How do you make healthy ramen noodles?
Do you like the instant ramen and the convenience they bring? But not so sure about all that sodium and MSG in its spice packet of soup stock? In that case, the answer is simple! It’s time to make your own stir fry sauce! Because this ramen noodle recipe tastes better than anything in a packet! Besides it comes together as quickly as if you were using the ramen packets. So perfect for quick mid-week meal! I also encourage you to try 10 Best Past Recipes.
- First things first, you will need 2 packages of noodles to make the ramen noodle recipe. I used two 3 ounce packages in total.
- You will start by boiling the noodles. Only 2 minutes.
- While they are cooking, we will make the stir fry!
- Simply heat your vegetable oil in a medium skillet and sauté onion, garlic, bell pepper and broccoli. Only enough to make them soft. I did it very quickly, about two minutes.
- Then, I removed the vegetables from the pan and added my ground beef.
- Once you cooked the beef, drain all its liquid and add back the vegetables.
- Now, prepare the sauce by adding soy sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and garlic.
- Finally, drain cooked ramen noodles and toss them in the beef with sauce!
- Top the noodles stir fry with chopped green onions or sesame seeds!
I added sauce and noodles at the same time.
What if I don’t like soy sauce?
If you are not a fan of soy, you can easily replace it with coconut aminos or tamari sauce. If you never cooked with coconut aminos, they are dark in color. Just like soy sauce. But unlike soy sauce, they contain far less sodium. Yet, they still have that salty, umami flavor of soy.
What about Tamari sauce? You will find it stronger in flavor than coconut aminos, but also less salty than soy. If you are gluten free, you can use Tamari instead of soy. I used Tamari sauce in this Easy Chicken Stir Fry as well. Give it a try!
So next time you are reaching for something quick to eat, you know there is a healthier alternative! You can now make this healthy ramen noodles recipe for lunch. Or, dinner. And, you can even add more spice. If so, add a bit more sriracha until desired heat is reached. Or, use less. You can also use sesame oil here, but I find its taste a bit strong. Therefore go slow on it. Start with 1/2 teaspoon only. So much better than instant Ramen packets! And so healthy!
Healthy Beef Ramen Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1/2 head broccoli cut into florets
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 6 oz ramen noodles (2 packets with seasoning packets discarded)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Sauce
- 1/4 c. soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp. sriracha
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 scallion (chopped)
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onions, peppers, and broccoli and cook until tender, 5 minutes. Remove from the pan.
- Add ground beef, season with salt and pepper, and cook until no longer pink, 5 minutes more. Drain fat and return vegetables back to the skillet
- Make sauce: Whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, Sriracha, and garlic.
- In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add ramen noodles and cook until tender, 2 minutes. Drain.
- Add cooked ramen noodles to skillet and pour over sauce. Toss until completely combined. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if necessary. Then garnish with scallions and serve.
Can you make this without the Siracha and vinegar?
You can use lemon juice (or squeeze 1/2 of fresh lemon) instead of the vinegar. As far as making it without sriracha – crush 2 cloves of garlic and add some spiciness of your choice (can be chili sauce, red pepper flakes, fresh hot pepper, etc.).
Could you do the same thing with chicken instead of beef?
Yes! Absolutely!
Added fresh peas at the end and was terrific. We are huge fresh veggie folks and peas are our favorite. Thank you for sharing. Absolutely a quick,easy and healthy recipe.
Love fresh peas addition to this recipe!
Tried it tonight, it was a big hit and will be on our rotation, I doubled the soy sauce, apple cider vinegar and brown sugar, but only 1/4 tbsp of Sriracha.. I used frozen. Broccoli florets added red and green bell pepper and onion.
Next time will use three packets of the ramen noodles and try a broccoli, carrot and water chestnut frozen blend.
Thank you,
Tanya – your review made my evening! Water chestnuts would be amazing in this!