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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
*update* This is the best thing I’ve ever made. The pork was amazing, the broth was so perfect. It was heaven in a bowl. I happened to have an opened can of coconut milk so I did add a couple of tablespoons to the final broth. a culinary masterpiece! Thank you!
My broth came out tart. I am so bummed. My friend made this and it was So good. I don’t know how to fix it.
Hey Christina!
Did you anything differently?
I have been cooking your recipes every night for the past 7 nights since I discovered your site. ALL amazing! I have been wanting to make homemade ramen for so long, but thought it would be too difficult. Until I found this recipe! If it turns out half as good as it smells in my teeny apartment right now, I will not be disappointed. I didn’t want to spend the money on miso for such a small amount, so I will substitute tahini instead since I have that. Thank you for all of your amazing recipes! I will update with a proper review once my ramen is ready 🙂
Jaime
Hey Jamie!! THANK YOU!
I am so crazy excited to read this comment and so happy you are enjoying my recipes. THANKS!! :0
Which thai red curry paste do you use?
I use Thai Kitchens Thai Red Curry Paste
I made this last night for my wife she loved it, any ideas for the left over pork, I was thinking Bahn Mi Tacos? Id appreciate any ideas
Bahn Mi tacos would be AMAZING!! Love that idea! 🙂
So happy you loved these, thanks!
I’m sorry, but… this recipe just turned out way too acidic for me, and I normally like acid flavors (lemon juice, tom kah, salsa, feijoada… We have a shelf full of basalmic vinegars, and they get plenty of use.) The pork was fantastic, but the broth was painful until I added about another quarter-cup of brown sugar, and even then it only became tolerable, not tasty. I think maybe the lime juice, rice vinegar, and sambal oelek together are just a bit too much.
Hey 😀
So, all of this food porn is making people throw me some serious shade. I have two questions:
1. What can I substitute the pork with?
2. What brand crockpot do you own? I really want to get one, but there are so many different types and so many different varieties I am completely lost. Please help.
Okay, so I lied…I have three questions:
What type of chili is that in the middle of you bowl?
Thanks T!
HI! You can use either chicken or beef in place of the pork. If you use beef, I would use short ribs or flank steak. I use the Crockpot Brand crockpot. Got it a Target. The chilies in the middle of my bowl are jalalpenos. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Hope you love this!!
I can’t even! I made this soup last night and it seriously changed my life! I threw in some shaved brussel sprouts and baby bok choy instead of mushrooms (cuz I’m just not a fan), but other than that, 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, Tieghan!
AWESOME! SO excited you loved this, thank you for all the kind words!!! 🙂
Please share your directions for the soft boiled egg, it looks perfect. I am making this as soon as I hear back. Thanks!
Hey Kris!! I used this method, but to be honest, I think it was total luck how mine turned out. 🙁
Method:
I just spent the afternoon gathering all these ingredients to make this beautiful looking soup tomorrow – I’m super excited! I’ve never cooked with pork before so I don’t know much about cuts of meat. Do you just throw that whole chunk of pork shoulder into the crock pot whole, or are you meant to cut it up? Also, I’m reading through people’s comments about cutting the fat – should that be done prior to putting it in the crock pot or after it’s done cooking? Thanks so much!
HEY! The whole pork just goes right in the crockpot, but if your pork has a lot of fat on it, you may want to trim that off before cooking. Pleas let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love this!
Thanks for this recipe. Instead of pork shoulder, we used five hot italian sausages that we happened to have in the fridge. There were a couple of other small omissions or substitions, and it turned out great! The broth was a little too vinegar-y, but I imagine that eight hours in the slow cooker would mellow that out. If I was doing a quick version without the slow cooker again, I’d cut down on the vinegar quite a bit. Otherwise, I’m looking forward to trying this again with the pork cooking all day first.
WHOA! I bet the sausage was so good! 🙂
Just wanted to say that this looks fantastic and your recipe got big thumbs up by my entire family, especially Grandma and Grandpa Li. They make some similar dishes but usually use her hand pulled noodles.
Regards and Best Wishes from the Lake-Geauga County Region :)))
AWE! So awesome! Very happy everyone enjoyed this!! 🙂
I just made the ramen noodle soup and it was delicious!!! OMG.. the caramelized pork is out of this world. Thanks for making it. I’ll never see ramen the same way again.
SO happy you loved this recipe!! Thanks!
WOWZA. I am blown away by your site and all the amazing goodies you share with us everyday. I’m not a big commenter, but after trying my 3rd recipe from your site and not being able to contain my excitement, I knew I had to just thank you for your awesome blog!! This ramen dish is next level and was the perfect life saver for an impromptu dinner party last night (and I get to reap the benefits with an awesome lunch today!). Thank you for sharing your amazing concoctions with us!
WOW!! THANK YOU! 🙂
I am so excited you are enjoying my recipe and site in general!!
Thanks again and have a great week!
This was not very good. The pork ended up being tasteless even with the brown sugar, soy and vinegar. The broth was way over the top and I like spicy and flavorful foods. I added 3 cups of water to bring it down to a level that wouldn’t cause me to gasp. I followed the directions.