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.Â
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.
Mark Lemon says
First time trying this. It was such a hit there were no left overs. Definitely making this again.
Olga says
Yesssss! Great to hear!
Angy says
I doubled the recipe and made another single serving of sauce. Also used half cup low sodium soy and quarter cup regular for salt balance. We loved it.
Olga says
Sounds like you nailed it!!
Wanda says
Made this dish for dinner tonight. I added cabbage, the family loved it. I will make this again. I will share the recipe as well.
Olga says
That’s great to hear!
Jill says
I have even used Mexi-coke and salted at the table! Turns out amazing. Also use in the place of soy sauce for fried rice since I avoid soy and my child is on the low scale of allergic. Itnworjs. Foundnin an old 1950s cook book!
Olga says
I love that idea. Thank you!
Teri says
I have now made it twice once with ground beef and once with chicken. This last time I used ground beef again and used stir fried vegetables to make it faster and it came out just as delicious.
Olga says
Chicken variation sounds great! I’ll have to try it.
Barb says
Used tamari, just made it tonight, really good.
Shawn says
Our family liked this but it was too salty for us. I will try Aminos or Tamari next time or chicken broth and just add the soy sauce when we plate it. I took the suggestion of another to double the sauce because we added a lot of other veggies. I’m going to try ground chicken or turkey next time as well.
Olga says
I use Aminos now almost all the time instead of soy sauce. Good idea.
Linda says
Sounds wonderful. If I wanted to use tamari or coconut aminos, how much would I use? Thx
Olga says
You can use either one in a 1:1 ratio to replace soy sauce.
Angel says
I used cube steak and kept a little of the au jus from that and mixed one ramen packet for the sauce because I didnt have any soy sauce. It tastes delicious. I’ll probably use chicken next time and double the veggies. Thanks for the recipe!
makitou says
j y ai ajouter 3 c soupe de sauce a Sally