Easy Pork Ramen Recipe with Caramelized Crispy Mushrooms

Easy Pork Ramen Recipe with Super Crispy, Salty, Mushrooms

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Is there anything better than ramen? Maybe ramen on a cold day – but still! Kevin has been begging me for like months to make him ramen. The real stuff takes tons of ingredients and hours and hours of simmering away – so like, who has time for that?  I was on a mission to make something that was going to be delicious and FAST because ain’t nobody got time to be slaving over the stove, am I right? We want quick, easy, healthy, delicious weeknight meals.

How To Make Healthy Easy Pork Ramen

First, you’re going to start with bone broth. I started buying/drinking bone broth when I found out all of the amazing health benefits it had. In this easy pork ramen recipe I actually used chicken bone broth. It’s full of protein, collagen (which is great for joint health, digestion), calcium, magnesium and has great flavor! It makes an awesome snack or meal. If i’m feeling lazy, I warm some up in a mug, add some lemon juice, salt and pepper and sip it like a cozy bev. It’s really important to buy organic, grass-fed because that will be the purest, cleanest you can get. Make sure you check the ingredient list! That’s where all of the magic is.

Bone Broth Brands I trust: Bonafide Provisions, Kettle and Fire, Bare Bones and Trader Joes actually has a great one! Which I used for this recipe.

What Are Things I Could Add to Ramen?

Another way to make this recipe healthier is to add more veggies. I love adding carrots, radish, and mushrooms. You could also add bell peppers, or even some wilted greens. In this particular recipe, I didn’t make the iconic egg because I just don’t really like eggs. I also never knew what to do with it in ramen? Like do I just take this out and eat it? Am I supposed to chop it up and mix it in the soup? Who knows. But it’s definitely a show stopper if you’re trying to impress your friends or family. As a garnish you could add green onion, toasted sesame seeds, furikake (which is a seaweed seasoning mix), or some toasted almonds. The possibilities are endless!

What Spices Do You Need for The Easy Pork Ramen Recipe?

I know what you’re thinking – that this is going to have a million ingredients and seem so impossible that you’ll just have to go buy some. But you’re wrong. The beauty about making this easy pork ramen recipe at home, is that you can make it your own. If you like more spice or less spice. If you like it sweeter or more savory. More pork or less pork. Mushrooms or no mushrooms. You can do whatever you want! It’s yours!

Here are some spices/sauces I love to add:

• Sriracha
• Coconut Aminos
• Red Chili Flake
• Fish Sauce
• Sesame Oil
• Garlic

How to Make Crispy Caramelized Pork

First things first – It’s important that your pork is pat dry before starting anything. This insures the crisp, ya know? I sear them first in a pan. This actually isn’t to get them crispy but it’s to pre-cook them. The part where they get crispy is when you cut the pork into chunks and add it to a bowl with coconut sugar and coconut aminos.

*If you’re not familiar with coconut aminos they’re a natural substitute for soy sauce. Fair warning, they’re a lot sweeter than soy. You can find it at Trader Joes or almost any grocery store these days.

After the pork is coated in greatness the chunks go into the oven under broil. Essentially, you’re making pork brulee. We want the sugar to caramelize and harden up because that’s how they get crispy!

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LET’S TALK NOODLES. If you can find fresh, real, ramen noodles in your local store, absolutely get those. If you’re not as lucky, or you’re gluten free, rice ramen noodles are a great alternative. I like buying the Thai Kitchen pad thai noodles (they’re rice noodles also) or any one of their other forms. This of course, depends on my mood. If you can’t find any of these options USE SPAGHETTI. It will be just as delicious. We don’t discriminate against noodles, am I right?

How to Make Crispy Mushrooms

Shiitake mushrooms are literally my favorite, affordable mushroom in all the land. They have insane health benefits, but they taste so good. I hate when people use the word “earthy” because that usually mean it tastes like dirt, so I’m going to avoid that one. They’re almost buttery tasting, like a warm buttery hug. And if you get them crispy in the oven, they’re just on another level. When you’re making these you want to make sure you use enough oil – mushrooms suck up quite a bit, but it helps them in the oven. You don’t need them to be drowning.

So, you’re going to put the oven on 400F, get your sliced mushrooms on a baking sheet and oil them up, salt them and throw them in. You’re going to bake them until they’re perfectly golden, salty deliciousness. Then, you’re going to throw them on top of your beautifully homemade ramen for the biggest umami bomb.

You would never know that this easy pork ramen recipe was only simmering for 30 minutes instead of hours. The crispy caramelized pork makes the perfect addition for some texture and flavor. Same with the mushrooms, that I could literally talk about all day. If you’ve never tried them oven roasted and crispy – it will change your life! Then of course, the noodles. It’s perfect for a cold day – or even a hot day (my FL people!) but it will definitely give you your Asian fix, which I always need.

If you love this recipe or make any substitutions, throw them in the comments below so I can see! I’m always looking for new ways to share other options with readers.

Looking for more soup?! Try this Butternut Squash with Sweet & Spicy Cashews!