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This crockpot crispy caramelized pork ramen noodle soup with curry roasted acorn squash is some real deal Ramen. The mixture of flavors and broth – oh my!! Ramen has always been one of my favorite things to eat and now it’s one that I love to make AND eat – YUM.
Growing up I pretty much lived on Ramen Noodle Soup. Especially during the cold fall and winter months. If you live in northeast Ohio, especially along the lake, like I used to, you know that those months can be brutal. Comforting soup is the best cure-all. The rain, the freezing rain, the snow, the ice, the bitter cold – with no sunshine for days.
UGH.
Ramen, and maybe a roaring wood burning fire, can restore sanity. I would come home from school, boil the water, add the noodles + seasoning and cuddle up on the couch with a big blanket (if I was lucky, the fire was going too), my hot bowl of ramen and either a re-run episode of Gilmore Girls or 7th Heaven.
Ok, that was my ideal day. I cannot say how often that truly happened because I had five other brothers living in the house as well. Getting the TV all to myself meant that I was probably still in grade three, four or five because for some reason those grades got out at 2:45pm. The rest of the grades got out at 3:15 (middle school + high school) and 3:55 (lower elementary school). For the record, Kensington (my upper elementary school) was by far my favorite school, for the sole reason that while attending, I got out earlier than all my siblings. This meant that I had at least an hour alone with my mom after school. With five other siblings + my dad all fighting for her attention, this was obviously the best thing ever to me. It was rare that it was just us girls in the house so I always loved that time after school. Unless of course I had a boatload of homework. Then I was stressed to the max and HAD to get it done right-away (issues).
It’s probably clear I was a total freak. No denying it. I mean what kid does their homework literally right after school? I wouldn’t eat or do anything till it was all done. Mental issues? Yes, yes, yes, I had them and still do, but now they are in different forms…
I have not actually had Ramen Noodle Soup, with the seasoning pack and all, in years because my mom and I sadly found out (at way too young of an age) that Ramen was basically a bunch of processed junk that we did not want to be putting into our bodies. I still remember the day my aunt Alyssa called and broke the news that our beloved Ramen probably wasn’t the best thing to be eating. Daily. And yes, even as a kid I never wanted to eat junk food unless my mom made it from scratch, meaning all her cookies, cakes, K-bars and pies where fair game. I didn’t even like chips. See, total freak.
Last year I made this Thai peanut chicken ramen that I still love and make all the time with angel hair pasta, but this fall it was time for a new Ramen. And um, I have to say that I have totally upped my Ramen making game.
The caramelized pork does the trick. It’s pretty awesome, but I still think the egg… or maybe the curry roasted acorn squash (can’t decide) are my favorites. Together they honestly make the most perfect bowl of ramen.
Bonus, the pork gets cooked all day in the crockpot too. It’s the best way to make this because not only does it make dinner easy, but the pork gets cooked low and slow and creates an incredible broth. Seriously, the broth is out of this world good. There is a little work to do before dinner, you have to roast the acorn squash and get the pork all crispy + caramelized in the skillet, but I promise the extra efforts will be so worth it. You do not HAVE to make the pork all caramelized and crispy. It’s still going to be good if you don’t, but I highly recommend taking the extra ten minutes to do so. It takes the meal to a whole new level. Plus, it totally makes this a Bahn Mi Ramen Noodle Soup.
And the squash, well it’s the perfect fall topping to add to Ramen. I wouldn’t do it any other way. So good.
And those noodles, while nothing will ever compare to real deal Ramen noodles.
Crockpot Caramelized Pork Ramen Noodle Soup w/Curry Roasted Acorn Squash.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories Per Serving: 2018 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Soup
- 2-3 pounds pork shoulder roast or butt
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth plus more of needed
- 1/4-1/2 cup + 2-4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce <--Use low sodium
- 1/4 cup + 2-4 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce optional
- 2 tablespoons thai red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek chili paste, or to taste
- The juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon Chinese five spice
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 cups wild mushrooms left whole - or button mushrooms, sliced
- 4 packs Ramen noodles seasoning packets discarded
- 4 soft boiled or fried eggs for serving
- Chopped carrots sliced jalapenos, cilantro + green onions, for serving
Curry Roasted Acorn Squash
- 1 medium acorn squash seeded + diced
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted
- 1 tablespoon curry powder I use spicy curry
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the pork to the bowl of a crockpot. Pour the chicken broth, 1/4-1/2 cup soy sauce (depending on your taste), 1/4 cup rice vinegar and fish sauce over the pork. Add the thai red curry paste, ginger, sambal oelek, juice of 1 lime, Chinese five spice powder, black pepper and 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours (I recommend going low and slow).
- About 40 minutes before you are ready to eat, roast the squash. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a small bowl mix together the melted coconut oil, curry powder, miso, brown sugar and a good pinch of pepper. Add the cubed squash to a greased baking sheet and pour the curry mixture over the squash. Toss well. Bake for 30-40 minutes, tossing a couple of times during cooking. You want the squash to be lightly browned and crisp.
- Meanwhile, remove the pork from the crockpot and add the mushrooms. Cover the crockpot and crank the heat up to high. Lightly shred the pork with two forks or your hands.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sesame oil. Once hot, add enough pork to cover just the surface of your skillet, do not over crowd the skillet. Sprinkle a little brown sugar over the pork, add 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, toss. Allow the pork to caramelize, about 2 minutes. Stir and allow the pork to continue to caramelize, about 3-5 minutes total. Remove the pork from the skillet, repeat with the remaining pork. Keep the pork warm.
- Add the Ramen noodles to the crockpot and allow them to cook 5 minutes. Once the noodles are cooked, stir in only half of the pork. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with extra caramelized pork, curry roasted acorn squash and an egg. Season the egg with salt and pepper, Add the carrots, jalapeños, green onions and cilantro if desired. Happy slurping!
Love this bowl. It’s everything you could ever want in soup.
Making this for the 4th time tonight! Love this recipe.
Hey Maggie,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
“This is the best ramen I’ve ever had” “So f***ing bomb” “That squash is to die for” “can we eat this every night?” – actual reviews from my family this evening. Every recipe I’ve tried from HBH is absolutely amazing and this one stands true to that!
Hey Summer,
LOL I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Never mind, just saw comment above, I hadn’t scrolled to the end! 🙂
I know this is an old recipe, but anyone try in a Instant Pot?! Would love to have an updated version as this sounds delicious!
Hey Simone,
I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Can you make this recipe with an instapot??
Hey Patrycja,
I would cook on high pressure for 45 minutes. For next results I would cut the pork into larger chunks. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Instant pot: manual high, 60 mins.
Thank you Courtney! xTieghan
I did not have a pork butt or shoulder and I used boneless pork chops, do you think that will work?
Hey Ju-Ju,
I haven’t tested this, but it should work. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Now this recipe is perfect for winter! I just start the slow cooker in the morning and come home to an amazing meal. So tasty! Each time I made it my sister loved it so much she would sneak in the kitchen after dinner to eat the leftover pork cold straight out of the refrigerator!
Love that! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Bear with me, as I found this recipe after I purchased the pork shoulder, so had to do some substitutions. I used kefir lime leaves, dried mushrooms, coconut sugar, carrots for squash, and gluten free ramen. I cooked and shredded the meat a day before, so I was able to separate the fat from the broth after a night in the fridge. Might try sweet potato with it tomorrow night. I will definitely make this again… as written next time!
Thank you May! I am really glad this turned out so well for you!! xTieghan
THIS RECIPE IS THE BOMB! I made it exactly as stated and it was unreal. So filling and delicious. The left over pork was so fabulous for the days following. Amazing amazing amazing! I’ve already shared this recipe with a bunch of my friends one of which was my neighbour who actually knocked on my door to ask me what I was making because it smelt so good. haha! thank you very much!
Thank you so much Kylie!! I am so glad this turned out so amazing for you! xTieghan
Made this again for the first time in a while and I remember now how much we love it! So easy and so flavorful!
Thank you so much Jen! I am so glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan
This was lovely! Like most HBH recipes, this one allows you to ad-lib a little to suit your own tastes. For me, I only fried half of the pork and left the other half hidden in the broth. The broth was a little too limey for me, so dunked in some sweet soy and a bit of miso at the mushroom/noodle step. This one ain’t traditional, but damn if it isn’t tasty! ISO-LOVE IT!
Haha thank you so much Sam! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you!! I hope you continue to enjoy others as well! xTieghan
I have green curry paste and red curry sauce on hand…any thoughts on which would substitute best for the red curry sauce? Or should I hit the store?
Hi Bridget! Give he red curry sauce a try. I am sure that will be amazing!! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
I’ve made this ramen several times and WE LOVE IT. But question: do you think it would work with chuck roast instead of pork shoulder? I have a big chuck roast in the freezer I’ve been wanting to use.
Hi Tiffany! I bet chuck roast will be great! Love that idea! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Would this be doable in an instant pot? If so, what would the conversion be?
Thanks!!
Hi Erin, I would recommend cooking the soup on high pressure for 45 minutes. For best results, cut the pork into larger chunks. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan