Quick Low Sodium Ramen

There are so many days that I crave ramen but don't feel like driving and searching for the indulgent soup when I could just make it at home. The ramen addiction came from far too many cup o' noodles purchased at swim meet snack bars growing up, but I refuse to keep the ultra salted, highly processed, just add water noodles around. I do not claim to be a ramen expert, but this quick, healthier at home dupe is pretty delicious and still incredibly indulgent. This is merely a quick lunch that I make regularly and enjoy quite a bit!

Most of the time I just use what I already have in the fridge or pantry. This usually works out because I gravitate toward Asian cooking and flavors 80% of the time. In this instance, I used low sodium vegetable stock, low sodium soy sauce, lite coconut milk, and ginger juice in my broth. For added ingredients, I used shredded carrots, sliced mini portabello mushrooms, spinach, an egg, sesame seeds, leftover pulled pork, and whole wheat ramen noodles. The extra ingredients are interchangeable and can fit whatever the craving calls for: green onions, chicken, steak, snap peas, peppers, tofu, etc.

I feel like ramen, and most soup really, allows for creative interpretation and influence. Generally the broth will remain with a similar base with room for added depth, but the ingredients added in can be unique to the consumer. As long as the integrity of the dish isn't compromised, I don't see an issue with a little fusion of flavors.

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My broth ingredients

The broth is so easy to make, and takes about fifteen minutes to come together overall. Take about a cup and a half of stock (I used low sodium vegetable broth), a quarter cup of soy sauce, a third of a cup of coconut milk, and about a tablespoon of ginger juice (grated ginger could be substituted here) and combine into a pot over medium heat. Stir to combine and occassionally to prevent settling of the coconut milk. I also added my shredded carrots to the pot to soften.

In the base of a wide bowl, place spinach and lightly seared mushrooms, top with cooked ramen noodles and cooked meat of your choice, then pour broth over base ingredients, top with an egg prepared to your liking, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Break that yolk open and add some unctuousness to your dish! Enjoy!!

​Low Sodium Ramen Recipe

​Prep time : 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 serving whole wheat Ramen noodles

1 1/2 cups Low Sodium Vegetable Broth

1/4 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce

1/3 cup Lite Coconut Milk

1 Tbsp Ginger (juice, fresh grated, or paste)

4-5 Mini Portabello Mushrooms, sliced

1 cup Spinach

1/2 cup Shredded Carrots

1 Egg

Approx. 1/2 cup meat of choice (I used leftover pulled pork)

Sprinkle of sesame seeds

Instructions:

1. Follow package directions for cooking your ramen noodles and set aside.

2. Combine Vegetable broth, soy sauce, coconut milk, and ginger in a pot. Place over medium heat on the stove and stir occasionally to prevent settling.

3. In a small pan, lightly cook mushrooms until just browned on both sides. Remove from pan and place in bottom of serving bowl along with the spinach.

4. If merely reheating leftover meat, place in the pan and allow to warm and crisp slightly before adding to bowl atop the mushrooms and spinach. If fully cooking a protein, do so to preference, slice, and add to bowl.

5. Add ramen noodles to the bowl as well. Stir the broth one more time and pour over prepared noodle bowl.

6. Add oil to the bottom of the small pan and make sure the lid is nearby. Once the oil is up to a medium heat, crack egg and place in pan. reduce heat to medium low, pour about a tablespoon of water into the pan and cover. This will allow the egg to steam and cook the top without flipping. Once the whites have cooked but the yolk is still jiggly, gently transfer from pan to the top of the ramen bowl.

7. Top with sprinkle of sesame seeds. Enjoy!!