A fast and flavorful vegetarian ramen noodle soup. Loaded with Shiitake mushrooms and baby bok choy, this easy vegetarian recipe will quickly become a weeknight favorite.
Let me start by saying this soup is in no way an authentic homemade ramen recipe that has been perfected and passed down over generations. It's a soup with delicious, asian inspired flavors and ramen noodles.
There's nothing I love more than a huge bowl of ramen on a cold night, so I created this easy recipe with some fresh veggies and ingredients that I always have on hand. It's one of my favorite weeknight meals and I hope that you love it as much as I do!
Ingredients
- Mushrooms - this soup is loaded with mushrooms! I love to use a combination of Shiitake mushrooms and white mushrooms. You can use whatever kind of fun mix you want.
- Baby bok choy - younger and smaller than the full-sized veggie, baby bok choy (or pak choi) is sweeter and much smaller.
- Fresh ginger and fresh garlic - this makes up the flavor base of the ramen broth. A must.
- Shallot - adds a mild, oniony flavor to the broth
- White miso paste - made from fermented soybeans, miso paste is savory with a rich umami flavor.
- Vegetable broth - you can also use chicken broth if you prefer.
- Soy sauce - I always use low sodium soy sauce in my recipes. You can also substitute Tamari or coconut aminos.
- Rice vinegar - If you don't have rice vinegar in your pantry, a little squeeze of lime juice will do it.
- Ramen noodles - my favorite brand of pantry friendly plain ramen noodles come in perfectly portioned packages. You can use whatever kind you like, fresh ramen noodles are always great.
- Green onions - white and green parts of the scallions
- Sesame seeds - white or black sesame seeds work or add some Japanese Furikake seasoning.
- Eggs - optional but I love a jammy ramen egg for extra protein.
- Additional ingredients - Sriracha sauce, Sambal Oelek chili paste, or a pinch of red pepper flakes for heat. Add a dash of sesame oil for more flavor - a tiny bit goes a long way. Throw in some extra firm tofu or frozen dumplings in the broth while it's simmering - make it your own!
Method
Wipe mushrooms clean with a wet paper towel, remove tough stems if using Shiitake mushrooms and slice into ¼ inch slices. Cut baby bok choy lengthwise down the center and remove the bottom half inch or so where the tough core is. If a few of the bok choy leaves fall off, that is ok but try to leave the vegetable intact. Finely mince the garlic and shallot and grate the fresh ginger. Thinly slice green onions and keep the white and green parts separate. The white parts will help build flavor in the ramen broth and the green parts will add freshness at the end.
If using eggs, bring a saucepan of water to a full rolling boil. Gently lower the eggs into the water using a slotted spoon and boil for exactly 7 minutes for perfectly jammy ramen eggs. Transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water to cool completely before peeling and slicing in half.
In a large pot or dutch oven, heat one tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add sliced mushrooms to hot oil and stir them to coat. Let them cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes to pick up some color. Stir and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove mushrooms from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate. Turn the heat down to medium and add minced shallot and the white parts of the scallions to the same pot. Add a touch more oil if necessary. Saute on medium heat for 1-2 minutes until shallots are soft and translucent, use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits at the bottom of the pot. Add in minced garlic and grated ginger. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Add in vegetable stock (or chicken stock) and miso paste and stir until everything comes together. Simmer for about five minutes. Stir in soy sauce and rice vinegar. Add sliced baby bok choy to the broth and simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Add in noodles and cook until they are done and the bok choy is tender. Alternatively, you can cook the noodles according to package directions in a separate pot and add them to the soup when you get ready to assemble.
Divide broth, noodles and bok choy into two large soup bowls. Top each bowl with cooked mushrooms, reserved scallion greens, sesame seeds and ramen eggs if using. Serve immediately.
More Asian Inspired Recipes to Try
- Sheet Pan Teriyaki Salmon with Baby Bok Choi
- Crispy Rice Squares with Spicy Tuna
- Sticky, Crispy, Ginger Garlic Chicken Wings
- Japanese Eggplant and Oyster Mushroom Stir Fry
Easy Mushroom and Bok Choy Miso Ramen Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 5 ounces Shiitake mushrooms sliced
- 1 small shallot minced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 3 scallions thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
- 3 whole baby bok choy
- 4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons white miso paste
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
- 4 ounces ramen noodles
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 2 soft boiled eggs optional
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or vegetable oil
Instructions
- Wipe mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel, remove tough stems and slice into ¼ inch slices. Finely mince shallot and garlic cloves and thinly slice scallions, keeping the white and green parts separate. Slice the baby bok choy in half lengthwise down the middle and then into quarters. Remove the tough end but keep the vegetable intact.
- In a soup pot, heat a tablespoon of oil over medium high heat. Add slices mushrooms to hot pan and stir to coat in oil. Cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes until mushrooms brown, stir and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove mushrooms from pot with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.
- To the same pot, add a little bit more oil if needed, reduce heat to medium and add in minced shallot and white part of scallions. Saute for 1-2 minutes until softened and translucent. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Add in minced garlic and grated ginger and cook for about a minute until fragrant. Pour in broth, stir in miso paste and bring to a gentle simmer for about five minutes. Stir in soy sauce and rice vinegar.
- Add bok choy to the broth and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Add in ramen noodles and cook until noodles are done and bok choy is tender.
- Divide broth, veggies and noodles between two big bowls. Top with mushrooms, soft boiled eggs, sesame seeds, green parts of scallions and sriracha or chili garlic paste.
Mary Ann Dailey
So yummy. Made it pretty much as written. Used more bok choy and shallots than recipe called for. Really delicious. My his and was unsure about it and ended up scaping his bowl clean. I made his with beef dumplings 🙂