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Quick and simple 30 Minute Caramelized Shallot Beef Ramen Noodles. For those nights when you’re craving spicy Asian inspired noodles, but just can’t make it out to your favorite spot in town. Crispy caramelized beef, chicken, or pork, tossed in a sweet, spicy, and tangy honey soy sauce, mixed together with brown rice ramen noodles, shallots, garlic, and a little butter too. Not only are these noodles delicious, they’re also made easily, using pantry ingredients and frozen meet, and ready to eat in 30 minutes. Oh, and did I mention that these quick-cooking noodles can easily be made vegetarian? Yep, perfect weeknight cooking for all!
Ok, so I know these noodles have some color going on. And I know that produce is a little hard to come by these days, but please do hear me out. These ramen noodles are the pantry staple recipe we all are looking for right now.
For one, how many of you have at least a few bags of Ramen on hand (brown rice ramen is my favorite)? And if not ramen, how many of you have some kind of noodle on hand? All of you I hope!
And how many of you have either frozen ground beef, chicken, or pork in the freezer? Again, hopefully a good amount of you (assuming you eat meat).
And lastly, how many of you have a pantry full of spices and soy sauce? Please, say ALL of you.
If you have these items, you have everything you need to make some form of these noodles. So you see? This is our new “pantry recipe” and it’s truly so delicious. What’s not to love about a saucy buttery bowl of ramen noodles with caramelized shallots and crispy beef. It’s all good things in a bowl.
Here is the story.
This recipe was inspired by the 15-minute garlic butter ramen noodle recipe that I have in the HBH Super Simple cookbook. I recently shared a photo of these noodles on Instagram and it’s safe to say that it’s a well-loved recipe.
When I returned home from LA last week and things really started to escalate with the Coronavirus, I made these noodles. Not only was this a comforting recipe to make on a stressful day, but I had everything on hand. And, let’s be real, the dish just sounded so good.
Salty, buttery, tangy, and heavy on the noodles. Instead of thinking twice, I just created the recipe. It turned out just as good as I had imagined so I knew I needed to share the recipe. It’s (hopefully) going to be a go-to pantry staple recipe for you all.
Here are the details.
As you can guess, this recipe comes together fast and easy. Start with the beef.
First off, I want to say that you can use ground beef, chicken, or pork for this recipe. I just happened to have ground beef in the freezer. I also want to note that these noodles can easily be made vegetarian by using a mix of chopped vegetables, details on that below.
Moving along. Caramelize the shallots in a bit of oil. If you have sesame oil, use that, if not, just use a bit of olive oil. Now, toss in the meat, a little garlic, plenty of ginger, a pinch of cinnamon, and black pepper too. Cook this all together until the meat is browned. Add soy, plus chili paste, and a drizzle of honey to help balance the heat. Continue cooking this all together for a bit longer…
Meanwhile, cook the ramen. This literally takes five minutes tops.
Ok. Time to finish it up.
Toss the ramen in with that crispy caramelized meat. Add a touch of butter and a sprinkle of either fresh basil or cilantro. Toss and finish with some freshness by adding carrots, green onions, and a sprinkle of toasted peanuts or sesame seeds.
This is a fusion of Asian meets Italian. And while it’s a little bit odd, it’s also a little bit delicious. Sure, the greens on top are now a little harder to source, but just use what you have the easiest access to. As long as you’ve got the noodles and a little sauce, this is going to be great.
What kind of Ramen noodles?
Personally, I love using brown rice ramen, which is vegan and gluten-free. I know it might be hard to believe, but these really do taste just like the ramen noodles we loved as kids…just much healthier. You can find these noodles online either on Amazon or Thrive Market. Or you can purchase them at Whole Foods, Costco, and in many grocery stores as well.
Of course, you can also use whatever your favorite brand of ramen is. Or whatever you’ve got on hand in the pantry. You won’t need any seasoning packet for this recipe.
Alternatively, you can just use noodles. Meaning regular pasta. Any kind of long cut noodle/pasta will work well here. So again, make the recipe work for you, and use what you got!
Want to make this vegetarian?
I totally understand. Making these noodles vegetarian is SO easy to do. Just replace the meat with a mix of mushrooms and chopped cauliflower. Directions are listed in the notes section of the recipe.
Me personally? I prefer this vegetarian version, but either option is truly great.
And feel free to be creative here. I’m sure a mix of mushrooms plus zucchini, or mushrooms plus eggplant, would all be great! I will say that I do think you should use mushroom within the vegetable mix, as they add a really nice “meaty” flavor and heartiness.
So, what do we all think? Easy enough for tonight? Do you have most of the ingredients on hand? Can you make it work?
Fingers crossed!! Hoping to see lots of Instagram stories with these noodles tonight. Yes, I’m that excited over this recipe. It’s comforting, easy, and just what we all need these days.
Hoping you guys all enjoy this!!
Looking for other ramen ideas…try these.
If you make these 30 minute caramelized shallot beef ramen noodles, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
30 Minute Caramelized Shallot Beef Ramen Noodles
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 456 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil, or extra virgin olive oil
- 4 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 pound ground beef, chicken, or pork
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated (or 2 teaspoons garlic powder)
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated (or 2 teaspoons dried ginger)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce (optional)
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2-3 tablespoons chili paste (sambal oelek)
- 3 squares brown rice ramen noodles
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 cup fresh basil or cilantro, roughly torn
- 1/4 cup toasted peanuts or sesame seeds
- carrots, green onions, and limes, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the shallots and cook until the shallots begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Stir in the beef, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, if using, and pepper. Brown all over, breaking the beef up as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Pour in the soy sauce, vinegar, fish sauce, honey, and chili paste. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until the sauce coats the beef, about 5-8 minutes.2. Meanwhile, cook the noodles. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil the ramen according to package directions, until al dente. Before you drain the noodles scoop out about 1/2 cup cooking water, drain.3. Add the noodles and 1/4 cup of the reserved water to the beef. Add the butter and basil, tossing to combine.4. Divide the noodles between plates. Top with peanuts (or sesame seeds), carrots, green onions, and fresh limes. Enjoy!
Notes
To Make Vegetarian: Instead of using 1 pound of meat, use 3 cups of finely chopped mushrooms (can be any variety or a mix of varieties) plus 1 cup of finely chopped cauliflower (or use an additional cup of mushrooms). Sauté the vegetables as directed to do so for the meat. The cooking times should be very similar, if not the same.
Excellent flavors and quick to assemble! Thanks for another tasty recipe!
Hey Jen,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks for making it! xT
This was a hit! Quick, tasty and perfect for this frigid night!
Hey there! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for giving it a try! xT
Delicious. I know Ramen is in the title but I only had brown rice noodles and thought they’d be better for leftovers. My husband ate the leftovers though 😉
Thank you so so much for giving this recipe a try! And thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! Have a great day! xT
So good! I have a large stock of ground beef from our butcher and I was tired of the same old recipes like meatballs, tacos, etc., so I knew HBH would have something to switch it up. Super simple, so comforting and satisfying. I added chopped carrots and red bell pepper into the meat mixture after I added the sauce just so they would soften a bit but still stay crunchy. Subbed gochujang for red pepper paste since that’s all I had on hand.
Hi Carmel,
Awesome!!😎 Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
Amazing! We have made SO many of your recipes and this one is my husbands favorite. All of the flavors come together so well. I subbed coconut aminos for the soy and added some roasted broccoli to add more veg! This one, along with many others, is in our meal planning rotation!
Thank you!!💙
Hey Sarah,
Happy Wednesday!🌤️🌸 I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
Meh. Not a fan of this recipe. Ita like ground beef with soy sauce. Too salty. The lime did balance it out a little, but not enough to save it.
Hi Julia,
Thanks for giving this dish a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xT
Holy cow! I have never made anything that tastes this good and such unique flavors while being so simple! Sending this to everyone I know!
Hey Ashley,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it:)
Such a great recipe! I made this last night and it turned out amazing. Will definitely be making this on repeat!
Hey Caroline,
Happy Wednesday!! 🍉🍓 Thanks a bunch for testing out this recipe, I’m so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
Absolutely AMAZING!!!
Hey Joanna,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and your feedback, I am thrilled that it turned out well for you! ☀️🍉
Better then takeout! A super easy and delicious meal that comes together quickly for a mid week meal with leftovers for lunch the next day. I added some precut veggies from the grocery to make it a little more well rounded. Will be making this one again. Yum!
Hi Sarah,
Happy Wednesday!🌈 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it was a winner!
This was a hit with adults and kids in my home. I am the only person that is gluten free, so most of the time our shared meals are those that are easy to make gf and don’t require any type of “alternate”. I’m always nervous my family will feel like I’m torturing them. But there was not a single complaint from anyone with these gf noodles. Also, I was on a time crunch when I was making this and it came together so quickly. I will rotate this one back in again.
Hey Carrie,
Happy Monday!!💐 Thank you so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was a winner! xx
Such a good recipe. All of the flavors are so compatible and delicious. Yes even the little bit of cinnamon! Thank you so much for the recipe. I know I’m about to make something good when it’s half baked harvest.
Hey Hannah,
Amazing!! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for making it and your comment! xx
Has anyone had luck with re-heating frozen leftovers? Trying to leave my partner with food while I’m away on business. xo
Hey Morgan,
That should be just fine for you to do, I would wait to cook the noodles. I hope you love this recipe! xx
Made this for the first time today as I finally got my hands on some shallots, and it was so incredibly flavorful and delicious! Substituted gochujang for the chili paste, as that was what I had available, and used unsalted butter to balance out my non-low-sodium soy sauce.
Definitely a keeper–I’ll be putting this one on repeat. Thank you so much!!
Hey there,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a ton for making this recipe and sharing your review, I am so glad it was a winner:)
Hi Tieghan,
I love your recipes because they are delicious, easy, and published by a fellow (former) west sider. This one is delicious and simple – especially if you recruit extra help!
As a months-long fan and now proud owner of two cookbooks, could you please revisit your calorie counts? I know you don’t believe in diets (so much power to you!) but I started calorie counting a few weeks back per doctor’s recs (middle age is fun; you discover new allergies and that your body loves food so much it won’t let it ago). I was so excited that this was 199 calories, I didn’t even question it. Put it into several calorie tracking apps while cooking and it came out to 456-498 per serving. I could have half a serving (again: middle age is fun).
I had similar problems with some of your curries earlier this week. I am sure it is a genuine error, and hope that calling attention to it will fix it.
I love your recipes, and have been using them almost exclusively for a year, but – for health purposes – could you please revisit the calorie counts? Until you do, I am genuinely sad to say this is my last recipe.
Thank you, Tieghan.
Hey Chelsea,
I always recommend that if the nutritional information is important to you, you use your own personal calculator. Ours is automatic and controlled by google. It’s not something we’d prefer to be using. We are required to. I’m sorry for the trouble, we do our best! Hope you enjoy the recipe! xT
Desperate for a dinner idea with only one protein in the fridge, I searched “ground beef” on HBH and this came up: what a fantastic, quick and flavorful dinner! Thank you Tieghan for saving the day(dinner), yet again! I added a pound of fresh spinach before adding the ramen to round out the meal, and even the littlest eater raved. Will be saving this for the future!
Hey Annie,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was a hit! Thanks for your kind message:) xTieghan