Quick Ramen Bowl
By noon today my throat had swollen up so big that I couldn’t swallow and my head was pounding. The sickness was upon me. So, as soon as I got home I started searching for something warm and soothing to eat. A quick scan of my refrigerator showed one lonely egg, some left over spinach, mushrooms and green onions from the salads that I packed for lunch this week and on top of the refrigerator I found my roommates stockpile of ramen noodles. Bingo! A hot soothing bowl of “souped up” ramen! Now, I know I may sound a little like a hypocrite because in my “About Budget Bytes” introduction I spoke of not having to eat ramen noodles every day to stay on a budget. That being said, you can do some pretty delicious things with these humble packages of noodles. This one is great because not only does it increase the nutritional value (if it had any to begin with) but it is an excellent way to use leftover veggies – experiment with whatever you have. Plus, when you’re sick, an easy, hot, soothing and delicious bowl of noodles is just what the doctor ordered!
Quick Ramen Bowl
Quick Ramen Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 package ramen noodles ($0.25)
- 1 cup fresh spinach ($0.17)
- 3 medium button mushrooms ($0.26)
- 2 whole green onions ($0.16)
- 1 large egg, optional ($0.12)
- 1 tsp chili garlic paste, optional ($0.05)
Instructions
- In a small pot, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. While you are waiting for the water to boil, wash and slice your veggies. Once the water is boiling, add the dry noodles and cook according to the package directions (boil about 5 minutes). Add the seasoning packet (or half a packet if you prefer less sodium) and stir until dissolved.
- Turn the heat down to medium and stir in all of your fresh veggies. Allow them to sit in the hot (not boiling) broth for 1-2 minutes or until slightly softened.
- Make a well in the center of the pot and crack the egg into it. Allow the egg to poach in the broth until the whites are solid but the yolk is still runny. Alternatively, you can break the yolk and stir the pot just slightly to yield egg ribbons like in egg drop soup. The water should not be boiling at this point or else your egg will dissolve into such small pieces that it will just give you a cloudy broth.
- Pour the soup into a bowl and serve with a dollop of chili garlic paste on the side.
Nutritional values are estimates only. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Step By Step Photos
While you cook the ramen noodles, chop whatever fresh veggies you have on hand.
After the noodles have cooked and you have added the seasoning packet, stir in the veggies and allow them to poach for a minute or so.
Crack the egg into the center of the pot and allow it to poach as well (no picture, please forgive me, I’m sick as a dog!)
I like to leave the yolk runny so that when I finally break it, I get a little shot of creamy yolk heaven!
There are so many good things that you can add to your ramen bowl, don’t be shy. You can try cabbage, sesame seeds, beans, shredded carrots, grilled chicken, shrimp… make it different every time! If you don’t have chili garlic paste, sriracha sauce is also excellent. A sprinkle of sesame oil over top would be even more special. I had a wonderful noodle bowl at a restaurant a while back that came with a side of plum sauce that added an INCREDIBLE flavor to the broth… now I just have to find some to buy somewhere!
I have made this for lunch all week, fills me up so much!! Love it!!
Happy to hear it!
This looks so good and I hope with your help I can make this dish soon! Being a vegetarian there are a limited number of ramen brands/flavors that don’t have animal products in the seasoning packet. Unfortunately the brands I can eat are not available in my area. Do you suggestions for spices to put in, in place of the flavor packet?
Yes! We have some great tips for upgrading instant ramen here and it includes a tip on how to replace the packet.
Thank you so very much!
Wow, this dish was even more amazing than I imagined! I was stuck in a hotel room without a stove. I had eaten all the Frozen microwave meals I could handle and decided to look for an alternative. A quick internet search took me to this amazing recipe, although I’m not sure how because I search for homemade “microwave” meals. Upon reading it I found it so appetizing I decided to give it a shot with a couple alterations in the cooking method. A quick walk to Walmart (which is of course the only grocery store near everything), a few ingredients and a few minutes of preparation and cook time later my incredible hunger for something not frozen or out a box was cured! The alterations were as follows if your without a stove like I was and you’d like to try it.
• Place broken up package of ramen noodles in a microwave safe bowl with water a bit more than covering the noodles cooked in the microwave at 100% power for 6 minutes. •While that cooks chop veggies. Next stir in the packet of seasoning, add veggies and cook for 3-4 more minutes in the microwave. •Add your egg as the original recipe instructs, let it stand for about 5 minutes (depending on how cooked you like your egg). •I garnished with a bit of fresh salsa and oyster crackers.
I can’t thank you enough for this delicious, cheap, easy meal!
I’m so glad this worked out so well for you! Google is getting really smart with its search results, isn’t it? Almost scary smart. :P
Imitation crab (leftover from a sushi bowl) is another great addition to this.
Great idea!
Ramen is a special thing I make in our home. For those that don’t want the “package” ramen, use hondashi and low sodium chicken bullion for your base. Also. The noodles we use are angel hair pasta. Any combination of veggies and meat go great with a little fish cake and ramen egg. It’s not exactly like the ones I had in Japan but it’s the closest we’ve come to feeling like we were at the railroad tracks in Zushi watching the ramen man make our big bowls of heaven. Those soup bases are something special.
I love soup, will try this one tonite.
Really upgraded our ramen at home. Tastes like perfect comfort food and fills you up. Insanely easy and simple.
i luv cooking different kind of dishes!
this recipe is like eating in a korean resto.
Simple yet satisfyingly good!
more more recipes!
1100 mg of sodium in pkg of top ramen. So even 1/2 a pkg is 550 mg of sodium in one serving. Thats ridiculous- after you ate your soup did you drink three gallons of water because the salt made you so thirsty? Maybe next time some low sodium or even better no sodium chicken/beef/pork/shrimp broth would be much healthier. List my mom and my sister to calcification of the aortic valve- basically they salted themselves to death over a course of 40 years.
Most people don’t drink the broth where most of the sodium ends up…
Most people don’t drink the broth??? That’s ridiculous.
I know ONE person to drink the broth. most people drain it.
I lived in a dorm with men and women from all over the globe. As an audiophile I was part of the Global Living and Learning Community. ONE person wouldn’t drain their sodium flavored sodium. Nobody else was that dim….but enjoy that narrow mind of yours.
You can also chiffonade lunch meat on top of your ramen!
I added a squeeze of lime and a cilantro garnish. DELISH!!!!!!
When I see simple, quick, and easy (and cheap!) recipes like this, I get so happy, but I also get almost a little bit disheartened because, why didn’t I think of this? Something that now seems almost obvious, made up of a few ingredients I already have at my disposal, and yet I had to find the recipe online. I want to be fully independent and cook very nice meals, not necessarily gourmet or anything, but enough to impress my friends and guests with such savory simplicity and elegance, as is this here bowl of soup. Your blog brings me joy, and also hope that maybe one day I’ll be able to create a satisfying dish off the top of my head, by just looking at what I already have on hand. I hope you know that your blog is more than just ways to get food ready, it’s a beacon of hope to young college kids who are just now weaving into their silk cocoons, awaiting adulthood. Thank you, Beth.
Thank you!!