We’re back with more pantry recipe ideas to spice up life while we all stay at home. And bonus! They’re all soups! Soups with NOODLES.
This roundup of our favorite quick and easy noodle soup recipes pack lots of flavor and warming goodness with minimal time and effort.
Why Noodle Soups Are A Go-To Meal
Noodle soup has always been a go-to meal in our house, probably because however the fridge is looking (full to bursting, or particularly sparse), a warming, hot bowl of noodle soup is always within reach.
We keep dried noodles in the pantry, or sometimes fresh noodles in the freezer. Then, we always have boxed chicken stock in the pantry, homemade stock in the freezer, or at the very least, a jar of organic chicken base in the fridge.
Those two things––noodles and stock, are the foundation of any delicious noodle soup. In fact, you could make a really tasty noodle soup with just noodles, stock, a dash of sesame oil, some leafy greens (spinach, cabbage, napa, bok choy, choy sum, even broccoli or broccoli rabe––whatever you have), and maybe some chili oil if you like things spicy.
Adding other ingredients like jarred or canned curry pastes, coconut milk, eggs, tomatoes, kimchi, fish sauce, lime juice, meat, or vegetables can take your noodle soup a step even further.
A tasty noodle soup can also be an anytime meal––breakfast, lunch, or dinner. While it may seem odd to have a bowl of noodle soup for breakfast here in the West, it’s actually a common breakfast item across Asia!
While we wait for things to hopefully return to normal, everyone make sure to stay at home––and enjoy a bowl of noodle soup!
Quick & Easy Noodle Soup Recipes
1. 15-Minute Coconut Curry Noodle Soup
Chances are, you’ve seen this 15-Minute Coconut Curry Noodle Soup because it’s one of the top-read noodle posts on the blog! Why? Because it *actually* does take just 15 minutes and it’s very, very delicious. The main components you need are red curry paste, stock, coconut milk, and noodles (the recipe calls for rice vermicelli noodles, but wide rice noodles, egg noodles or regular wheat noodles will also work!) You can omit the garlic and ginger if you like, and omit the chicken or replace with with any other meat or tofu you have.
2. 20-Minute Chicken Pho
The thing about pho is that to do it right, it can take a looong time to make the broth (see our traditional pho recipe). This 20 Minute Chicken Pho comes together quickly, with the same flavors you crave. It can be made with much fewer ingredients (think storebought chicken stock amped up with fish sauce and lime, noodles, and chicken). If you don’t have any fresh herbs or bean sprouts, replace with whatever veggies you have on hand!
3. Quick and Easy Kimchi Ramen
Homemade Korean Kimchi Ramen is easy to do at home. All it takes is good kimchi, which keeps in the fridge for a long time, and a handful of veggies, plus your stock and noodles.
4. 10-Minute Tomato Egg Drop Noodle Soup
This 10-Minute Tomato Egg Drop Noodle Soup combines an enduring, home-cooked Chinese combination: tomato and eggs. Sounds a bit strange, but anyone who grew up eating scrambled eggs and ketchup gets it. Egg is the easiest way to make noodle soup into a meal, and the addition of tomato results in a rich and flavorful broth. Don’t have fresh tomatoes? Try canned tomatoes. Don’t have canned tomatoes? Skip them all together and make a plain egg drop noodle soup!
5. Udon Noodle Soup with Chicken and Mushrooms
Tasty udon is surprisingly easy to achieve at home with this Udon Noodle Soup with Chicken and Mushrooms. If you don’t have fresh shiitake mushrooms, you can substitute with reconstituted dried mushrooms. Powdered dashi granules can also be stored in the pantry––just add hot water! For that scallion garnish, pull out some scallions from the freezer.
6. Curry Mee Malaysian Noodle Soup
Curry noodles soups always seem intimidating, but with all the great canned curry pastes out there, they actually come together in no time at all. This Curry Mee Malaysian Noodle Soup is a new favorite of ours! If you don’t have aromatics like ginger, lemongrass, or fresh garlic on hand, you can omit them and just add a bit more curry paste to the mix!
7. Shanghai Hot Sauce Noodles
Shanghai Hot Sauce Noodles is known as “la jiang mian” or sometimes “doubanjiang mian (豆瓣酱面)” The dish is comprised of noodles, broth, and a spicy mixture of pork, tofu, peanuts, spicy chili bean paste, and sugar (the Shanghainese love sugar in their dishes). The spicy, savory mixture poured over a hot bowl of noodles can be pretty addictive…
8. Noodle Soup with Pork and Pickled Vegetables
Remember the repertoire of my mom’s noodle soup recipes that I mentioned earlier? This Noodle Soup with Pork and Pickled Vegetables was core, and always a real treat for a pickle-loving little kid like me. Comfort food at its best. Stock up on those pickled veggies, as they come shelf-stable in cans, or in vacuum sealed packages that keep for months in the refrigerator!
9. Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Ramen
If you have some leftover roast turkey or roast chicken languishing in your fridge, this noodle soup is the one for you. Even though this is Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Ramen, you can indeed enjoy this in wintry pseudo springtime, and make it with any leftover poultry!
10. Curry Ramen
We’ve been feasting on this Curry Ramen for years and years, both outside over a campfire, and on the stovetop when you’re just really, really hungry and want something savory and tasty that only costs $1. Is there anything better?
11. Pho Ramen
This Pho Ramen was borne of necessity when SARAH forgot the curry powder on our camping trip to California. However, it was a happy accident–who knew that a little beef jerky, some onions, and a squeeze of lime could go so far with a cheap packet of instant noodles?
12. Yang Chun Noodle Soup
Just 8 simple ingredients (noodles, broth, lard, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, scallions, and salt) make this incredibly (surprisingly?) delicious bowl of noodles. Yang Chun Noodle Soup is a perfect example of how it’s possible to make something incredibly delicious out of very little. If you don’t have lard on hand, save your leftover bacon grease to make these tasty noodles!
13. Shanghai Homestyle Noodle Soup
This Shanghai Homestyle Noodle Soup recipe comes straight out of my mom’s childhood memories. Her grandmother would make it with whatever leftovers they had at the time. She would fill a pot with water and noodles, cooking everything until it came together almost like a noodle “stew” or porridge. It stretched humble ingredients many a time, but always made something tasty.
14. Chinese Pickled Long Bean Noodle Soup
My sister is obsessed with Chinese pickled long beans, and this Chinese Pickled Long Bean Noodle Soup is one of her favorite ways to enjoy them! Pickled long beans can be found vacuum packed at Chinese grocery stores, and will last a while in your fridge.
Hope you enjoy these delicious bowls of goodness. Remember everyone, stay home and do your part to keep us all healthy!
