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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
How many times can I give this recipe 5 stars? 🙂 I made this recipe for the first time this week and it. Is. To die!! Only thing, I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to peel the squash before cooking, so I did. That was the fussiest part. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this unbelievably delicious recipe!
I am so happy you loved this Jen! Thank you!!
Hi! First off, this dish is AMAZING! Absolutely love it. I put more pork in than required and was wondering if it would be a good idea to just make the broth (I guess everything besides the pork) on the stove top?! Have you run in to this dilemma before?
Thanks!
HI! Yes, I would just make some more broth, that will be great. So glad you enjoy this recipe. Thank you! 🙂
This looks amazing! I’m making it for dinner tonight. I’m a newbie to acorn squash…do you need to peel it?
I don’t..
Hi! No need to peel the squash. it is edible and delicious! Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thank you! ?
We are not a big mushroom household. Is there any way we can not add them or substitute something else instead?
I am allergic to them so I’ve just omitted them when I make this. My stepson texted me last week and asked when I was making this cause he knows I make it in the fall and winter.
Hi Pam! No problem, just leave the mushrooms out of the recipe. Let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe. Thank you! ?
I’ve eaten Ramen for over 40 years, since I was stationed on the Korean DMZ. I’ve got to say this is the best looking bowl of ramen I’ve ever seen.
Wow, thank you so much!
Sorry for a dumb question, but i got just raw pork shoulder, do I need to roast it before i put it in crockpot ? And if yes, can you recommend me some recipe ? 😀
Hi! You just add it to the crockpot raw. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love this!
Awesome!!! My first Ramen. Little heavy with five spice but overall amazing!!! Wish I could post a pic!!
Yay, so happy your first one was good! I wish I could see too!
Such an amazong meal. Love your recipes!
Thanks so much Elisabeth!
Hi, Tieghan,
I am so tempted to make this but do not have adequate words to explain how much I despise the taste of licorice. There’s only 1 tablespoon of Chinese Five Spice in the whole dish – can you tell me if the taste of anise was really “there” by the end of it? If so, would you recommend leaving it out completely or adding in some of the other traditional Five Spice ingredients?
Thanks!
Hey Katie! You can omit the spice, but you can’t taste the star ansie too much or really at all. there are a lot of flavors. Either way, I think it’s still going to be great! Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love this!
This soup looks absolutely amazing! Beautiful, tasty and comforting! I wish I had a bowl of it now. I’ll have to try this soon. Thanks!
Thank you so much, I hope you love it!
I had to try this because the photo looks amazing, however the broth was so salty it was unpalatable. I couldn’t finish more than a couple of spoonfuls. My husband felt the same, it was kind of a shame after the wait. The vinegar and lime components were also very strong (lots of acid). This is definitely not a subtly-seasoned dish, it’s really overloaded with spices (several tablespoons of everything!), and it seemed excessive when I was making it, but I followed the recipe.
I will make this again at some point but decrease the vinegar/soy sauce and spices by half, at least. The combination of flavours was pleasant, it was just overpowering!
I Brie, I am sorry this was a little over powering for your taste.
Loved it!! I’m so happy to run across your blog. So many recipes I can’t wait to try. Beautiful pictures and easy to follow videos. Best of all it was fun to see you are a fellow Cleveland girl 🙂 I’m hooked. THX!!!
I am so glad you are loving my recipes Liz!! Thank you so much!
So I followed the recipe the first time I made it & it was delish, but the second time I just used what I had on hand, and made curry roasted Sweet Potato & Brussel Sprouts to instead of Acorn Squash & it was ahmazing!
Thanks for the great food!
I am so glad you loved it! Thank you Morgan!
I am interested in trying this recipe but wondering about the printed version vs. the video version that is included in this post. There seems to be quite a few differences (i.e. basil and lime wedges for garnish). Reading through the comments, many seemed concerned about adding the sesame oil to the crock pot with the pork. However in the video that is how it is done. Also 1/4 c. brown sugar is added to the pot in the video as opposed to 1T. brown sugar in the printed version (would this account for people’s differences about the saltiness?) Since this original post is 2 years old, I’m wondering which is your tried & true method when making it these days? Thanks for any help you can offer.
HI Shannon,
I adapted the recipe for the video to make it a little more user friendly. Either way you make the recipe is honestly going to work great. I like to go by the recipe I have written, as I think caramelizing the pork adds great flavor. Like I said though, either way works and this is on of my favorite recipes! Let me know if you have any questions at all. Thank you and I hope you love this!
I followed the recipe and don’t even know where to begin to express how incredible it was. I can’t remember the last time a meal left me speechless like this! Thank you
Wow! Thank you so much, I am so happy you liked it!