Did you know that there is a super fast, easy way to improve instant ramen noodles for the better? If not, today is a good day for you because I’m going to share my #1 hack for making an instant ramen noodles recipe that tastes more like the real deal AND contains some nutritional value!

How to improve instant ramen noodles

My favorite way to improve instant ramen is to include some simple additions. Here’s how I like to make mine (with the full recipe later in this post):

1. Substitute the 2 cups of water on the instant noodles package instructions for real chicken broth.
2. Add soy sauce to deepen the flavor along with the seasoning packet.
3. Cook real vegetables in the broth.
4. Top with soft boiled eggs, green onions, and a little bit of sesame seeds, sesame oil, or red pepper flakes if desired

Making your own broth

If you’ve never made your own broth before, it’s actually really easy to make a simple homemade chicken broth. One of these days I’ll get a full post on here about how to do it, but for a super basic low sodium approach, all you need is to do is put 3lb (1.5kg) raw bone-in chicken (a whole chicken is usually perfect) into a large pot with about 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 an onion and a gallon (16 cups or 4L) of water. Bring this to a boil, reduce it to a simmer, and cook for 2 hours. Remove the chicken from the broth, and de-bone to use in other cooking. Put the rest of the broth through a fine mesh sieve to strain it, and store it in the fridge or freezer for cooking.

I make broth this way on a semi regular basis, and then I strain it off and freeze it in small, empty, clean sour cream containers. One of those (500ml) containers is exactly 2 cups, which makes it easy to measure for just about anything I want to make with it.

Controlling the salt

For making instant ramen noodles with chicken broth, it’s very important that you use unsalted or low-sodium broth (as I outlined above). The reason for this is that the flavor packet that comes with the ramen noodles already makes a flavorful broth, and this recipe also contains soy sauce (which is quite salty). If your chicken broth is also well-seasoned (salted), then it will become too much salt for this recipe; so, I emphasize: if you’re making this instant ramen recipe, make sure to use low sodium chicken broth (either homemade or store bought is fine). 

Choosing the best vegetables

For this recipe, I’ve chosen a few simple, inexpensive options that are easy to prepare. However, you can use just about of your favourite vegetables to make this, and it will turn out delicious! Here are some options to serve in, or on top, of this recipe:

To cook in the broth:

• Cabbage
• Bok choy
• Kale
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Carrots (sliced thin)
• Mushrooms
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Grated fresh ginger (a tiny bit)

To serve fresh, on top:

• Bean sprouts
• Green onions/Spring onions
• Bell peppers, thinly sliced (for extra color and extra flavor)
• Hot sauce (such as sriracha sauce)
• Peanuts
• Sesame seeds
• Sesame oil
• Chili flakes
• Grated fresh carrot

Protein: adding meat or egg to ramen noodles

If you cooked your own broth in order to make this recipe (see above), then you can add the meat from that process. Add the a bit of the meat to the hot broth, or else you can add leftover shredded meat (from a rotisserie chicken, leftover cooked chicken breast, etc). If you’re making beef ramen, feel free to add some shredded beef, ground beef, or thinly sliced beef. 

If, however, you’re working without meat available (which is often the case for me), you can add a softly boiled egg, peeled and cut in half, to the broth when you serve it. Or (if you wanna get lazy), another great option is to crack an egg right into the soup when you add the noodles, to poach directly in the broth while the noodles cook.  

However you decide to do it, those are some easy ways to add protein to your ramen noodle soup!

How long is leftover ramen good for

Leftover instant ramen, unfortunately, is not really worth keeping most of the time. That said, if you make your soup with real broth (as in this recipe), then I can completely understand not wanting to throw it away… in which case, I have some suggestions! I would not keep leftover ramen for longer than 1-2 days, but if you do keep it – you will want to know how to put it away, and how to reheat it.

What to do with leftover ramen noodles

Before you think about eating leftover ramen noodles, especially when they’re the instant kind, you need to know how to store them and reheat them. Here’s what you need to know, and why.

• Strain the broth off, to separate it from the noodles and veggies
  –Why? The noodles will get swollen and mushy quickly in the broth and will not preserve well. Separate the noodles from the broth for storage, for best results.
• Refrigerate the noodles/veggies separately from the broth, if you want to keep them*
  –Why? If you decide to keep the noodles, do not attempt to serve them in the broth a second time; by the time they re-heat in the broth, they will be completely swollen and mushy. Instead, follow my reheating instructions for noodles below.

*Personally, I prefer to discard leftover instant noodles. They get softer as they sit, and don’t tend to last very well.

Reheating instructions

For the Broth:

To reheat your ramen noodle soup broth, you can cook fresh noodles (either instant or regular) and/or fresh vegetables to accompany it. Instant noodles can be cooked directly in the broth (as before, with the veggies), and regular noodles should be cooked separately and then added to the hot broth with vegetables.

For the Noodles:

If you decided to keep your noodles, you can stir-fry some vegetables in a bit of olive oil with soy sauce, add the noodles, and stir fry it all until slightly crispy. 

Why you will love this recipe

This recipe doesn’t take a whole lot longer to make than just the regular instant noodles, but the process is much simpler than making ramen noodles from scratch.

I think you’ll love this recipe because it’s easy, delicious (and a whole lot more nutritious!) than making the famous college days package of instant noodles that only requires you to know how to boil water.

You will need:

• Ingredients (see recipe card)
• Small pot
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Chef’s knife
• Paring knife
• Cutting board
• Forks
• Ladle
• Bowl
• Spoon
• Chopsticks

If you like this recipe, you may also like:

• Italian Sausage and Black Bean Soup
• Roasted Tomato Soup
• Chicken Pot Pie
• Spinach, Tomato, and Feta Quiche Tarts

That’s all for today! If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know in the comments – and also, I’d love to hear what you added to yours! What kind of instant ramen did you use? What kind of broth? And any special ingredients? Let me know below, and of course as always – you can tag me in your recipe photos on Instagram @naomicakesofficial. I always love to see what you’ve been making! 

Bye for now,

–Naomi

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