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Creating a Delicious Meal with Ramen and Not Much Else (A How to Guide on Cooking When You're Broke)

Being broke sucks. We've all been there. Making dinner with no food in the house is a daunting task.

By Waverleigh Rose GarlingtonPublished 6 years ago 4 min read
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I was meandering through the kitchen the other day, sulking over the lack of food that was in my fridge and pantries. My stomach growled. What was I going to eat? "Wait," said my brain. A lightbulb was suddenly flickering above my head. There's frozen vegetables left in the freezer, plenty of ramen in the pantry. Maybe, just maybe, that was enough to make something great. Or tolerable. At that point, tolerable would be just fine. I quickly got to work on my plan.

Since then, I've tried this recipe a handful of times and each time it's just as exciting.

Sautéing the Vegetables:

I used frozen broccoli and cauliflower florets because that was all I had at the time, but by all means, use whatever you may have. A few suggestions would be mushrooms, pea pods, or even zucchini.

I turned my burner on a medium setting, adding a tablespoon of butter with the veggies. Be sure to stir them occasionally to check that the pan isn't too hot and the veggies aren't sticking.

(If you're planning on adding meat to this recipe, I would recommend cooking it beforehand and then throwing it in at the end).

Now is also the time to start cooking your noodles.

Creating the Seasoning:

The brilliant part about this recipe is that the base of the the flavor comes right from the ramen noodle flavor pack. I know what you're thinking, that's gross right? But, it's totally easy to doctor it up with basic spices you probably have sitting in your cupboards.

Personally, I like a lot of spice I'm my food. I chose to use the beef flavored ramens, I have used chicken but it wasn't quite the same results. To be frank it was pretty grotesque.

I took the flavor packet and emptied it in a bowl, adding red pepper flakes, garlic, and black pepper. I didn't use measurements, just go with what feels right for you. Mix all the seasoning together with a spoon, making sure you've got all the clumps out.

Set the bowl of seasonings aside.

Dealing with the Noodles:

Drain them like normal, and then set them on a cutting board. I'd suggest letting them cool down before thinking about cutting them, I made that mistake before. You can check your vegetables while you wait.

Make sure they're cooking well. No sticking, no burning. If the pan looks like it might be on the verge of being too dry, add a bit more butter to it. Now is a great time to add your seasonings in. Stir them in to make sure it's distributed properly.

Back to your noodles. Get a knife and cut them to a length you're more willing to deal with. Once you add them in to the veggies, you don't want a big pile of noodles sitting in the middle of the pan. Be sure not to cut them too much or it will be difficult to eat without making an enormous mess for yourself. (A lot of this has been trial and error).

After you have them cut to your liking, go ahead and throw the noodles in your pan along with the vegetables, stirring them in.

Time for Sauce:

My favorite part of the meal was the spur of the moment sauce I added in. I remembered that my mother in law had bought some P.F Chang's Teriyaki Sauce and decided she wasn't going to touch with a ten foot pole. I grabbed it, using a few big dollops to really give my meal a kick. I quickly stirred it in until it was covering my food, giving it a great coating.

If you don't have teriyaki sauce or if you don't like it, that's perfectly okay. Feel free to use anything you like: soy sauce, peanut sauce, or even sweet and sour would be a great addition to this dish.

Time to Eat:

I pointed my finger at my creation and said to my boyfriend, "Well, look at that. It's a f***ing work of art. I'd buy it in a restaurant." Being the big cynical sweetheart he is, he replied, "Well it's still ramen."

Yes, it's still ramen and basic vegetables. But guess what? It tasted so far from ramen when I was done with it. And I got to eat something delicious that I had cooked, while being broke. I'll chalk it up as a win.

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About the Creator

Waverleigh Rose Garlington

Gentry Rose is the self proclaimed author of the ongoing book For You I Will. She spends her free time writing and reading. She has three cats and one boyfriend, all whom she is immensely fond of.

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