Cozy up with a warm, comforting, savory bowl of vegetarian ramen infused with mushrooms, miso, and loaded with toppings. A delicious dinner, easy and quick enough to make for a weeknight dinner for two!
Roll call time! Who loves easy weeknight dinners? What about 30 minute meals? How about flavorful meatless Monday options? Or just a cozy, comfort food lover?!
Ok, good, stick around because this recipe was made for YOU!
This Savory Vegetarian Ramen is all those and more. The shiitake mushrooms bring the utmost umami flavor, the miso, too, and there’s no denying the texture of toppings.
And the noodles. All the noodles, because of course, you’ve got to have chewy, twisty noodles in your ramen.
The Ingredients
It’s key to have high-quality ingredients, since there are so few in this recipe, the flavors of each really play off of each other and play critical roles.
A few of the key players (as always, please see the entire recipe card for full recipe details):
- Ramen Noodles – obviously a key component to this recipe. High-quality noodles are key – thin wheat noodles with a slight chew there to sop up all the flavorful broth. I like to use these noodles (affiliate link), but Chinese noodles (affiliate link), will work, too.
- Dried Shiitake Mushrooms – I use dried mushrooms in this recipe because they soak up all the flavor from the broth and miso (and garlic and ginger!), making them extra delicious, but also it makes prep super easy because there’s not a bunch of chopping to do.
- White Miso – white, or “mellow” miso is more mild and delicate than its darker counterparts, making it the perfect miso for this ramen. It adds just enough umami and saltiness but lets the mushrooms and aromatics shine through.
- Garlic and Ginger – Naturally, for delicious flavor.
- Mirin – it’s a rice wine that is on the sweeter side and adds a nice balance with the salty miso and soy sauce.
- Bok Choy – get those veggies in! Bok choy has a mild flavor with a variety of textures between the stalk and leaves. It contributes the best of dark leafy greens and adds a slight crunch to the ramen.
- Soft Boiled Eggs – optional, but a creamy addition to the ramen! YOu can omit to keep this ramen vegan.
How to Make Vegetarian Ramen
Are you ready for how easy this is going to be?!
If you’re making soft boiled eggs, I recommend boiling them, removing them when ready, then cooking the ramen noodles for a few minutes in the same water. This saves you on using an extra dish and gives the eggs time to cool down in an ice bath.
Meanwhile, cook the garlic and ginger in a little olive oil. Add in the dried mushrooms.
Then miso, soy sauce, mirin, and vegetable broth goes into the pot of goodness until combined. Let it simmer away, which allows the dried mushrooms to soften and absorb the flavors.
Just before it’s done simmering, add in chopped bok choy so it has a minute or two to simmer and soften.
Divide the noodles between the two bowls, pour over the broth, and add your toppings. Pouring the broth over the al dente noodles ensures they won’t overcook in the broth.
The Toppings
The beauty of homemade ramen is adding whatever toppings you have got to have. Here are my favorites:
- Bean sprouts – the perfect crunch
- Green onion – fresh, crisp, and mild
- Soft boiled egg – creamy and jammy
- Cilantro – fresh and vibrant
Frequently Asked Questions
What are other additions or toppings could I add? There are so many delicious additions, and honestly you can add in whatever you might like! Some of my favorites are corn kernels, kale or green beans, fried garlic, and kimchi.
Can I make it spicy? Yes! I love adding chili garlic paste to the broth or a little on top for an added kick. You could also squeeze on some sriracha for added heat.
Can I add meat? You can! Obviously it won’t be vegetarian then, but if you or someone you’re cooking for enjoys meat, add in shredded chicken, or even slices of fried chicken. Make your life easy and use rotisserie chicken.
What about another protein? Tofu would be excellent!
What about making it vegan? This is super easy – because the broth itself is vegan, all you have to do is leave off the soft boiled egg and you’ve got yourself vegan ramen!
Is there a substitute for mirin? You can use sherry vinegar for the sweetness, or substitute rice vinegar and add in 1 teaspoon of sugar to combat the sourness and mimic the sweetness of mirin.
More Asian-Inspired Recipes to Love:
- Broccoli and Orange Miso Pasta
- Vegetable Lo Mein
- Vegetable Stir Fry Noodles
- Spicy Vegetarian Bibimbap
- Vegetable Pad Thai
Savory Vegetarian Ramen
Cozy up with a warm, comforting, savory bowl of vegetarian ramen infused with mushrooms, miso, and loaded with toppings. A delicious dinner, easy and quick enough to make for a weeknight dinner for two!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 eggs, soft boiled
- 4 ounces ramen noodles or dried Chinese noodles (generally 1/2 package)
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 TBSP grated ginger
- 1 oz. package dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 TBSP mirin (rice cooking wine)
- 1 1/2 TBSP white miso
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 bunches baby bok choy, chopped or sliced
Additional toppings:
- Cilantro
- Lime wedges
- Chili Garlic Paste and/or Sriracha
- Bean sprouts
- Sliced scallions
Instructions
- Soft Boiled Eggs (optional): Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add the eggs and boil for 6 minutes. Remove and place in an ice bath, but keep the water for the noodles.
- Ramen Noodles: Bring the water back to a boil and add the noodles. Cook for 2-3 minutes (or according to package directions) until just al dente. Don’t overcook; the broth will cook them a little more. Drain, rinse and set noodles aside until ready to assemble bowls.
- Broth: In the same pot as the noodles, or a new large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, stirring for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the dried mushrooms and stir to coat.
- Stir in the soy sauce, rice cooking wine, miso, and vegetable broth. Simmer for 8-10 minutes until mushrooms are soft. Add bok choy and continue to cook for approximately 2-3 minutes until tender.
- Assembly: divide the noodles evenly among two bowls. Pour the broth (with mushrooms and bok choy) on top of the noodles. Top with soft boiled egg halves and additional toppings, as desired.
Notes
Feel free to use your favorite dried mushroom blend – I also enjoy the “stir fry” mix!
If you want to slice the bok choy in half and serve that way (as pictured), I recommend sautéing separately and adding at the end.
Keywords: easy, quick, 30 minute meal, dinner, vegetarian, meatless
This post was originally published in March of 2018; the text and photos were updated in January of 2021 for clarity. No changes were made to the original recipe.
The post Savory Vegetarian Ramen with Mushrooms appeared first on Fork in the Kitchen.