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20 Minute Ramen Carbonara…with Herb Buttered Corn!! This Italian meets Asian dish is such a fun twist on traditional ramen. Brown rice ramen noodles tossed with creamy Italian carbonara sauce, crispy bacon, and herby, buttery summertime corn. This simple recipe comes together in minutes using a mix of pantry staples, summer produce, and garden herbs. This ramen carbonara is a great, healthy…ish dinner for any night of the week.
I thought we’d kick the week off with something different, something fun, and of course, something so delicious. Only way to start the week off right.
First things first, yes, I know this recipe is unusual, but everyone, hear me out. This carbonara is so good. Not quite Italian, and not quite Asian, BUT so good and really that’s all that matters, right?
I certainly think so, I’m pretty excited about this new quick and easy summer carbonara using my favorite noodle ramen.
For any of you who might be a little unfamiliar, carbonara is a classic Italian pasta dish. It’s unique in that it uses raw eggs. Tossing the raw eggs with hot pasta and plenty of parmesan cheese creates a delicious sauce. The heat from the pasta cooks the eggs and produces the silkiest, smoothest, and creamiest pasta sauce. It’s melt in your mouth good. If you’ve tried my roasted cherry tomato carbonara from many summers back then you know just what I’m talking about.
Carbonara is one of my go-to pasta recipes on busy nights for two reasons. Reason one, I use ingredients I almost always have on hand. Reason two, it’s super quick to make and requires very minimal prep.
Since I’m always making new versions of dishes I love, I figured it was time I switch up my carbonara. And why not have a bit of fun with the recipe at the same time…enter this ramen carbonara. It’s everything we all love about a classic Italian carbonara pasta, only instead of pasta, it’s made with ramen noodles. So…
It’s better?
Well, I’m not going to go that far and say it’s better, because I LOVE classic carbonara. But I also love this 20 minute ramen carbonara just as much.
Here are all the details.
Just like a classic pasta carbonara, the recipe starts with bacon. We crisp this up in a skillet until all the fat has rendered and the bacon is extra crispy. If you are vegetarian, or just prefer to not use bacon, that is totally fine. But I would recommend adding a drizzle of olive oil or butter to the dish to keep things saucy. Now, be sure to not skip the next step…
Since it’s prime time corn season, my fridge is currently stocked with at least 4 ears of corn on any given day. So tossing in I fresh corn kernels along with some crispy bacon was a no brainer. I added a touch of butter, some garlic, and lots of fresh basil and thyme. The corn caramelizes and becomes sweet, herby, and delicious. I found it particularly great with the parmesan favors happening through this recipe.
If you’re not a corn lover, spinach, zucchini, or even burst cherry tomatoes will also be terrific.
While the corn and bacon are cooking, whisk a couple of eggs with parmesan cheese and fresh basil. I like to do this in a large serving bowl with enough room to add all the cooked ramen noodles. This way you’ll dirty fewer dishes.
For the ramen, I LOVE this brown rice ramen, which is vegan and gluten-free. But you can use whatever your favorite brand of ramen is.
Now, it’s important to have the eggs mixed and ready to go before the ramen noodles are done cooking. Once the Ramen is finished, it needs to be drained and immediately tossed with the eggs. The heat from the noodles will cook the eggs and create that silky, creamy carbonara sauce. This step is really important, but don’t worry it’s also really easy. Just be sure to toss, toss, toss for a good minute until the sauce thickens and then you’ll have perfect ramen carbonara.
Add in the corn and bacon and serve up a few bowls of ramen carbonara topped with fresh herbs (I like basil and green onions), parmesan, and some black pepper too.
That’s it. Grab a fork. Chopsticks. Whatever utensil you please and enjoy.
Oh and major bonus? No need for an oven. Which is especially great since most of the U.S is experiencing crazy hot temperatures this week.
If you make this 20 minute ramen carbonara with herb buttered corn 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!
20 Minute Ramen Carbonara with Herb Buttered Corn.
Servings: 4 4
Calories Per Serving: 233 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or butter
- 2 ears corn, kernels removed from the cob
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 3 squares ramen noodles, seasoning packets discarded
Instructions
- 1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain onto paper towels. Add the oil or butter, corn, garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes or until the corn is golden. Stir in 1/4 cup basil. Remove from the heat. 2. Beat together the eggs, parmesan, and remaining 1/4 cup of basil, in a large serving bowl.3. 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, then drain. 4. Immediately add the hot noodles to the egg/cheese mixture, tossing quickly (to ensure the eggs do not scramble) until the eggs thicken and create a sauce. The heat from the noodles will cook the eggs. Thin the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches your desired consistency. Add the corn and bacon, gently toss to combine. Season with freshly ground black pepper and salt.5. Divide the ramen among plates and top with fresh herbs. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on July 22, 2019
I’m so happy to see someone else making and enjoying ramen carbonara. My mom’s recipe uses peas in place of corn, but I think the corn is so much better. The addition of fresh thyme and basil sounds good too, so I will give this a try! Maybe I can get away with serving it for breakfast with the excuse that it has bacon AND eggs. 😀
I hope you do try this and love it just as much as your mamas! Thank you so much Emma! xTieghan
This recipe is definitely a keeper for our family. It was easy to make, but I am not as facile in the kitchen as you, so it took me 50 minutes from start to table. I’m sure it will go more quickly now I know what I’m doing. Another great recipe from HalfBakedHarvest. Thanks.
Thank you so much Becky!! xTieghan
Do you think these flavours would work with spaghetti noodles and not ramen? I couldn’t find the ramen at the grocery store I went to, and I want to eat it tonight…
Hey Caitlin! Yes, of course! Spaghetti will be delicious and work perfectly! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Very tasty, easy to make. Hubby very happy with dinner tonight!?
Love to hear that! Thank you so much Nancy! xTieghan
This Ramen Carbonara recipe is fabulous! When I saw it in my inbox I knew it would be perfect for my family and everyone loved it. I used farmers market corn which is so delicious this time of year and loads of basil from my garden adding many layers of flavor. The recipe comes together quickly making it perfect for a weeknight dinner. Thanks Tieghan!
LOVE to hear that! Thank you for trying this Catherine, I am so glad you enjoyed it! xTieghan
Another great recipe! The corn was the star, and I loved using my fresh basil!! Thanks again! Looking forward to your new cookbook!
Thank you so much Judith! I hope you love the new cookbook when it comes out! So glad you loved this one! xTieghan
What a great idea, thank you! Looking forward to many more ramen noodle dishes 🙂
Thank you Emily! I hope you try this one! xTieghan
To echo people’s question, how much butter? You forgot to list it in the ingredients. I’m guessing where you wrote 1 tablespoon olive oil you meant butter? Cheers
Hi! Yes, I fixed the recipe! I hope you try this Smad! xTieghan
Hi there! You can use 1 tablespoon of either butter or olive oil, your choice! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
How much butter? Making it now 🙂
Hi Amy! One tablespoon! I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
I made this for supper tonight, Tieghan and it was really good and really simple too! I had salmon with it in a balsamic fig marinade. My only question would be is how much butter do you add. It was not listed in the ingredients. I added some, but not a whole lot. Other than that, Yum!
Hi Colleen! One tablespoon! I updated the recipe. So glad you loved this one and it turned out amazing! xTieghan
Hi Colleen! You just need 1 tablespoon butter. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am SO HAPPY you loved this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Hello Tieghan
Are the calories on your recipes calculated per portion or for the whole recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Hinna! They are per portion. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This looks amazing! Any recommended substitutions for the bacon to accommodate vegetarians?
Hey Brenda! I recommend just omitting the bacon and using 1 cup of sliced sautéed mushrooms (with olive oil, salt + pepper). That will be delicious! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I love the idea of a ramen carbonara! The pasta fusion of my dreams!! 😉
YES! Thank you Sarah! xTieghan
I could totally go for this!!
Thank you so much Ruth! xTieghan
This looks amazing! And so easy! I’m working all morning, then having a garage sale this afternoon, and this looks like the perfect, easy dish for the end of a very long day – I think I even have everything I need already on hand, so no last-minute trip to the grocery store! Thanks for sharing!!
Thank you so much for trying this Kate! I am really glad you loved this! xTieghan