Vegetable Ramen is a quick to make soup or meal that is packed with flavor and spice. The noodles are fun to slurp up and the bowl warms you at any time of the year. This dish is also a great way to use up vegetables. Moreover, it can be easily customized to your taste!

Asian is my “go-to” when it comes to cooking quick and nutritious meals for my family. Due to our vegetarian lifestyle and my allergies to dairy products, Asian foods like ramen with vegetables are ideal. There are so many permutations of an Asian dish, no one grows bored in this house.

Also, Asian meals like stir fry and ramen are great moments to use up vegetables that are on the verge of going bush. Our refrigerator is exploding with produce in the beginning of the week. However, as the week inches on, some of these vegetables become ear-marked for compost if we do not use them. So, instead of them pushing of daisies, these near-end vegetables make their way into our Asian dishes.

One other reason why we prefer cooking Asian at least twice a week is that Asian food has wonderful spice profiles. Like other ethnic foods, many Asian dishes welcome spicy sauces and condiments. And in this household, the one bottle we are not lacking on the top shelf is the hot and spicy sauce.

Ramen with Vegetables Recipe Tips

Recommended Equipment and Kitchen Utensils

Chopping knives
Stock pot
Mincer
Steamer or Instant Pot steamer
Soup ladle
Decorative soup bowls

The Ramen Broth

There are authentic Ramen broth recipes. This one is quick and simple. It also uses some common ingredients found in your pantry. If you do not have some of these Asian staples, I highly recommend having them on hand. Our base uses vegetable stock, soy sauce, miso paste and white vinegar.

Miso paste is now found a many grocery stores. A little goes a long way when used in dishes. Besides the well-known miso soup, this staple is commonly used to make some vegan cheeses like nacho cheese.

Ramen Noodles

Many of the authentic ones are in the refrigerated section of Asian markets. However, we were able to find some at the local mainstream grocery market. Most ramen noodles use egg to produce that firm bite after cooked. However, there are vegan ramen noodles available in the market too. And if this whole ramen sourcing sounds time-consuming, you can use other type of noodles you have on hand (e.g. soba, rice noodles, vermicelli.) And if you want to truly cheat, you can buy the spice and ramen noodle packets . Toss the spice mix and just use the noodles for the recipe. Some of those product’s spice mixes contain MSG.

Vegetables Galore

Traditional ramen calls for baby bok choy, carrot, shitake mushroom and onions. However, we make our ramen using different vegetables depending on what we have on hand. For example, some other options include broccoli, green beans, celery, asparagus, green cabbage, white mushrooms and spinach.

Tofu Texture

I recommend firm to extra firm texture or even the sprouted type. However, feel free to use the type of texture you prefer. I recommend using it “as is” out of the package but cut up in cubes. At the same time, if you prefer to pan-fry the tofu cubes to create a firmer bite, then that works too.

Benefits of Vegetable Ramen Soup

Quick to make
Uses an assortment of vegetables
Easy to make
Vegetarian
Flavorful
Can add different plant-based protein sources
Customize to personal taste

Other Plant-based Recipes to Try

Vegetable Wraps with Plant-based Protein

Ramen with Vegetables & Tofu

Recipe by SansMooCourse: SoupsCuisine: AsianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Total time

minutes

Ingredients

1 up Mushrooms (thinly sliced)
(Note: Recommend using shiitake but can use white or crimini.)
2 Cups Water
(Note: Used to soak the mushrooms.)
3 Tablespoons Avocado Oil
(Note: can use any neutral flavored oil e.g. vegetable oil.)
1 Yellow Onion (chopped)
4 Cloves Garlic (minced)
1 Inch Fresh Ginger (minced)
(Note: can use dry ginger.)
4 Cups Vegetable Stock
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
(Note: recommend low sodium version.)
1 Teaspoon Miso Paste
1 Teaspoon White Vinegar
1 Bunch of Baby Bok Choy
1 Cup Carrots (chopped)
(Note: chopped into wheels)
2 Stalks Celery (chopped)
2 Sprigs Green Onions (chopped)
1 Cup Spinach
12 Ounces Ramen Noodles
14 Ounces Firm Tofu (cubed)
1/2 Cup Kimchi
(Note: homemade is the best)

Directions

Ramen Noodles
Fill up a medium sized stock pot with water and bring to a boil.
Cook the Ramen noodles according to package instructions or until tender bite ~8 minutes.
Drain the noodles and run cool water over the noodles to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
Ramen Soup
Place one cup of mushrooms into a bowl and add about 1-2 cups of hot water to steep the mushroom flavor. Set aside.
Place oil in a large stock pot and turn the heat on to medium high.
Add the onions and cook until translucent which is about 8 minutes.
Add the vegetable stock, soy sauce, miso paste, white vinegar, mushrooms and mushroom water to the stock pot.
Set the stock pot to simmer.
Cut up vegetables and tofu and place in a steamer. Or you can steam them in a microwave. Note: You can steam them individually or you can combine all the vegetables and steam them together with the tofu.
Taste the ramen stock and adjust the flavor. If you need more salt, add salt 1/8 teaspoon at a time, If it is too salty, add more water.
Fill the soup bowls with ramen noodles and the steamed vegetables and tofu.
Ladle ramen broth over the top of vegetables and tofu until the liquid reaches close to the top lip of the bowl.
Garnish with chopped green onion and kimchi.
Leftovers: Ramen stock can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. Store the remaining stock, vegetables, tofu and noodles separately. Combining them changes the texture (e.g. vegetables get soggy and noodles break down).