Name: Shortcut Mushroom Ramen Bowls
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 Tbsp olive oil; 2 green onions, thinly sliced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced; 1 small jalapeño, minced (seeds removed); 2 cups vegetable broth + 2 cups water; 2 Tbsp mirin; 2 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce; 3-4 oz shiitake mushrooms (stems removed), sliced; 2, 2 oz packages of instant ramen noodles; 2 eggs; Extra sliced green onions; Eden Shake or sesame seeds; Sriracha

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This shortcut mushroom ramen tastes like it’s been simmering on the stove for hours but comes together in just 30 minutes! It’s a great semi-homemade weeknight meal that fancies up instant ramen noodle packets.

I’m not sure if it’s like this everywhere but ramen has become VERY popular in Denver in recent years. There are always new restaurants popping up (like Uncle and Ototo, and Izakaya Ronin). I was skeptical of it at first because I always associated ramen with those cup ‘o noodles that were so popular in college. Made-from-scratch ramen is so very different though.

The broth is simmered until it develops this rich and complex flavor, then combined with those perfectly chewy ridged noodles. It’s often served with meat, but I don’t miss it in this vegetarian version that leans heavily on savory shiitake mushrooms. Better yet, I wanted to make a weeknight-friendly version and so these shortcut mushroom ramen bowls were born.

Ingredients

I know what you might be thinking. Instant ramen?

Don’t hate on it. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there are several options now and most have a simple ingredients list. It’s a great pantry staple to keep on hand because it’s easy to fancy these up.

Here’s what the ingredients list looks like for this Koyo brand:

Noodles | organic heirloom wheat flour, sea salt

Broth packet | Shoyu powder, miso powder, kombu powder, shiitake mushroom powder, shiitake mushrooms, onion powder, sea salt, green onion, garlic powder, ginger powder, black pepper

I opted out of using the seasoning packet and instead decided it was worth it to make my own. With add-ins like shiitake mushrooms, and aromatics like green onions, jalapeño, garlic and ginger… how can you go wrong?

If you’re reeeeeally short on time, go with the packet and you’ll be perfectly content. If you have an extra 15 minutes though, give this homemade version a try (you won’t regret it).

How to Make a Jammy Ramen Egg

Let’s talk more about that egg.

No matter what flavor combination of ramen you choose, I feel like the 6-minute egg is non-negotiable. If you aren’t familiar, six minutes is the amount of time to boil an egg with this amount of doneness. It’s cooked until the whites are completely cooked and the yolks are part jammy, part runny. Basically, egg perfection.

Thanks to Bon Appetit, I found the formula for successfully making one and it was actually (dare I say) easy. The runny yolk kind of melts into the broth and it is heavenly.

If you want to doctor up a packet of ramen and have no fresh produce on hand, the egg and a drizzle of sriracha will still make this a meal. Even better, take it over the top with Eden Shake (affiliate link). It’s a sesame and sea vegetable seasoning blend that I recently picked up and it worked perfectly here.

This is “weeknight-friendly” comfort food. Perfect for a cold day or the ultimate sick-day meal. It’s loaded with good-for-you things and complex flavors.

I have a feeling I’ll be making this on repeat over the next few months. How about you?

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