Monday, December 14, 2009

Asian Beef and Noodle Bowl




My interest in food is still pretty new. Back when I was first married my cart was mostly filled with frozen TV dinners, and boxed meals. Every once and a while I would get all romantic and make my man spaghetti, but that was about the extent! And being poor college students (which we still are!), we felt like it was very important that we buy the biggest crate of ramen noodles we could find. I know, bless our hearts! That huge crate sits in our closet still (can it really go bad?) and I maybe pull one out for my kids about once every six months. I can't bring myself to just throw it out, wasting food is such an abomination in my mind, I wouldn't be able to sleep for days!

So, I was pretty happy to find this recipe, calling for ramen noodles! I like it a lot because you DON'T use the salt laden flavor packet, and it includes a lot of wonderful healthy ingredients like spinach and carrots. You could really mix this recipe up and use chicken, shrimp or even tofu. My kids liked it a lot too, BONUS!

I'll be submitting this to Reeni for Pasta Presto Nights!

Asian Beef and Noodle Bowl
Adapted From Better Homes and Gardens, 30 Minute Meals

Ingredients

4 cups water
2 packages ramen noodles
2 teaspoons chili oil, or any oil plus 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I didn't even bother with the heat)
12 oz beef flank steak or top round steak, trimmed and cut into bite sized strips
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cups fresh torn spinach
1 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Directions

1. In a large saucepan bring the water to boiling. If desired, break up noodles, drop noodles into the boiling water. (Save or discard flavor packets). Return to boiling, boil for 2-3 minutes or until noodles are tender but still firm, stirring occasionally. Drain noodles, set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a 12-inch skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add beef, ginger, and garlic; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until beef has reached desired doneness. Carefully stir beef broth and soy sauce into skillet. Bring to boiling; reduce heat.

3. Add spinach, carrot, cilantro, and cooked noodles, to skillet; stir to combine. Heat through.

Serves 4

Per Serving: 381 cal, 17g fat, 34mg chol, 2g fiber, 30g carbs

Points per Serving: 9

29 comments:

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

ramon noodles got me through college... but nothing as good as this recipe.

Thanks for the post

Jennifer said...

Girl you have inspired me, I made a huge meal last night and have tons of leftover pork. I am making this tonight!

Jenn said...

Ah ramen noodles. I still love them to this day. Aside from the fact that they're cheap and easy to cook with. hehe. Of course they're delicious, too.

Kim said...

My daughter loves ramen noodle so much that she calls them "special noodles"! - LOL. Of course, I love them too! This pasta dish is right up my alley ; )

jor johnson said...

Yum! I have to admit, with how picky I am, I love raman noodles

♥peachkins♥ said...

My family loves Ramen as well. This is a great recipe..

chow and chatter said...

i love this great job I made something similar recently ramen at the best!

Melody said...

Great idea! I love the texture of the noodles. So good!

Barbara Bakes said...

Sounds like a great combination of flavors. We like to eat stir frys over ramen noodles instead of rice.

Reeni said...

I love Ramen noodles! I do the same thing - eat it without the little packet. I like what you did here - so healthy and so yummy. Thanks for sending it to Presto Pasta Night!

Julie said...

Sounds wonderful and not too difficult :) For the record, I do think those packages of noodles can go bad...as in really really stale. We don't have to talk about why I know this.

Donna-FFW said...

What a fantastic idea. I use ramen noodles a lot. I'll have to try something like this. Delicious!

Barbara said...

I love ramen noodles too! I even use them crunched up in salads. Someone online served them with butter, garlic and parmesan and that's all. I made it for supper one night- it was fabulous. Now I'll try your recipe!

Lara said...

What a great way to dress up something so humble as ramen. Looks great!

Debbie said...

Sounds good....my son would love this!

Erica said...

Nice! I love takeout food at home. I haven't had Ramen in ages. It was a great college treat...usually late night :) I'm glad you found a renewed use for it. Happy Tuesday

Debbie said...

I make something similar to this... gotta love Ramen Noodles. In fact... my college aged kids are coming home for the holidays, maybe I'll surprise them with this. LOL

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

I think ramen noodles and boxed mac-n-cheese got a lot of us through college.

What a creative idea, this looks wonderful!

The Blonde Duck said...

Ben would love this. Therefore, I must make this.

MaRiN said...

This looks great,love the use of ramen noodles...my kids love those things!

Katy ~ said...

I can't tell you the last time we had ramen noodles, years and years, but it's solely because of that gosh darn over salted flavor packet. Now that I see this delicious recipe, I think I'm going to have to bring a couple of packages home. Thanks for this delicious, healthier version for ramen noodles.

Ruth Daniels said...

Sounds like a great way to use up all those noodles. Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Nights.

Pam said...

I love ramon noodles - this dish looks delicious.

MaryBeth said...

Looks fabulous and sounds wonderful

Shelby said...

This reminds me that it has been a long time since we have had ramen noodles - however we love them!

BTW, I'm getting all aromatic tonight I guess because I'm making homemade spaghetti sauce. ;)

Joanne said...

My mom overdosed us on ramen noodles when I was growing up (she bought a huge package from Costco. And we would have to eat them indefinitely. I still can't bring myself to look at them). It is a great idea to just use the noodles and not the seasoning packet! There are so many things you could do with them! This is a great idea. Looks quite delicious.

Carrie said...

My kids are obsessed with Ramen Noodles, they would love this noodle bowl... and I would love sneaking some meat and veggies into their bodies ,-)

Ingrid_3Bs said...

I've never eaten any of those ramen noodle packet things. I'm not even sure I've seen them a the store. I'm gonna look.

This definitely looks like something my kids would enjoy as well.
~ingrid

kanishk said...

I am making this tonight!

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