Crunchy Ramen Noodle Salad Recipe
If you have fond memories of ramen packets from college days, you are sure to love this recipe. Those famous noodles which can be eaten raw or cooked, have been around for decades and can be used so many ways. Needless to say, they do a good job of making a meal budget friendly. While the classic way of enjoying ramen is in a soup-like form, there are plenty of ways to switch things up, like transforming it into a salad. It may sound a bit odd, but if you've never had a crunchy ramen salad, you are in for a treat!
Wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe for crunchy ramen noodle salad and says, "You can toss the seasoning packets from the noodles as we will be using a fresh dressing instead." The toasted noodles and almonds add such great texture to the vegetables. As for serving, Hahn says, "I usually serve this with a big pot of soup for a weeknight dinner or bring this to an outdoor barbecue because the hearty cabbage will hold up better than a more delicate salad." Read on to learn how easy this salad is to throw together.
Gather the ingredients for crunchy ramen noodle salad
To make this recipe, we'll need a few items from the produce department. Grab some green cabbage, purple cabbage, shredded carrots, scallions, garlic, and ginger. "If you want to save some time, you can opt for buying a premade coleslaw bag. Just make sure it will be equal in size to about 8-9 cups of the cabbage mix," Hahn remarks. Grab 2 packs of ramen and some sliced or slivered almonds. "You can choose any flavor of ramen since we won't be using the flavoring packet," Hahn explains. Then we'll need some shelled edamame beans. "I usually find these frozen and they are simple to thaw out by just running under hot water," Hahn shares. For the dressing pick up some olive oil, rice vinegar, honey, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Hahn says, "If you want to make this recipe vegan, just use maple syrup instead of the honey."
Toast the ramen and almonds
Start by preheating the oven to 400 F. Break down the ramen noodles by crumbling them with your hands over a bowl. Then just add the almonds to the bowl and mix. Spread this out on a baking sheet in an even layer. Put them in the oven for about 5 minutes, tossing halfway through cook time. They should be golden brown. "You'll want to watch these pretty close, so they don't burn," Hahn warns.
Chop the vegetables
Grab a large cutting board and slice the green and purple cabbage. You want them sliced nice and thin. "You can use a mandolin if you want, for extra precision, but cutting by hand is fine," Hahn share. Then chop up the scallions. Put the chopped vegetables into a large serving bowl with lots of room to toss.
Make the dressing, toss, and serve
Making the dressing for this salad is quick and easy. Pull out a small bowl and add the olive oil, rice vinegar, honey, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Whisk to combine. Then toss over the salad ingredients and begin enjoying the crunchy goodness.
We think this salad pairs well with wonton soup or something hot off the grill. The salad will last for a couple of days in a sealed container in the fridge, but the noodles will lose some of their crunchiness. If making the salad ahead of time, just add the crunchy noodles and almonds right before serving.
- 2 (3-ounce) packages ramen noodles
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- ½ green cabbage
- ¼ purple cabbage
- 4 scallions
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 cups shelled edamame beans
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Working over a large bowl, break the dry ramen noodles into small pieces (about ½-inch chunks). Pour the almonds into the bowl and stir to combine. Place these on a baking sheet and put in the oven for 5 minutes, stirring halfway.
- Slice the green and purple cabbage and chop the scallions, then add these to a large bowl with the shredded carrots.
- In a small bowl, add the crushed garlic and grated ginger. Add the olive oil, vinegar, honey, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Stir with a whisk to blend.
- Add the edamame and toasted ramen/almonds to the bowl with the cabbage. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss.
- Serve right away.
| Calories per Serving | 402 |
| Total Fat | 24.3 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4.2 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 0.0 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 38.5 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5.6 g |
| Total Sugars | 15.1 g |
| Sodium | 691.9 mg |
| Protein | 10.8 g |
