Taiwanese Noodles with Meat Sauce Recipe

I’m so excited to share with you this incredibly hearty and downright addictive Taiwanese Noodles with Meat Sauce Recipe. We like to call it Taiwanese spaghetti, and it feels like a meal you’d find at a Taiwanese street food stall. And the best part? It’s super quick to whip up, making it an ideal choice for those busy weeknights when you crave something satisfying yet easy. Whether you choose to serve it over traditional Taiwanese noodles or rice (a great substitute if you’re in the mood), this recipe is going to be a hit. I’ll give you step-by-step instructions, so you can recreate this delicious meal in your own kitchen with ease.

meat sauce recipe on noodles

Why this Noodles with Meat Sauce Recipe Works

  • “Taiwanese Spaghetti” That’s Just Too Good: A hearty, addictive meat sauce that’s so flavorful, it’ll have you coming back for seconds (or maybe thirds!). It’s like the Taiwanese answer to classic spaghetti, and it’s an absolute hit, especially with the kids. They’ll love calling it ‘Taiwanese Spaghetti’!
  • In the Blink of an Eye: You know those recipes that take forever to cook? Well, this isn’t one of them. We’re talking 15 minutes, start to finish. It’s a real lifesaver on those hectic evenings when you’re short on time but still want a home-cooked meal.
  • Wallet-Friendly and Filling: Looking for a delicious meal that won’t break the bank? This recipe is your new best friend. It’s perfect for those weeknights when you want something satisfying but don’t want to spend a lot.
  • Mix It Up Your Way: Whether you’re a fan of sesame noodles, Taiwanese cold noodles, wheat noodles, or just love fresh noodles, this meat sauce goes well with them all. Got some rice vermicelli? They’re perfect too. Heck, next time you could even try making your own noodles for an extra special touch.
  • Versatility at Its Best: The beauty of this recipe lies in its flexibility. It’s a great base for trying out new recipes or adding your own twist. Don’t be afraid to experiment and make it your own – that’s the best part of the cooking process, after all!

Ingredients 

  • Noodles or rice
  • Chicken broth
  • Dark soy sauce (or oyster sauce), light soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)
  • Chinese five spice powder
  • Brown sugar
  • Cooking oil
  • Ground pork
  • Minced garlic cloves
  • Bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, green onions

How to Make this Noodles with Meat Sauce Recipe

  1.  Cook the noodles or rice according to package instructions. Drain.
  2.  In a small bowl, combine the chicken broth, dark soy sauce, regular soy sauce, vinegar, five spice powder and brown sugar. Set aside.
  3.  Heat a wok over medium-high heat. When hot, swirl in the cooking oil. Add in the onion and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the ground meat and cook for 2 minutes. Push aside the onion and ground beef to one side of the wok to create a small spot to fry the garlic. Add in the garlic and stir fry for a few seconds or until you begin smelling the garlic. Add in the bamboo shoots and mushrooms. Toss everything in the wok together.
  4.  Pour in the broth/soy sauce mixture and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the green onions. Serve the ground beef mixture over the noodles or rice.

Taiwanese Spaghetti!

Despite having an embarrassing amount of cookbooks on my shelves, my family’s favorite recipes are the ones I’ve riffed on from my Mom’s cooking. Earlier this summer, when we took a little vacation to visit parents, Mom made a Taiwanese noodle dish with a hearty meat sauce. To “sell” it to my kids, she called  it, “Taiwanese Spaghetti.” Though, in all honesty, meat + noodles need no selling to my kids, they’ll happily eat without reservation.

An Easy Meat Sauce Recipe

Taiwanese meat sauce is something nearly every Taiwanese mama cooks in weekly rotation, and it’s served over rice or noodles. It’s traditionally made with ground pork, Chinese black mushrooms and lots of shallots. The seasonings include warm Chinese five-spice powder, both dark and light soy sauce, black vinegar and a touch of brown sugar.

To make an easy version with everyday ingredients from the local supermarket, I’ve made a few substitutions.

Your Taiwanese Noodles & Meat Sauce Questions Answered

Q: Can You freeze this Meat Sauce recipe?
A: Absolutely! Meat sauce freezes exceptionally well, making it perfect for meal prepping. Just ladle the sauce into rigid freezer-safe containers. For the best quality, try to use it within about four months.

Q: Is it possible to add some greens like bok choy to this dish?
A: Yes, bok choy is a great addition! You can either stir fry it and add it to the sauce, or serve it on the side for a balanced meal. It’s a simple way to add some greens, especially if it’s your first time experimenting with this recipe.

Q: Can I use sesame seeds or sesame sauce for a twist in flavor?
A: Definitely! Sprinkling sesame seeds on top before serving or incorporating a bit of sesame sauce into the meat sauce can add a delightful nutty flavor. It’s a small addition that can make a big difference in taste.

Q: What if I don’t have Taiwanese noodles? Are there alternatives?
A: Sure! While Taiwanese noodles are traditional, you can use any noodles you have on hand, such as spaghetti, linguine, or even rice noodles. Each will bring a unique texture and flavor to the dish.

How to Cook Taiwanese Noodles with Meat Sauce (video)

Short 2 minute video on how to make this recipe.

Top Tips for this Noodles with Meat Sauce Recipe

  • If you can’t get Chinese black vinegar, you can use young balsamic vinegar.
  • You can use ground beef, pork or chicken, they all work great!
  • You can serve it over noodles or rice.
  • To make it spicy, add Spicy Chili Oil to the noodles.

 

bowl of noodles and meat sauce

Check Out these Other Noodle Recipes

Have you tried this Meat Sauce recipe? Feel free to leave a star rating and I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Taiwanese Noodles with Meat Sauce Recipe (Taiwanese Spaghetti)

Jaden Hair
This Hearty and addictive Meat Sauce Recipe can be serve over Taiwanese noodles or rice. We call it Taiwanese spaghetti! Quick to make and perfect for busy weeknights.

4.41 from 5 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Servings 4 servings
Calories 822 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound noodles or rice of your choice
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce or oyster sauce
  • 2 teaspoon light regular soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Chinese black vinegar or young balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cooking oil
  • 1/2 onion chopped
  • 1 pound ground pork or ground beef/chicken/turkey
  • 2 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 8 ounce can bamboo shoots drained and diced
  • 4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms diced
  • 1 stalk green onion chopped

Instructions
 

  • Cook the noodles or rice according to package instructions. Drain.
  • In a small bowl, combine the chicken broth, dark soy sauce, regular soy sauce, vinegar, five spice powder and brown sugar. Set aside.
  • Heat a wok over medium-high heat. When hot, swirl in the cooking oil. Add in the onion and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the ground meat and cook for 2 minutes. Push aside the onion and ground beef to one side of the wok to create a small spot to fry the garlic. Add in the garlic and stir fry for a few seconds or until you begin smelling the garlic. Add in the bamboo shoots and mushrooms. Toss everything in the wok together.
  • Pour in the broth/soy sauce mixture and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the green onions. Serve the ground beef mixture over the noodles or rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 822kcalCarbohydrates: 102gProtein: 36gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 349mgPotassium: 753mgFiber: 6gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 30IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 53mgIron: 3mg
Keyword meat sauce, spaghetti, taiwanese noodles
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comment section! I always appreciate your feedback and I know other readers do, too!

Stay in touch with me in our Facebook group, on Pinterest or follow me on Instagram! Sign up for my email list, too where we chat all things recipes, tips, giveaways, and more!

72 Comments

  1. Seems like this would be the perfect combination of sweet, salty and savory. I’m going to give it a try.

    Reply
  2. 5 stars
    I have seen that every person wants to express their feelings but they are not able to express their feelings properly in words but the content you have written in your post is very beautiful, it seems that you have expressed your feelings Has expressed. Hi, you are a person who writes a very beautiful post, in the same way, you keep writing new posts in your life, our best wishes are with you.

    Reply
    • Looks good. Think I’ll try the oyster sauce.

      Reply
  3. Can I not add mushrooms and bamboo shots? It’s not available here in my place.

    Reply
  4. 5 stars
    I want to know more recipes. I love cooking and eating diffierent foods. I love it. Thank you

    Reply
  5. I was looking for an authentic Taiwanese recipe and was sorely disappointed with this one. It’s much too sweet and bland at the same time. It’s fine if you want something simple and fusion, but definitely doesn’t follow the same flavor profile as the Taiwanese dishes I was craving.

    Reply
  6. This recipe is great!  It mimics a dish I was served recently in a Philadelphia dim sum place.
    Pork Sauce Noodles.  So easy but packs great depth of flavor. I think the 5 spice  and sherry contribute to that.  Thank you so much for this.

    Reply
    • Thank you Marisa! -Jaden

      Reply
  7. Okay! So I have never tried this combo but definitely look forward to cook this in my kitchen. Mostly, I prepare crispy Bamboo shoots and Glass Noodles. I am a big Asian cuisine lover, you can find more of these dishes at Friends of Pho.

    Reply
  8. Wow must try. But not easy to find bamboo shoot; can I substitute bamboo shoot with something else e.g water chestnut or yam bean/jicama? Tks in advance.

    Reply
    • Hi Sherry – absolutely!

      Reply
  9. 5 stars
    Thanks for sharing with us this wonderful recipe! I have tried the recipe twice and my family can’t stop raving about it! So simple yet delicious! Definitely a keeper!

    Reply
  10. 5 stars
    Love this recipe!!! I was looking for a spiced Chinese noodle and I only found this one!! Delish!

    Reply
  11. Loved this recipe, thank you . I tweaked slightly as was trying to recreate a dish I’d seen on IG:
    Pork mince, added a green capsicum, fried egg on top (I know right) & a little Tonkotsu garlic / chili oil to finish.

    Ace! 

    Reply
    • 4 stars
      Just made this. I cut down on the bamboo shoots…maybe 3 ounces…but added bok choy and napa. Added some garlic powder, white pepper, and hot sesame oil. Even with the dark and light soy sauce (Superior brand) it needed quite a bit of salt. But pretty tasty with the additions (I noted one of the comments saying it was a bit bland.)

      Reply
    • 4 stars
      Flavor is good but ratio for my sauce/noodles wasn’t enough. Next time I’ll 1.5x the sauce recipe. Had to add pepper and salt. Someone gave me a big box of taiwanese noodles, never had em before and it’s so yummy! I used oyster sauce and ground beef. Thank you for the recipe. 🙂

      Reply
  12. This was amazing!!! I’m 27 years old and I told my mom it’s one of my favorite dinners(not just for kids)!!! We used udon noodles instead of spaghetti. We loved the little bit of sweetness and the savoryness of the pork + the spices = fuhgetaboutit out of this world!!!

    My family and I go to this dim sum place in the city and they make a dish similar to this one but this recipe tops the cake, so much better!!! Thank you so much for sharing, we will me adding this to our recipe book and making it many more times in the future!

    Reply
    • Thank you so much Lauren!!! – jaden

      Reply
  13. Made this tonight and I was really exited, looked delicious. Now I am not much of a spice guy, nor do I enjoy hot and spicy food, but this was bland. Really disappointed. To each its own, but for my palette this needs more flavor and salt. I am guessing it would suit children very well.

    Reply
  14. I tried this tonight, I was so excited to try something new, and i love most all asian inspired dishes…I especially liked the name taiwanese…little humor..i have a 3 year old daughter, her name is kylee in short we call her ky, and sometimes she talks so fast and her words run together and we have no idea what she is saying. So we call this language “kywanese.” lol n anyway back to this recipe….I was sadly disapointed 🙁 I dont know if it was because I didnt have any mushrooms, and it changed all the flavor, but it seemed to me to be pretty bland….so, I had to jazz it up, a bit with some red chili flakes at the end, and drizzle some siraccha over it at the end, along with some toasted sesame seeds… then everybody ate it including all 5 of my kids ages ranging from 2-12. They did not like it in your recipe form. Is it supposed to be pretty bland??? it seems like kind of a waste to have to cover up the taste of your recipe with siraccha, chili flakes, and tosted sesame seeds. Am i missing something???? Thanks

    Reply
    • 4 stars
      What can I substitute for can bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms? They are not available here.

      Reply
  15. Nice easy, quick and tastes great recipe. A good change from my old meat and tomato sauce over spaghetti noodles

    Reply
  16. We used to have this all the time at a place near us in NJ, I can’t wait to make my own.

    Reply
  17. Hello, I made this dish last night for dinner, and just had some for lunch at work. It is really tasty. I love it. However, I had to add a few more things to make it more “tasty.” First, I had to cook the meat longer than the minutes listed in the recipe. Second, when I tried the dish I felt it was lacking in salt, so I added more salt (next time, I will add more salt to the water used to boil the noodles). I also added about 3-4 tbsp of sesame oil, and maybe 1-2 tsp of sriracha sauce. Also, but this is because I am a “turmeric” girl LOL, I added some turmeric powder. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

    Reply
  18. I cooked this tonight for friends who are adopting from Taiwan & everyone loved it! Definitely on our go to list of quick easy tasty meals to make. Thanks!

    Reply
  19. This was so good!!! I served the sauce over udon noodles and went back for second helpings–sooo happy and full right now. It took longer than 15 minutes though, possibly because it was my first time making this, also possibly because I used ground pork…? I ended up using button mushrooms instead of shiitake because they were cheaper and a mix of dark soy sauce & oyster sauce. Added some chopped ginger too because I went out and bought it thinking that it was on the ingredients list. Forgot to dice the bamboo shoots, but I like the long slices anyway. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

    Reply
  20. Thanks for the recipe. It was delicious. I was just wondering – do you end up having a lot of sauce for the meat or just a little (to mix in with the rice or noodles)? I like the sauce, and like my noodles or rice with sauce, but wasn’t sure if I cooked it too long so a lot of the liquid evaporated or if it’s just supposed to have a little to begin with. Any thoughts would be helpful. Thanks!

    Reply
  21. That’s great. Looks very good.
    I like to top it off with lots of fried shallots, cilantro, chopped chili peppers, and slices of boiled egg.

    Reply
  22. I just made this and it is awesome… my family loves it .. thank you so much for sharing…

    Reply
  23. Just got back from my Taiwan trip and miss the food SOOOO much! thank you for sharing this recipe!!

    Reply
  24. no ginger? thanks

    Reply
  25. This recipe sounds great.Both my Husband and I enjoy asian food
    very much. I live on the west coast of Florida and find it difficult to access oriental products. Local grocery stores have some but not great selections. Can you suggest a place in Florida that sells black vinegar. Is this also known as black rice wine vinegar or is that a different product…Thank you for your help…

    Reply
    • Black rice vinegar should be the same, but any Asian market should have it. I saw it at our local Publix here in Sarasota Fl. Perhaps you can find it at yours as well?

      Reply
  26. Thanks for the extra information!

    Reply
  27. Two quick questions. I live in the SF Bay Area and went into my local Asian market to find the black vinegar. Um, wow, 50 varieties it seemed. I guessed and bought one with an interesting label 🙂 But could you give a recommendation for a couple of brands? Or does it really matter? Also, you mention in your intro that this dish usually uses shallots. I actually have a lot in my kitchen right now. What’s a good equivalent amount? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Look for “Chinkiang” black vinegar on the label, which tells you that it’s from a specific region in Southern China where they make the best black vinegar.

      Sub the onion with 2 or 3 whole shallots (or more if you have lots and love shallots!)

      Reply
  28. Ahhhhh it’s…….. Asian Comfort Food! A foodie’s Hamburger Helper 🙂 This dish has such a warm earthy flavor; hubby commented he could smell it coming up the walk. Did I make changes? “Of Course” Went with 90% ground beef which was a little dry. I doubled the sauce using the Oyster sauce & standard Rice Vinegar. I added a few drops of Chili Oil, a sprinkle of Crushed Peppers, and 2Tbsp. of the Shiitake Broth and dumped in some Bean Sprouts and White Mushrooms and more like 4 green onions. Thickened with a little bit of Corn Starch. Well I’m still glowing from a great meal and already thinking of spinning it into a Fall Stew or maybe it’s a Chili?

    Reply
  29. The ingredients look perfect together, and it’s not a coincidence that I’ve been craving some Taiwanese noodles! Funny what you wrote about always going back to Mom’s unwritten recipes, despite so many fancy cookbooks on my shelves. I do love those cookbooks, but nothing replaces what Mom dishes up 🙂

    Reply
  30. i forgot to put the brown sugar but it was STILL awesome. i am not really a fan of ground meat so i thin sliced some chicken breast. i added cilantro and some sriracha for presentation…. and taste!

    Reply
  31. I made this for dinner tonight and my husband said it tasted like restaurant-quality! I’ll definitely be making this again.

    Reply
  32. Didn’t have any bamboo shoots, but couldn’t wait so subbed celery which worked out. It’s a great recipe (and bamboo shoots are on my grocery list.)

    Reply
  33. yum! this was awesome Jaden. For spicy food lovers out there…def add a green chili or two.

    Reply
  34. Just made this tonight. Since I already had oyster sauce and black vinegar, it was a snap to pull the ingredients together. My husband and son took a bite and both said this was a keeper. In fact, my husband reminded me a couple of times to be sure not to lose this one. On top of that, it was very easy to make. My husband likes as many fresh vegetables as possible, so when I added the shitake mushrooms, I also added some fresh asparagus and broccoli. I didn’t have bamboo shoots so I subbed water cehstnuts. The recipe felt very flexible. Thanks Jaden.

    Reply
  35. looks delish! I’ve had this dish many times at restaurants and like how simple it is to make!

    Reply
  36. Made this last night using Morningstar crumbles instead of ground meat…delicious and made all the vegetarians in my family happy 🙂

    Reply
  37. Thank you for a delicious recipe! I made it tonight for my Bible study group, everyone loved it! I used an angel hair type of Japanese somen noodles, it was great together. Also, I didn’t have the Chinese five spice powder so I used a mix of all spice, ginger, red pepper flakes and cinnamon, and still got rave reviews from my eaters. Let me know if you have a better recommendation for a substitute for the Chinese five spice powder, of if this is an irreplaceable spice! I also used ground pork which was of course delicious but fatty. Has anyone tried it with the ground turkey or chicken? If so, how was it?

    Reply
  38. Yummy…..looks delicious. Will try this recipe out soon!!!

    Reply
  39. This is a classic that I am sure every Taiwanese would remember from their childhood. Thank you for sharing the recipe and video! They are very helpful.

    Question – Would it be weird to put the sauce on top of thick rice noodles instead of semolina pasta?

    Reply
  40. Currently scarfing down a second helping of this. Just about like my Taiwanese grandma used to make! Eee! You’re my favorite food blogger ^_^

    Reply
  41. lol, I think so too. Just got the recipe so that i can purchase the ingredients this weekend. We are spaghetti junkies at our house, and I just bet my fam will love this!

    Reply
  42. That looks delicious! I use to make this, but completely forgot about it. Thanks, time to revisit it!

    Reply
  43. Omg! My friend’s family makes something similar which they call “Chinese spaghetti” 🙂 We love it and can never get enough. I am definitely trying this soon!

    Reply
  44. Can I leave out the vinegar, or is it essential?
    (Sorry for my bad English, but I’m German ^^)

    Reply
  45. This looks so good! Can you use spaghetti pasta noodles for this?

    Reply
  46. Ohmygoodness! I can’t wait to try making this! One of my favorite childhood foods from Taiwan <3<3<3

    Reply
  47. Just saved this to try soon. A long time ago we went to a PF Changs as a family get together and Trevor liked a dish called dan dan or don don noodles. This looks SO MUCH better.

    Reply
  48. Thanks for this recipe! It arrived just in time as I was trying to figure out what to do with the ground beef I defrosted for dinner last night. It was a hit and my picky almost 2 year old ate it all and he usually doesn’t like beef!

    Reply
  49. Wow, this Taiwanese noodles look terrific. My family will love this! This recipe comes just in time — I rearranged my pantry and found a gazillion bags of assorted Asian noodles. Off to the kitchen to start with this recipe. Thanks for sharing, Jaden!

    Reply
  50. This sounds awesome and pretty simple to make!

    Reply
  51. This looks fantastic! Thanks for the gluten-free suggestions.

    Reply
  52. This looks and sounds delicious!

    Reply
  53. My kids would eat this up like no tomorrow… will have to try for sure, on my list for next weeks dinner! 😉

    Reply
  54. This looks so delicious, Jaden! I can’t wait to try this recipe!

    Reply
  55. Yum–I’m going to have to try this!

    Reply
  56. Looks really good, got to try it for my kids… and me. Jaden, I’m looking for a Shaoxing rice wine, is there any brand you can recommend me? Thank you!

    Reply
    • There are so many small brands! look for a wine with rich, amber color. Here’s a tip: when you have leftover ginger slices (uncooked), slice them and add them to the Shaoxing wine. The ginger really gives the wine a wonderful flavor — and you don’t waste the leftover bits of ginger.

      Reply
  57. I need to make this… actually, I need to make a lot of recipes I just found on your site! Great looking food and photography! 🙂

    Reply
  58. You know… I think this is a great dish to serve to kids. Gets them to try flavors that most (American) children don’t try. It looks fabulous!

    Reply

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Thai Iced Tea | bobaboba - [...] I made Taiwanese Noodles to eat with my Thai iced tea, which turned out well. They were delicious, and…
  2. Taiwanese Noodles with Meat Sauce Recipe (Taiwanese Spaghetti!) | Доставка еды в номер - [...] Kitchen Recipes, 2012. | Permalink | 39 comments Posted in Курица, Рецепты « Taiwanese Noodles with Meat Sauce [...]
  3. Taiwanese Noodles with Meat Sauce Recipe (Taiwanese Spaghetti!) | Доставка еды в номер - [...] Kitchen Recipes, 2012. | Permalink | 39 comments Posted in Курица, Рецепты « Chinese Beef Broccoli Recipe [...]
  4. Modified Taiwanese Noodles (courtesy of Steamy Kitchen) « Clickin' Kitchen - [...] morning, I received an email from Steamy Kitchen‘s Jaden and she had posted a recipe for Taiwanese noodles.  The…
  5. Xfoodie » Taiwanese Noodles with Meat Sauce Recipe (Taiwanese Spaghetti!) - [...] Kitchen Recipes, 2012. | Permalink | 17 comments (function($) { $(function() { if (!$('#fb-root').size()) { [...]

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Featured Review

easy_beef_ramen_noodle_bowl_sidebar_ad