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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
Do yourself a favor and MAKE THIS TODAY! I don’t normally comment on recipes but this was by far one of the very best meals I’ve ever made. Followed recipe exactly as written (except I couldn’t find miso paste, but I didn’t miss it) and it was beyond delicious. My husband who is quite picky gobbled it up two days in a row and kept the compliments coming. The egg, squash and toppings put this dish over the top. Thank you for this recipe!!!
WOW! Sherry, i’m so happy you liked it!! This is the best comment!! Made me smile the entire time I read it!! Thank you!!
Made this tonight and I’m in love with the squash !!! Used butternut because that’s all I had but wow is that tasty! Your photos grab me and pull me in every.single.time.
Love your foodstyle.
Butternut sounds delish!! I’m so happy you liked it!! Thank you so much!!
My partner and I made this for the first time and both agree that it was the best home-cooked meal we had ever had. THANK YOU. We love your blog and have made many of your recipes. We are rarely disappointed. Keep it up!
YES!! So glad you both loved these Sarah! And I hope you continue to love other recipes, thank you!!
I’ve made this so many times!!! I’ve changed up exactly what I do with it though. I make the pork just as in the recipe, caramelize it, and end up freezing most of it! It’s absolutely perfect with wonderful flavor.
Anytime I need a quick meal, I’ll boil some ramen noodles, add some miso paste, basil, and egg, then top with some of the frozen meat! (which also has the added benefit of cooling the soup down a little so I can eat it!)
And I make the squash as a separate side ALL of the time. I’ve shared the recipe so many times, everyone loves it.
Oh my gosh!! That sounds like an amazing personal twist!! Nice work!! Thanks so much for making it!!
Just made this recipe for my family. THEY LOVED IT- and they are a picky crowd. 10/10. Making the pork crispy was perfect and you have to serve it with cilantro and onions. They will be raving about this one for awhile — thanks Tieghan!
Perfect!! I am so glad everyone loved this Lindsey! Thank you!
This was awesome! My hubby said it was the best soup he’s ever had! Bravo!
Ahh yay!! Thanks Alex!!
I made this at the urging of some friends who had tried it and loved it for our dinner last night. My husband helped me to bring it all together by cutting the fat off the pork shoulder and doing whatever else I asked him to finish up.
Changes/Substitutions:
-Brined the pork shoulder (4.5 lbs) overnight in water, brown sugar, salt, garlic and ginger. Love the flavor that brining imparts!
-Used a medium-sized butternut squash instead of acorn for ease of preparation and to have extra squash. Went generous, nearly doubled, the ingredients for the squash due to its size. Pre-baked it at 350 for 40 min, then cooled in the fridge until I could handle it to peel it and chop it. Tossed it with the ingredients called for, then baked again until it was crisp on the outside and soft inside.
-Since I’m gluten-free, I used Tamari, low sodium, in place of soy sauce, and used rice (maitan/glass) noodles instead of ramen. If I can find wheat-free, Eden Organics Soba (buckwheat) noodles next time, then I’d like to try them that way.
Thank you for a fabulous recipe to try after Hurricane Matthew. I was able to share the large amount with friends who had lost everything in their fridge and freezer while gone, which felt really good. We absolutely loved your recipe! 🙂
Oh wow this is so amazing! And so sweet to hear you could help out some friends Kristi! Thank you so much!
Oh my! Finally made this and wow! My husband can’t stop saying how great it was and even my eight year old ate a large helping. Another killer recipe, you rock!
Woohoo!! This is amazing to hear, I am so happy you and your family loved this recipe! Thanks so much Nellie?
Hi hi!!! I’ve made this a couple of times and LOVE all the ingredients. I have found the broth to be pretty overwhelming, and I take care to use low sodium chicken broth. have you run into this and if so any suggestions? Maybe just water it down a bit?
Thanks so much and keep up the great work!
Hey Erin! Yes, it’s a salty broth. Watering it down or using less soy sauce would both be a good option. Maybe just add the soy sauce to your taste? Let me know if you have questions. Thank you! 🙂
This is the first recipe I have tried on your blog, and it was delicious! The family loved it, and so did I. I used Butternut instead of the Acorn squash, because I had a package already diced up from Costco, that I needed to use. It was perfect, and easy! The squash gives such a nice, sweet flavor. I’ve never cartelized pork before, and that seriously ‘made’ the dish, over the top amazing. I forgot the eggs, so I will add those next time. I would have taken a picture, but we were so hungry I forgot until it was gone. Now, I gotta try more of your recipes. Thanks!
Oops, I forgot to mention that I also sautéed up some Bok-Choy Cabbage for those of us who didn’t want the calories of noodles. Yummy, & just as filling.
Yay! Makes me so happy you and your family loved this one Liz! Thank you so much and I hope you continue to love other recipes!
I am dying to make this recipe this week. However I do not have a crockpot. Can I use my dutch oven and cook it low and slow in the oven? If so, do you have a suggestion on time and temp?
Thank you!
Hey Lauren! Yes, a dutch oven works great! Cook it at 325 degrees F. for maybe 3-4 hours or until the pork shreds easily. Let me know if you have any questions. Thank you! ?
The ramen dish was delicious. The pork was cooked in less that 3 hours. I’m going to try cooking at a lower temp next time. Also, I lost a lot more liquid. I’m thinking in the dutch oven I may double the liquid amount. I’m making it again this week. I’ll report back. Flavors were awesome . Great recipe.
Let me know how this weeks goes! I am happy you loved it, thank you Lauren!
Just made this last night and it was awesome! I agree that the extra effort to caramelize the pork takes this dish to a new level. Just the right combo of sweet, salty, and spicy. Well done!
I think caramelizing makes it delish!! So happy you liked it!! Thank you!!
OMG! This was overwhelmingly good. I made the soup/ramen only not with the acorn, kinda glad I did. This is very hardy. One bowl and I was filled to the brim with wonderful goodness. Thank you so much I cant wait to make this again for friends. I will be making the Acorn side of this for breakfast with poached egg on top.
SOO so happy you liked it! I think thats sound amazing for breakfast!! Let me known how that goes (:
If you live anywhere near an Asian grocery, or can find a reliable one online, buy Korean knife-cut vermicelle noodles. They are usually found frozen. Boil them, add them to a bowl, then pour the broth on top. Amazing stuff. They are very similar to packaged ramen but they are fresher frozen and softer than ramen noodles.
Wow thanks so much for the tip Samantha!! I will have to try these!
If you take out the pork (don’t eat meat), how long should you cook it in the crockpot for? Or would it still be 7-8 hours? Also, can I substitute vegetable broth for chicken?
Thanks!
Hey! Yes, you can use veggie broth and I’d cook it for 4-6 hours, but longer will be fine too. Let me know if you have questions. Thank you!