Ramen noodles with cheesy tomato sauce

A nice, quick meal that my husband and I enjoyed. It's similar to my spaghetti-style Ramen, but I made my own tomato sauce with milk and shredded cheese, rather than using a pre-made one.

Ingredients:

• 2 blocks Ramen noodles
• 6 ounces tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon basil or oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan or Italian blend cheese
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1/4 cup water

1. Stir the tomato paste, milk, and water together in a small pot over medium heat.
2. Add the shredded cheese. I increased the heat slightly after doing this in order to help the cheese melt.
3. Stir occasionally for two or three minutes, then reduce the heat to low. Add the salt, garlic powder, and basil/oregano.
4. Cook the packs of Ramen noodles one-by-one in a small pot or together in a medium pot. Drain, then serve onto two plates. Divide the sauce equally among each, then toss the noodles until they are covered.

Vegetarian spaghetti-style Ramen noodles

I realize that this recipe might seem a bit useless, considering that spaghetti noodles cook about as quickly as Ramen. Well, all I can say is that I sometimes prefer the taste and texture of certain noodles over others (for this reason, I occasionally make my spaghetti alla carbonara with rotini or penne pasta).

Ingredients:

• 2 blocks Ramen noodles, without the seasoning packets
• 1 1/4 cups meat-less spaghetti/tomato sauce of your choice
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons shredded or grated Parmesan cheese (or an "Italian blend" variety)
• Optional - 1 small can mushroom slices or stems and pieces

Note: If you don't mind making this a non-vegetarian meal, use Ramen noodles of a beef variety. Stir one of the packets into the sauce for extra flavor.

1. Warm the sauce in a small pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook the Ramen a few minutes later (since they will be done quickly, it is best to start warming the sauce beforehand).
2. If you are using mushrooms or seasoning, stir them into the sauce.
3. When the Ramen is cooked, drain and return to the pot. Toss with the butter and garlic.
4. Serve the noodles, then top with sauce. Sprinkle with cheese.

Robin's "4:00 AM Ramen"

I threw this together when I couldn't sleep. I thought it was good - one of those things that I might not often be in the mood for, but a nice different snack.

If you haven't yet, please vote in the poll (in my previous entry) for the recipe that you want me to post next.

Ingredients:

• 1 block Ramen noodles of any chicken flavor, including the seasoning packet (I used regular chicken. A "picante" or lime chili variety might make this a little intense, but if you don't mind that, I say go for it!)
• 1/8 cup bacon bits or leftover chopped cooked bacon
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or a garlic seasoning of your choice
• 1/4 teaspoon lime juice

1. Cook the Ramen and add the seasoning packet as usual.
2. Add the garlic powder/seasoning and lime juice, then toss noodles.
3.  Stir in the bacon.

Ramen noodles with alfredo sauce

As I've written before, one of my favorite things about Ramen noodle recipes is that they're a great way to use up the last bits of many foods (Ever throw out a milk carton that still had a cup or so left, because you forgot about it until a few days after it expired?).

Ingredients:

• 1 block Ramen noodles (without the seasoning packet)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• Optional (if you don't mind making this a non-vegetarian meal) - 1/4 cup bacon bits, chopped cooked bacon, or leftover cooked chicken pieces

1. In a small pot, heat the milk, butter, and cheese. Stir until blended.
2. When the mixture begins to boil, turn the heat down to low. Add the garlic powder and Italian seasoning.
3. In a separate small pot, cook the Ramen noodles. Meanwhile, allow the sauce to continue sitting on low heat so that it will thicken a little. Stir occasionally.
4. When the noodles are done, drain and add them to the sauce, then toss until they are covered. Add optional ingredients if you are using them.

Ramen noodle seasoning packets

As most of you know, I started experimenting with Ramen noodle recipes recently. I like them because they're a good quick snack or meal, and because this is a nice way for me to use leftovers or remaining bits of food. For example, when my husband and I buy large bags of frozen vegetables, we often end up with a last half-cup or so in the bottom of the bag - not enough to be a side dish for two people, not enough to use in recipes for larger dishes.

Since I haven't been including the seasoning packets in most of my Ramen recipes, I've found other ways to use them:

- My husband added a packet of roast beef flavor to the hashbrown potatoes in the picture on the right.

- I use healthier whole-grain varieties of pasta most of the time, although I like stuffed pastas (such as tortellini and ravioli), which I can rarely find in a whole-grain or whole-wheat variety. One of my favorite quick lunches is one cup of whole-grain pasta + half of a Ramen packet + a tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese.

- Seasoning for vegetables that are going into other dishes. In my recipe for Ramen with pesto sauce and mushrooms, I sauteed the mushrooms with the seasoning packets. Try stirring one into broccoli pieces or spinach.

A note about vegetarian meals: The website for Nissin Foods states, here, that the Oriental and Chili flavors of Top Ramen do not contain any animal products.

Vegetable "stir-fry" Ramen noodles

I loved Ramen noodles when I was a kid. I still do even though I’m in my twenties now. They’re a nice, cheap snack to keep in your cabinets, and you can make good quick meals with them.

Ingredients:

• 2 packs/blocks of ramen noodles
• 1 1/2 cups vegetables of your choice. I used a frozen “stir-fry blend”.
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (I prefer low-sodium soy sauce, but use regular if you want)

1. Fill a skillet with about 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Add the ramen, but do not use the seasoning packets that come with them.
2. Heat vegetables according to package directions (I microwaved mine). Set aside.
3. When the noodles are cooked, lower the skillet’s heat. Drain the ramen.
4. Add the vegetable oil to the empty skillet. Return the noodles and add the vegetables. Stir and toss for about one minute, mixing the vegetables into the noodles.
5. Add the soy sauce and toss for another minute or so, until the mixture is lightly coated with the sauce.

Ramen noodles with pesto sauce and mushrooms

This serves two people, maybe - I say "maybe" because, truthfully, I've eaten two packs of Ramen by myself before! You can half the amounts of noodles, sauce, and cheese if you don’t want to make as much.

Ingredients:

• 2 packages/blocks Ramen noodles of your choice (I used a roast beef flavor)
• 1 of the seasoning packets from the Ramen noodles
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 package pesto/creamy pesto sauce mix or 1 cup prepared sauce
• 1 small can mushrooms slices or stems and pieces
• 2 tablespoons shredded or grated Parmesan cheese, or a shredded “Italian blend”

Notes:
- I used a pesto sauce mix this time instead of my own recipe. I made it creamy by using milk in place of water. If you are using a pre-made sauce, you don’t have to heat it - just toss the cooked noodles in it and then add the mushrooms when they are done.
- The mushrooms in the picture above turned a darker shade of brown because of the roast beef seasoning packet. Yours may look different if you use other flavors, such as chicken.

1. If you are using a mix for the sauce, prepare it a small pot according to package directions. When it begins to thicken, let it sit on low heat to remain warm.
2. Open and drain the canned mushrooms, then add them to a separate small pot or pan with the 2 tablespoons of water. Add the Ramen seasoning packet. Stir the mushrooms in the seasoning occasionally over medium heat.
3. Meanwhile, cook the Ramen noodles. Drain and return to pot. Add the pesto sauce and stir until the noodles are covered.
4. Serve onto two plates (the two separate blocks will probably be combined by now, so you may need to use a fork to separate them). Spread the mushrooms across each bed of noodles. If there is in liquid left in the mushrooms’ pot, use a fork or slotted spoon to lift them out.
5. Top with 1 tablespoon each of the shredded/grated cheese.