This week, I had a second winning dinner- made entirely from items that had been hanging out in my pantry and freezer for a while.
The primary ingredients?
- A bottle of General Tso’s sauce (half used – the leftovers had been in my fridge for a few months)
- A bottle of Mongolian garlic sauce (same thing but the sauce had been in my fridge for a few weeks)
- The remnants of a wholesale club size bag of Broccoli Normandy (frozen)
- 8 packs of Top Ramen/Maruchan Ramen noodles
Despite not being the healthiest of ingredients, I would reckon that most households in America have ramen noodles in their arsenal.
Personally, I usually keep a stash of these in our “sick bin” because A. likes making these super simple noodle soups when he is sick.
I prefer making homemade soup stock in moments like that, but it’s always good to have a back-up in case the plague hits our whole household.
Or…in case we are trying to shelf cook for the month!
If you have ramen on hand but just aren’t feeling like soup, this basic stir fry formula is a great way to utilize those noodles.
The Process
To minimize dishes, I used the same pot of boiling water to cook the frozen vegetables and Ramen noodles.
I followed the package directions, beginning with the veggies and straining them off before cooking the noodles in the same water.
I then tossed everything together with the remnants of both bottles of sauce (plus a little water and soy sauce to thin it out).
My kids devoured their plates and went back for seconds, and the entire meal was ready in less than 20 minutes.
I wouldn’t call this a healthy meal and I definitely prefer making homemade stir fry sauces and using higher quality noodles and produce when I can.
But for a simple meal made from the pantry alone, I was pleased with the results! Plus, this is a great recipe for those weeks when life has happened and you just haven’t gotten to the store or a storm has made traveling a challenge.
What are your go-to additions to ramen? How do you customize these simple soup packets?