You might have looked at the title of this post and cringed, remembering the days of microwaved Cup Noodles in foam containers or Top Ramen packages in your first apartment. I am almost embarrassed to share my love of instant noodles with you guys, as they have been a sick day staple for as long as I can remember. 1820 mg of sodium from a package of chicken flavored Top Ramen definitely elevated my spirits when I wasn’t able to stomach anything else. Instant noodles have a huge following in Asia (see a great picture of a Vietnamese supermarket here) based on their convenience, and I want to share a fun recipe with you all today that takes you 15 minutes to pull together.
After traveling in Asia and seeing creative short cuts that were made for street food, I thought it would be fun to take my favorite junky soup and transform it into a delicious Japanese Ramen Noodle Bowl. How can you make a quality bowl of ramen? By ditching the seasoning packet, the noodles are transformed into a balanced soup with a quick and flavorful broth and plenty of veggies. I recommend topping the bowls with a poached egg for the real ramen experience.
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon miso paste (or soy sauce)
- 1 large carrot
- ¼ cup thinly sliced onion
- 1 packet ramen instant noodles
- ½ cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 1 cup snowpeas
- Salt to taste
- 2 eggs
- Green onion for garnish
- In a pot, combine vegetable broth with miso paste on medium heat, mixing well to disperse the paste.
- Slice a carrot into matchsticks and thinly slice a little bit of onion and add them into the pot, letting everything simmer together for about 5 minutes.
- Add the dry ramen noodles (without any accompanying flavorings), sliced mushrooms, and diced snow peas. Let the noodles cook in the broth- it should take another 5 minutes or so to cook.
- Add salt to taste, particularly if your vegetable broth is slightly bland.
- In the meantime, poach or fry up eggs and dice green onion for garnish.
- Ladle the soup into bowls when the noodles are soft and top each bowl with an egg and green onion.
Enjoy with chopsticks and a big soup spoon.
Marisa
Erin @ The Almond Eater says
Ahhh great idea! Ramen noodles remind me of freshman year of college….eek.
Marisa says
Haha YES I was hoping to snag some of those college memories. I am humbled by where I have been in terms of instant noodles and where they can go 🙂
Jessi Even says
I thiiiiink I’d cheat on paleo for this. Yes, I’m pretty sure I would.
Marisa says
I love hearing that coming from you! We have a winner. Noodles are okay once in awhile when you need a break from chicken, avocado, & sriracha (but might I mention all of the above would be good in ramen?).
Cory says
omg ramen in japan was the best thing I rediscovered. Last thing I got at the Tokyo airport. This looks delicious and slightly healthier than what I gorged myself on in japan 😀
Marisa says
Thanks for being my 1000th blog comment, Cory!! 🙂 I would love to try some Tokyo ramen- would you like to hop a plane with me?
Jessie says
Holy molly!! This recipe sounds delicious, and your photos are gorgeous!! Awesome creation, my dear.
Marisa says
Thanks Jessie! Sometimes it’s fun to dress up easy meals, and it still only takes about 20 minutes to simmer on the stove.
Jan @ Sprouts n Squats says
Yum this looks so comforting and delicious! I travelled throughout Japan but had more rice than noodle dishes but all of it was so amazing 🙂
Marisa says
Ever since buying a rice cooker, I have been eating so much rice and it is true- it’s hard to get tired of it! I think I would do well traveling for a loooong time in Japan!
Alicia says
This looks amazing! Do you think this would hold up to eat as leftovers the next day?
Marisa says
Hi Alicia! This would hold up as leftovers for a day, maximum. I would probably make a hard boiled egg rather than a soft boiled egg if I were trying to make it for a lunch.
John says
Doesn’t the sodium come right back using the vegetable broth? I just looked up a common vegetable broth and the sodium was 800mg per cup.
Marisa says
Hi John – I use low sodium vegetable broth, but it depends on the broth you use. Hopefully that helps you if you try this recipe!