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Short-Order Kitchen

Higher-Protein Instant Ramen

By Wes Ellis2 min read
A bowl of spicy ramen with grilled chicken, a soft-boiled egg, corn, mushrooms and scallions.
Recipe card
Servings
1
Prep
5 minutes
Cook
5 to 7 minutes
Method
Stovetop
Heat
Medium-high heat
Difficulty
Easy
Jump to ingredients & directions ↓

Part 7 of the thread Weeknight dinners

THE SHORT VERSION4 points
  • Vegetables go in the boiling broth first, for 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Then the noodles and seasoning, 3 to 5 minutes.
  • The protein is what makes it a meal: chicken, tofu or an egg poached right in the pot.
  • About 12 minutes start to finish, one saucepan.
THE RECIPE · HIGHER-PROTEIN INSTANT RAMEN

Ingredients

You'll need

  • Small or medium saucepan

Directions

  1. Chop the vegetables into small, bite-size pieces.
  2. Bring the water or stock to a boil and add the vegetables. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until just tender.
  3. Add the noodles and the seasoning packet and cook according to the package, usually 3 to 5 minutes.
  4. For cooked chicken or tofu, stir it in for the last minute to heat through. For an egg, crack it into the simmering broth and let it poach, or add a soft-boiled egg at the end.
  5. Take it off the heat, add a dash of soy sauce if you want, and pour it all into a bowl.
Notes Eat it right away; the noodles keep drinking the broth and go soft. Stock instead of water adds a lot of flavor for no extra work. Roughly 400 calories and 38 g protein per bowl with the protein added, give or take.

wesellis.com/blog/high-protein-instant-ramen/

Instant ramen is a fine thing to eat. On its own it's mostly noodles and salt, though. Add a cup of vegetables and a real protein and it becomes a bowl of soup you'd happily call dinner, and it only adds a couple of minutes.

Order of operations

Everything cooks in the same pot, just in a sequence. Vegetables go in first because they take longest. Noodles next. Protein last, since it's either already cooked or cooks in about three minutes. Cut the vegetables small, especially carrots, or they'll still be crunchy when the noodles are done.

Tip

Use stock instead of water. The seasoning packet is still there, but stock gives the broth some body, and low-sodium stock keeps the salt in check.

The egg option

Cracking an egg straight into simmering broth is the easiest protein there is. Keep the heat at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil, and leave it alone for a few minutes. The white sets, the yolk stays soft, and it enriches the broth when you break it. A crispy fried egg laid on top works too, and How to Make Eggs on a Griddle walks through getting the yolk where you like it.

Try this

Leftover shredded chicken from Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup drops right in here, or use a few shrimp from Shrimp Stir Fry.

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