcal

Course: Dinner, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, Korean

Keyword: bell pepper, bibimbap sauce, carrots, cast iron, chili peppers, cucumber, egg, family style, healthy, mung bean sprouts, onion, sesame oil, soy sauce, spicy, spinach, vegetarian, white rice

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