The first thing we should say is that we LOVE ramen. It is quick, cheap, delicious, and super easy to customize depending on your preferences and/or what you have on hand. Plus, it is compact and can be brought and made while on the trail, or from the comfort of your campsite, van or cabin. Ramen might just be your new favorite go-to camp meal - especially after trying some of these souped up recipes.
Add Easy Protein.
Maybe the easiest way to step up ramen is to add a hard-boiled egg (or two). We like to prep this ahead of time by hard boiling the egg before stepping foot on the trail - though we have cooked eggs while on the motorcycle and backpacking and it wasn’t too tough. For us, camping cooking should be as fast and easy as possible - and have very little clean-up.
That is why adding a hard-boiled egg to our ramen is one of our go-tos. Bring a couple hard-boiled egg with you, boil up some water for the ramen, peel the eggs and plop them in. Wait a bit for all of it to warm up and slurp it down.
Veggify It.
Another simple thing to do to take ramen to the next level is add a couple of different vegetables. Our favorites are mushrooms, sliced up bell peppers (red being a personal favorite), and some green onions. All three are pretty easy to cut up and don’t cause a lot of mess (looking at you tomatoes and your slimy juice).
Other good choices are bok choy, kale, carrots, and broccoli. But honestly you can’t really go wrong when adding some veggies to your ramen.
Step Up the Spice.
While most (all?) ramen packets come with a flavored packet already, there are TONS of options to make your ramen that much more delicious - and most of the spices you likely already have.
A couple of good combinations are curry + cumin + red pepper flakes for possibly the easiest curry recipe ever. Another good one is lemon pepper + garlic powder (or real garlic) + green onion on top. Finally, add in a nice Thai flavor by adding peanut butter + soy sauce + a bit of vinegar for a pad Thai flavored meal.
Don’t Make Ramen at All.
Now this might sound a bit crazy, but there are so many ways to use ramen noodles and create something totally different than your run of the mill ramen dish.
For example, have you considered just making the noodles and adding marinara sauce on top for an easy spaghetti? Or how about a couple of cubes of cheese for a filling mac and cheese recipe? Or if you want some added protein just throw in a packet of tuna. All three include ramen, and even use ramen the way it should, but taste completely different.
The great thing about ramen packets is that they are so versatile. Still don’t believe us? Check out this article that outlines 50 Ramen Recipes - including fried ramen trail mix, chili cheese dog ramen, and chocolate ramen cakes.
We love eating ramen after a long day on the trail. The salty, deliciousness is tough to beat - plus the simplicity of it kind of makes it a no brainer. While we are not above eating it plain, we tend to step it up a bit (if only for the filling factor). Our go to’s are usually a hard-boiled egg and some vegetables (mushrooms being number one).
What are some of your favorite ways to make ramen that much more delicious? Are you into the original flavors or do you like to spruce it up and make it into something else (ramen noodle carbonara anyone?).