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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.
This post was originally published on September 29, 2014
Ramen noodles were a go-to meal for me back when I first moved out on my own . Come on 25 cents a packet! I was on a tight budget. You could easily make it a meal with some frozen veggies and maybe a protein. Loved it! I haven’t had ramen noodles in forever. I know what I’m buying this week! Looks great 🙂
This looks amazing! I don’t eat pork though, could I substitute with chicken or beef and still get the same effect?
I love this recipe! Does is freeze well? (obviously, I’d add the noodles separately). Thanks!
Hey Aileen!! Yes, this recipe freezes great minus the noodles. Just add those once you have thawed the pork and warmed it up. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!!
I made this last week and it was phenomenal! It’s in the slow cooker again for tonight!
YAY Thanks for making it!!
Zomg! Amazing. Cooked the pork for 8 hours. Still can’t compete with the gelatinous goodness of a tonkatsu broth but it is up there for the stock based ones!! This helped warm up my cold Sydney winters day (ok so cold here is probably a summers day for you but 17’C is cold for us!! 😉 )
Haha!! I’m so glad!! That is not cold though!! At least for where I live!
So glad you liked this! (: Thank you !!
This was amazing. My wife says it is her new favorite meal. I used a Dutch oven in a 225F oven since my crock pot runs too hot. We also cut back on the salt, And it was perfect. Thanks so much for sharing the story and recipe.
I think I found this first through Buzzfeed and then again through Pinterest.
I admit, I’m a ramen addict. Not the packet kind, but the rich broth, yummy noodle Japanese restaurant kind. I never even thought of trying it at home. Then, I came across this recipe a few times and decided to give it a try.
I didn’t change much. I added garlic and skipped the egg (admittedly, I don’t like them and for the sake of the husband, I would add but don’t know how to “soft boil”). For the acorn squash, I didn’t want to invest in miso paste. Instead, I got frozen Japanese ramen, and used the miso seasoning for the squash. It was delish!
Overall, this is definitely a keeper. Frying/crisping the pork and the squash took a little longer than a set it and forget it meal, but was totally worth it.
Thanks for such an amazing recipe!
SO happy you liked it!! Thanks beth (:
So, I’m making this now. So many ingredients. Miso. Want to know how far I had to drive to find miso? An hour. One hour. I now own enough miso to last me til rapture. My house smells so good though. Can’t wait to eat it. C’mon, acorn squash. Roast, dang it!
Oh no! An hour! I am sorry, next time may I recommend ordering on Amazon?
Hope you love this!
I did, but the supplier cancelled the order. I figured it was because the miso needed to be refrigerated. I live in a very rural area. Having to drive an hour to get something isn’t all that unusual. It was worth it. The dish was delicious.
I put all the brown sugar and sesame oil in the crockpot. Will it turn out ok or should I start over?
I am sure it will be just fine! Hope you love this, thanks!
Hi! I’ve made this a few times, and I just want tell you it’s probably hand-down the best thing I’ve ever made! Like, in my entire life. So. Good. I can’t even being to express how much I love it. My sister-in-law talks about it all the time too. So THANK YOU, THANK YOU for this recipe. Gah… drooling now. XOXO
YESSS! This is awesome! Thank you so much!!! 🙂
I accidentally made this way too salty..I think I put too much bouillon in while making my chicken broth. What should I do?
Hi! I would add water to the broth. It will be extra brothy, but I think it will balance the salt.
Just wanted to let you know this is the best meal I have ever eaten in my life! WOW!!!!! Thank you. I’ve been blown away by all your recipes that I’ve made so far 🙂
So many comments!!! I LOVE ramen and your gorgeous photos had me excited to make this. Caramelized pork! So good. I used pork loin so less fat, and butternut squash.
The first night I cooked my pork roast and baked the squash till it was almost done. The next night just curried the cubed squash and finished the pork. I started in the crock pot but finished the ramen noodles on top of the stove. The flavors went together great. Will make again for sure.
THANK YOU! So excited you loved this! Hope you are having a great week!
Made it in my instant pot and it was fabulous! Didn’t do the squash because simply got distracted by my toddler in store while picking one out and never put one in my cart! Oops! Hubby said it was the best meal I’ve made, I think he was also impressed by the presentation on a Tuesday night!
SO happy the soup was a hit!!
My husband and I made this tonight and it was epic! We used sweet potatoes instead of squash and omitted the jalepenos. This ramen is the BEST thing ever. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
So happy you guys loved these burgers! Thank you and have a great weekend!