Beef Lo Mein is a delicious dinner recipe that has the most perfect sauce and tender steak. Your family will love this so much more than takeout.
If there is something that I pretty much always want, it is Asian takeout and a movie night. I love when we get containers full of warm and delicious food and all huddle together to watch a movie.
Responsible parents don’t get takeout and eat it in front of the TV every night though. So it’s really handy to have some great takeout takeout recipes on hand that are even better than what you can order in.
This Beef Lo Mein recipe is just that. It’s better than takeout and you can make so many easy variations to make a dish your family falls in love with.
“So very easy to make and so tasty! Will be making again! Thank you!”
What is Lo Mein
Lo Mein is a noodle dish that originates from China, but has been very Americanized. The Americanized version is a combination of stir fried noodles, meat, and vegetables. That is the take on lo mein recipes that we are doing here.
How to Make Lo Mein
While this Lo Mein recipe is easy to make, it does have a few steps that might make it feel daunting. Here is a brief overview to show you the simplicity of this dinner.
- Start this recipe by slicing the flank steak very thin and marinating it for 2 to 24 hours in our homemade sauce.
- When ready to cook, make the noodles.
- While the noodles are cooking, sauté the flank steak, then cook the vegetables, and combine it all with the noodles and sauce.
Lo Mein Noodles
Traditionally, Lo Mein is made with egg noodles. In the United States you can find wide noodles that are labeled “Lo Mein” that are made with wheat. These noodles are easy to find in the international aisle of the grocery store.
Those are the noodles you see pictured here. I love how they absorb and hold on to the sauce in this recipe. Their texture and taste are perfect.
That being said, you can replace it with any kind of noodle your family loves, even just typical spaghetti. It will work in this recipe and you will love it.
Lo Mein Sauce
The sauce for this Beef Lo Mein recipe is a made with just four ingredients, but the combination of their flavors is perfection. We use these ingredients for both the sauce and the marinade.
- Soy Sauce
- Brown Sugar
- Oyster Sauce
- Chile Paste
Marinating Flank Steak and Skirt Steak
If you aren’t able to find flank steak for this recipe, you can replace it with skirt steak. The two are very similar, and both work well in this recipe.
Both cuts of meat are fairly lean. Because of this, just like in my Carne Asada, they need to be marinated. The soy sauce we use in this recipe is packed with salt and works just like the brine we use in my Turkey Breast recipe. It breaks down the meat and tenderizes it.
Though it adds extra time to the recipe, it is important to marinate the meat. You will enjoy this dish infinitely more if you do this step. I encourage you to marinate the night before to make cooking the next evening a snap.
Variations and Substitutions
There are a few swaps you can do for this recipe to make it something everyone will love.
- Change out the vegetables: This is the easiest swap to make. You are looking for roughly 6 cups of vegetables. Find ones that you will love. Zucchinis will add more liquid, but they aren’t a deal breaker. Make this super simple by buying a bag of frozen stir fry vegetables.
- Replace Oyster Sauce with Hoisin Sauce: If you can’t find Oyster Sauce, Hoisin Sauce is a great substitute. It will change the flavor a little, but you will still enjoy it.
- Leave out the chili paste: I say this very begrudgingly, because chili paste is just the best. But if you can’t handle heat, leave this out and still make this great lo mein recipe.
- Swap Flank Steak for Skirt Steak: As mentioned above, both cuts of meat will work well in this recipe.
- Use any long noodle: If you can’t find Lo Mein Noodles, substitute any long noodle in this recipe (such as spaghetti or fettuccine).
Other Takeout Fakeouts
If you are trying to eat a little healthier or save money, or honestly both, here are some other great dinners that will make you feel like you are eating out.
- Butter Chicken: We make this recipe all the time, it is a great take on an Indian classic, and my kids love it.
- Chicken Fried Rice: This fried rice recipe is done in about 20 minutes!
- Chicken Tacos: We are obsessed with this recipe and I want to tell the entire world about it.
- Taco Bell Quesadillas: Yes. They really do taste as good (or better) than takeout!
If you make this delicious Beef Lo Mein or any of my other recipes, be sure to leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
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Beef Lo Mein
Ingredients
- 1 pound flank steak cut thin
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil + 1 teaspoon (divided)
- 1/2 cup soy sauce divided
- 1/3 cup brown sugar divided
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce (read about substitutions)
- 2 – 3 tablespoons chili paste (depending on how spicy you want it)
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 8 ounces lo mein noodles
- 1 red bell pepper sliced into thin strips
- 8 ounces white mushrooms sliced
- 2 carrots cut into matchstick pieces
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 cup snow peas
- 8 ounces water chestnuts drained
- scallions diced for garnish
- sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- In a small measuring cup, mix together 3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon oyster stauce, and 1 tablespoon chile paste. Add the sauce and the flank steak to a reasuable container and marinate for 2 to 24 hours. (It is great to do this overnight to make this a quick meal the next day. Learn why marinating flank steak is so important.)
- Heat a large pot of water until it comes to a roaring boil. Season with salt. Cook the noodles according to package instructions. Drain the noodles, drizzle with 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and cover to keep warm.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons oyster stauce, 1-2 tablespoons chile paste, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of sesame oil in a large skilet. Add the marinated flank steak and the sauce to the skillet. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil to the skillet. Add the vegetables and cook until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the sauce, noodles, and beef to the skillet and stir to combine. Cook for an additional minute or two to allow the flavors to combine.
- Serve and enjoy.
Marlene says
I will try this recipe. Looks like a favorite .
I have some lo mein noodles to use.
Thank you.
Let me know what you think Marlene!
sarah ditsele says
I really luv your recipes
I’m so glad to hear that, Sarah! Thank you for following along!
Charlyene says
I just found this recipe . When I make Chinese food, I go to the local Mexican store to buy the already sliced meat (easy peasy) can this be marinated for 8 hours.
Great tip, Charlyene!
Hortencia Pena says
Delicious, all my family enjoyed it….
I’m so happy to hear this!
staci giggey says
I have a severe seafood allergy to all types and kinda of fish. Is there a recommendation as an alternative to to oyster sauce?
Hi Staci! I found this article that I think will be helpful!
Carol Thomson says
Can you eat this if you’re on a diet
Thanks in advance.xx
Hi Carol! That’s a really hard question to answer because all diets are different. My personal feeling is that if you are attempting to lose weight, eating in moderation rather than cutting things out all together is a great path to take so you don’t feel deprived. Maybe Beef Lo Mein for dinner tonight, and salads tomorrow night.
Sue Turnbeau says
Saw this recipe and knew I wanted to try to make it if my local store had the lo mein noodles and they did. So very easy to make and so tasty! Will be making again! Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear this, Sue!
Kelly says
I made this tonight for dinner. Very Very good!!! I used Spaghetti noodles though. Marinated the meat 24 hours. Used Flank steak as my butcher doesn’t carry skirt. Added bean sprouts and used a can of diced water chestnuts instead of sliced which I thought allowed for more bites with a little “crunch” factor. I also didn’t know where to find chili paste so I didn’t use that either. My husband really enjoyed it as well. Thank you another fabulous recipe!
I’m so happy you liked it!
Karen Speece says
Made the beef lo mein for dinner, it was good but seemed way too salty tasting to me. How can I help that? I used low sodium soy sauce even
I’m sorry to hear that! Next time you could try replacing some of the soy sauce with water.