Everyone has heard of ramen noodle soup, right? Those wavy little noodles sold in a square package with a seasoning packet? Certainly budget-friendly, but not so health-friendly.
However, did you know there is a way to make ramen healthy? Use real, nourishing broth, veggies, and some quality grass-fed protein and you have a delicious, nourishing comfort-food meal.
This ramen soup-inspired noodle dish is made with ground beef, onions, and a sweet and savory sauce. It’s fast, delicious, and still inexpensive too!
Can Ramen Noodles Really Be Healthy?
Why yes, they can be if you use the right noodles. I prefer to avoid wheat products for the most part, so I don’t use traditional ramen noodles. Substitute rice ramen or shirataki noodles, like those in my Thai peanut butter noodles recipe. Whatever noodles you decide to use, just cook them until they’re tender, but not mushy. You don’t want them falling apart.
How to Make Homemade Beef Ramen Noodles
I can’t decide if this recipe is a healthy hamburger helper with Asian flair or a lo mein recipe with ramen noodles and ground beef. Maybe you can help settle the mental debate.
To make it, I first cook the noodles and set them aside. While they’re cooking, I brown ground beef with garlic and onion. In a separate bowl make a sauce with soy sauce, hoisin, oyster sauce, mirin (a sweet Japanese rice wine), and maple syrup.
When the ground beef is done I stir in some of the sauce and let it simmer and thicken a little bit and then stir in the noodles. And that’s it! I usually top it with some sliced green onions and sesame for a little crunch and freshness, but they’re completely optional.
Make It a Complete Meal
Rather than cook separate veggie sides, I usually just put additional vegetables right in the dish. I just use any vegetables I have on hand and so far, every combination has been delicious.
Note: If it’s a vegetable that requires a longer cooking time, like broccoli, toss it in the water with the noodles. If it’s a vegetable with a shorter cooking time, like snow peas or zucchini, add it to the ground beef when you add the sauce.
In the mood for chicken ramen instead? Try this recipe… I’ll make my own version and share soon!
Beef Ramen Noodle Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 oz ramen noodles (or shirataki noodles)
- 1 lb ground beef (or turkey, double for extra protein)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 sweet onion (thinly sliced)
- ¼ cup coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 2 TBSP oyster sauce
- 2 TBSP mirin
- 1 TBSP maple syrup
- 1 stalk green onion (sliced)
- 1 TBSP sesame seeds (toasted)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Add the ramen noodles and cook, following package instructions.
- Drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef.
- While it is still cooking, add the sliced onions and garlic and cook until the beef is browned and onions are starting to caramelize.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, mirin, and maple syrup and set aside.
- When the meat is cooked, add half of the sauce and cook for another 3-4 minutes until the sauce has thickened and caramelized.
- Add the remaining sauce to taste, or store the extra for in the fridge for another time.
- Stir the cooked noodles into the ground beef mixture and heat through.
- Top with sliced green onions and sesame seeds and serve.
Notes
Do you make ramen? What’s your favorite way to fix it?
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