Quick and Easy Vegetarian Ramen

Put down that cup of instant noodles. Seriously. Why settle for mediocre when you have the real deal... from scratch? Fine, there is an extra 15-20 minutes (gasp) that will go to preparing the real deal, but in my books that is the definition of quick and easy. The extra (small) time investment is soo worth the result. Freshly made, quick and easy vegetarian ramen is packed with fresh vegetables, noodles, and authentic flavours, and it's ready in just 15 minutes. Get in my belly, now!

I always have a few packs of dry ramen noodles in my pantry for emergency lazy meals like this one. You know, sometimes you are just too tired to cook. I have been there and, in fact, I am there on a regular basis.... The answer is quick and easy vegetarian ramen.

And let's set things straight. Lazy meals do not mean unhealthy meals. For some reason, ramen noodles seem to have racked up a bad reputation. I guess it's largely due to the instant cup noodles kind. I mean, of course dinner out of a styrofoam cup is not going to be healthy. Leave the cup noodles to the college kids. Real ramen (not the 25 cent kind) is healthy and full of fresh ingredients, not dried carrots and peas that come to life when you add water... yikes. Put that stuff away and use real ingredients!

Ingredients in Vegetarian Ramen

The best thing about ramen is that it is pretty much fully customizable. The important thing is the soup base. That, you don't want to change. But the protein and vegetables can be switched up for whatever you have on hand.

• Broth and seasonings - vegetable stock, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, mirin or rice wine vinegar
• Noodles - dried ramen noodles
• Vegetables - fresh shiitake mushrooms and baby spinach
• Protein - eggs. You can add whatever protein you want. Tofu goes really well in this ramen. If you are not vegetarian, then shredded rotisserie chicken, beef, prawns are also great options.
• Toppings - green onions or scallions, shredded carrots, sesame seeds (optional)
• hot sauce, to taste (optional)

How to Make Quick and Easy Vegetarian Ramen

1. Prepare the soup base. Heat the sesame oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a couple minutes until soft and fragrant. Stir in the soy sauce and mirin and cook for another minute. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and simmer for another 10 minutes.
2. Prepare the perfect soft-boiled eggs. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the eggs and cook for exactly 7 minutes for a slightly runny yoke or 8 minutes for a soft yolk. Remove eggs from the pot and place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. After a few minutes, peel the shells off carefully and slice the eggs in half, lengthwise. Set aside.
3. Cook the spinach. Bring another pot of water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook for about a minute, until just wilted. Remove from pot and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.
4. Add noodles. Add ramen noodles to the soup base and cook for 2-3 minutes or according to package instructions. Then, add hot sauce, to taste (optional).
5. Serve. Divide the soup into 2 large bowls. Top with an egg, spinach, carrots and green onions. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional) and serve immediately.

More Ramen and Noodle Recipes

• Creamy Vegetarian Peanut Miso Ramen
• Healthy Miso Ramen with Chicken
• One Pot Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup
• Slow Cooker Asian Beef Noodle Soup
• Shanghai Style Fried Noodles
• 10-Minute Chicken Pad Thai

Recipe

Quick and Easy Vegetarian Ramen

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★★★★★

4.9 from 27 reviews

• Author: Sam | Ahead of Thyme
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 2 soups
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

Put down that cup of instant noodles and make fresh, quick and easy vegetarian ramen in 15 minutes with fresh vegetables, noodles and authentic flavours.

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 3 teaspoons ginger, grated
• 4 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons mirin or rice wine vinegar
• 4 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
• ½ cup fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 2 (3 oz) packs dried ramen noodles
• hot sauce, to taste (optional)
• ½ cup green onions/scallions, sliced
• 1 cup carrots, shredded
• sesame seeds (optional, for topping)

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Instructions

1. Heat the sesame oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a couple minutes until soft and fragrant. Stir in the soy sauce and mirin and cook for another minute. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Add the mushrooms and simmer for another 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the eggs and cook for exactly 7 minutes for a slightly runny yoke or 8 minutes for a soft yolk. Remove eggs from the pot and place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. After a few minutes, peel the shells off carefully and slice the eggs in half, lengthwise. Set aside.
4. Bring another pot of water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook for about a minute, until just wilted. Remove from pot and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.
5. Add ramen noodles to stock mixture and cook 2-3 minutes or according to package instructions. Add some hot sauce, to taste (optional).
6. Divide the soup into 2 large bowls.
7. Top with an egg, spinach, carrots and green onions. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional) and serve immediately.

Notes

Make this ramen vegan by omitting the soft-boiled egg.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Noodles
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Japanese

Keywords: ramen, vegetarian ramen, easy ramen, noodles, noodle soup, how to make ramen, quick and easy vegetarian ramen