Taking Back Weeknights: Paleo Ramen Noodle Soup

Hi friends!

Last week, while I was fighting a summer cold, I made a killer Paleo Ramen Noodle Soup that was so quick and easy and packed with flavor and veggies and protein that I just had to share it. This recipe uses spiralized squash noodles instead of ramen noodles, and I promise you won’t miss the grains in the least. Also, there is lots of room for mixing and matching in this recipe, so take the base recipe below and make use of whatever you have on hand – it will turn out delicious, I promise!

Don’t you feel better just looking at it?

Paleo Ramen Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

Broth:

• 2 cups stock (any will do, I used chicken)
• 1 TBS Sesame Oil
• 1/3 cup Coconut Aminos
• 1/3 cup orange juice (I use this primarily as a sweetener; you could also use honey, molasses or brown sugar, depending on your dietary preferences, or leave it out entirely and see how that tastes)
• 1 TBS hot sauce (sriracha would be good here, but I just used my trusty Louisiana Hot Sauce)
• 1 TBS minced garlic
• 2 TBS minced ginger
• 1 TBS rice wine vinegar

Add Ins and Toppings:

• 1 thin pork chop (beef or shrimp could also work here!)
• 1 summer squash or zucchini, spiralized (or rice noodles or spaghetti squash noodles, depending on allergies and preferences)
• 1 or 2 eggs
• Snap Peas, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, shaved carrots, bell peppers
• Chopped Cashews or Peanuts, lime wedge, jalapenos, fresh cilantro or basil

Directions:

• Prepare your protein: In a medium sized wok sear your pork chop on all sides over high heat. Err on the side of underdone with your protein, because it will continue cooking in the broth. Remove the pork chop from the pan and allow to rest for a moment.
• Prepare your broth: Turn the heat down to medium and toss your garlic and ginger straight into the wok and allow to caramelize a bit. Then add in the broth, coconut aminos, sesame oil, hot sauce, vinegar and orange juice. Stir well and give the broth a taste. Adjust as needed to your preferences.
• Mix and Match Ingredients: This is my favorite part, friends, because it is basically a choose your own adventure story in a pot. First, thinly slice your pork and spiralize your squash. Then throw your protein, noodles, and whatever add ins you have on hand straight into the pot and let simmer until all ingredients are cooked through. I like to crack an egg straight into the broth and let it cook until it is soft-boiled . If that weirds you out, you could also fry an egg in a separate pan and add it on top or you could skip the egg all together, although that would be sad. So so so sad. You’ll want to be strategic with your cook times here – fresh, delicate, veggies should go in last (think snap peas, peppers, etc), but eggs and carrots will take longer. Your protein can also be a bit tricky because you don’t want it to get over done and become tough. I usually throw it in right at the end unless it is much less done than I prefer or is safe, in which case, I’ll put it in when I put the egg in. All told, you’ll probably need to let things simmer for 3 to 6 minutes.
• Add Toppings: As a bonus, you can top this with chopped peanuts or cashews, a lime wedge, fresh basil or cilantro, jalepeno slices, avocado slices or a fried egg. #nom