I can’t even handle how excited I am about this recipe, friends.
you. will. love. it.
Mark was traveling last weekend, so I opted to head to my parents’ house on Friday. I told myself I was going there just to pick up some stuff and drop off some other stuff, but I knew deep down I’d be staying for dinner.
My parents are terrific cooks. If you would have told me that five years ago, I would have straight-up laughed in your face. My mom was always a good cook, but my dad? Growing up in a very Italian family, he never really needed to cook.
Long story short, he learned to cook, and he rocks at it. Not only that, but he loves to show off his mad skillz. So last Friday night, he decided to whip up some ramen for us.
The broth was delicious, the [gluten free!] noodles were fantastic, and the toppings were spot on. And the company wasn’t shabby either.
But I’ve been craving ramen ever since. And since it’s been getting a little cooler at night in Pittsburgh, I figured there was no better time than the present to whip out a version of my own.
My version of vegan ramen is surprisingly simple, yet full of flavor and textures. Mark and I both went crazy over this stuff, as we quickly slurped it up standing over the stove.
Oh yeah, that happened. *insert eye-roll emoji here*
The broth might just be my favorite part. It’s slightly garlicky, slightly sweet, and totally comforting. We’re basically doctoring up some store-bought veggie stock with some garlic, ginger, vegetables, and two special ingredients: cinnamon and star anise.
WHAT?! Cinnamon in a soup?! Yes, friends. I promise you that it totally works here. It’s warming and sweet and just perfect here. And star anise…well, it’s probably my favorite thing at the moment. Not only is it beautiful (I mean, it literally looks like a star!), but it adds a sweet herbal flavor to this soup. I realize that star anise is a bit hard to find (try Penzey’s or your local Chinese market!), so you can leave it out if you can’t find it. But it’s worth that extra trip to the store.
And then we have our noodles. I found a gluten free ramen at Costco actually – yet another reason why I love that store to pieces -, but you can easily order them online. Ramen noodles are just so much fun to slurp up because of their curly shape and chewy texture. Mark was a huge ramen fan growing up, and he couldn’t tell the difference between these noodles and the ones he loved as a kid. #winning
Last, the toppings. You have to make your ramen #instaworthy, right? I loved topping mine with roasted sweet potato, green onions, fresh jalapeño, radishes, sesame seeds, and avocado, but that’s mostly because I had all of that on-hand. Top yours with your favorite garnishes! I’m thinking that corn, fresh herbs, pickled ginger, Sriracha or chili sauce would all make stellar additions. Pick your faves and make your perfect ramen.
Oh, how I love this recipe! It definitely crept its way into my favorite recipes list due to its amazing flavor and texture combo. When you get a bite that’s full of broth, noodle, and toppings – omg. It’s just my new favorite everything.
Happy slurping!
Easy Vegan Ramen
https://www.fooduzzi.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/easy-vegan-ramen-12.jpg
| Prep: | Cook: | Yield: serves 3-4 | Total: |
An easy vegan homemade ramen that's full of vegetables, texture, and flavors. Perfect for fall or winter!
You'll Need...
- 1 large sweet potato, diced
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
- salt + pepper
- 3 green onions
- 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped small
- 1 cup sugar snap peas, sliced into bite-size pieces
- 2 inch knob ginger, peeled and chopped into 3 chunks
- 3 cloves garlic, slightly smashed
- 32 oz. vegetable stock
- 2 star anise pods (optional, but recommended)
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 4 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced thick
- 3-4 servings gluten free ramen noodles, cooked according to package directions
- For topping: sliced radishes, jalapeño, sesame seeds, avocado, Sriracha
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place diced sweet potato on a baking sheet, coat with 1 Tbsp. olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender, about 20 minutes. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, make your broth. Thinly slice your green onions, separating the white/light green parts from the dark green parts. Add white/light green parts to a medium pot. Add carrot, snap peas, and remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Turn up the heat to medium, and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes.
- Add peeled and chopped ginger, garlic cloves, and vegetable stock. Add star anise pods and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove ginger, garlic cloves, and star anise*, then add mushrooms. Cover and simmer. Taste, and adjust seasoning as necessary.
- Assemble your bowl: Place ramen in the bowl. Cover with hot broth and vegetables. Top with sweet potato and desired toppings.
Additional Notes
*You might want to use a spice bag here just so it's easier to remove the ginger, garlic cloves, and star anise later. I didn't so I just fished them out with a slotted spoon.
Ohhh I totally trust you on the fact that cinnamon makes the broth that much better. And yay for family dinners! The only thing my dad cooked is food on the grill *insert eye roll emoji* typical guy.
Haha! My dad loves his grill, but he has seriously become a wiz in the kitchen recently! And the cinnamon totally makes the broth!
I’ve actually never had ramen in my entire life. and I pride myself on that especially being in college. ;) This looks sooooo comforting though, especially since it’s raining here today!
Haha! I steer clear of the ramen that comes in the packets, but this stuff…oh this stuff I’m obsessed with ;)
I still have yet to make homemade ramen and I really need to get on board this train ASAP! It looks so cozy and brothy and noodly and DELICIOUS.
I think you’d LOVE homemade ramen, Lucia!
ohmygoodnesssss i love those gluten free noodles so much! my costco doesn’t carry them anymore and it makes me so sad! can’t wait to try this— ramen is one of my FAVORITE things in the whole wide world :)
Ahh those noodles are THE BEST. Bless Costco for carrying them!
This looks delicious!! We’re heading to Pittsburgh this weekend and I’d love to know what your favourite vegan-friendly places to eat are. I’ve bookmarked a few but getting a tip from someone who really knows is always best.
Ahh! So fun – you’ll love it here ;)
I’d check out Salud for acai bowls and Eden for lunch/dinner. Luckily, they’re right next to each other in one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city (Shadyside). There’s some fun shopping around there including a food co-op that’s super fun to browse (it’s called the East End Food Co-op).
Have SO much fun. I’m excited to hear what you do/eat!
Thanks for the tips! I just put them on our list to check out!
This looks so beautiful, Alexa!! I will definitely be trying this soon! I’ve been following your blog for awhile, but this is the first time I’ve commented. I recently started my own food blog, and I wanted to let you and Mark know how much I’ve been loving matcha!! Thank you so much for developing such a cool recipe plugin!! :)
Thank you SO much, Devan! And we’re absolutely thrilled you’re loving Matcha – it made both of our days :)
Such a beautiful soup Alexa!! And all that toppings! When there’s nothing to eat, go for ramen right? :)
Thank you so much, Amy! You’re exactly right – this recipe is so simple, you can whip it up whenever :)
This looks incredibly yummy! Such a comforting winter meal: steamy, brothy, and full of veggies and noodles!
Thank you so much! It’s super comforting – we absolutely love it!
Ooh! My son messaged me with a picture of that ramen yesterday and this morning you were in my inbox with a recipe for it!