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!
- 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?
COCONUT AMINOS. If you are not a fan of soy, you can easily replace it with coconut aminos. 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.
TAMARI. What about Tamari sauce? You will find it stronger in flavor than coconut aminos, but also less salty than regular soy sauce. 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!
What kind of skillet do I need?
I like using a solid stainless steel pan, such as this 12 inch pan with a lid.
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 ½ teaspoon only. So much better than instant Ramen packets! And so healthy!
I also encourage you to try 10 Best Pasta Recipes for more “noodle” ideas.
More delicious Asian recipes
Chicken Chow Mein Restaurant Style
Easy Thai Noodles with Peanut Sauce
Low Sodium Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Healthy Beef Ramen Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- ½ 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
- ¼ 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.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only. This information comes from online calculators. Although whatsinthepan.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Tanya Dilworth says
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,
Olya says
Tanya – your review made my evening! Water chestnuts would be amazing in this!
Kay says
My kids loved this dish!!
Bonnie says
Could I use frozen broccoli? Don’t hVe fresh on hand .
Olya says
Absolutely!
Tanja says
Very very tasty
Darlene Etheridge says
What can you replace Sirrachi sauce with if you don’t like it and don’t do spicy at all due to stomach issues!?
Olya says
How about ketchup?
Sam says
How much is one serving? A cup?
Olya says
yes – one cup
Holly says
This recipe is a family favorite in my house. I shared it with my sister and she loves it too! I make it with ground turkey and low sodium soy sauce. I otherwise follow the recipe as is. I’m going to throw in some mushrooms tonight which I think will be a nice addition. I bet shredded carrots would also be a nice addition. Can you freeze this meal? Thanks!
Olya says
I agree about shredded carrots. You can definitely freeze it.
Melissa says
Could I use a different kind of hot sauce? Don’t like siracha
Olya says
You can absolutely use a different sauce. Oyster sauce or regular hot sauce.
Joan Graham says
What if i don’t have sriacha?
Olya says
You can definitely use regular chili sauce. You can even use ketchup with red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper added to it.
Gary says
My kids love this recipe. I make it with chicken too and add finely chopped carrots.
Olya says
YES for finely chopped carrots!!
Tina says
What do you make the sauce with when you make it with chicken?
Olya says
I am not sure what Gary did exactly. I would make the sauce exactly as it is. Both ground chicken and turkey would work great!
Nicole says
This recipe was amazing. I used fresh ramen from my local Asian mart. Delish!
Olya says
Great choice in the fresh ramen!