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.
Why this Noodles with Meat Sauce recipe is so good
- A hearty and addictive meat sauce.
- Easy to make – only 15 mins.
- Kids will love it, we call it Taiwanese Spaghetti!
- An inexpensive meal, perfect for weeknights.
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
- Garlic cloves
- Bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, green onions
How to make this Noodles with Meat Sauce recipe – step by step
- 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.
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.
Can you freeze this Meat Sauce recipe?
Meat sauce freezes well, meaning you can make enough for several more meals and store the sauce in your freezer until you are ready to use it. For best results, use the frozen meat sauce within about four months. Ladle the meat sauce into rigid freezer-safe containers.
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.
Check out these other Noodle recipes
- Korean Zucchini Noodles Recipe
- Satay Noodles and Greens
- Garlic Noodles with Miso Butter
- Japanese Noodles with Shimeji Mushroom
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)
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.
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!
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Seems like this would be the perfect combination of sweet, salty and savory. I’m going to give it a try.
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Looks good. Think I’ll try the oyster sauce.
Can I not add mushrooms and bamboo shots? It’s not available here in my place.
I want to know more recipes. I love cooking and eating diffierent foods. I love it. Thank you
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.
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.
Thank you Marisa! -Jaden
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.
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.
Hi Sherry – absolutely!
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!
Love this recipe!!! I was looking for a spiced Chinese noodle and I only found this one!! Delish!
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!
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.)
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. 🙂
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!
Thank you so much Lauren!!! – jaden
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.
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
What can I substitute for can bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms? They are not available here.
Nice easy, quick and tastes great recipe. A good change from my old meat and tomato sauce over spaghetti noodles
We used to have this all the time at a place near us in NJ, I can’t wait to make my own.
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.
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!
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!
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!
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.
I just made this and it is awesome… my family loves it .. thank you so much for sharing…
Just got back from my Taiwan trip and miss the food SOOOO much! thank you for sharing this recipe!!
no ginger? thanks
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I used it and substituted meat with tofu and it was delicious: http://vegetarianchopsticks.blogspot.com/2013/02/taiwanese-noodles-with-tofu-sauce.html
I look forward to cooking more of your recipes! <3
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…
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?
Thanks for the extra information!
I made this for my family tonight, and it was a huge hit. Thank you for another delicious recipe!
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!
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!)
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?
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 🙂
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!
I made this for dinner tonight and my husband said it tasted like restaurant-quality! I’ll definitely be making this again.
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.)
yum! this was awesome Jaden. For spicy food lovers out there…def add a green chili or two.
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.
looks delish! I’ve had this dish many times at restaurants and like how simple it is to make!
Made this last night using Morningstar crumbles instead of ground meat…delicious and made all the vegetarians in my family happy 🙂
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?
Yummy…..looks delicious. Will try this recipe out soon!!!
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?
Currently scarfing down a second helping of this. Just about like my Taiwanese grandma used to make! Eee! You’re my favorite food blogger ^_^
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!
That looks delicious! I use to make this, but completely forgot about it. Thanks, time to revisit it!
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!
Can I leave out the vinegar, or is it essential?
(Sorry for my bad English, but I’m German ^^)
This looks so good! Can you use spaghetti pasta noodles for this?
Yes, of course. It’s exactly what I used!
Ohmygoodness! I can’t wait to try making this! One of my favorite childhood foods from Taiwan <3<3<3
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.
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!
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!
This sounds awesome and pretty simple to make!
This looks fantastic! Thanks for the gluten-free suggestions.
This looks and sounds delicious!
My kids would eat this up like no tomorrow… will have to try for sure, on my list for next weeks dinner! 😉
This looks so delicious, Jaden! I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Yum–I’m going to have to try this!
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!
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.
Oh that looks yummy!
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! 🙂
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!