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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
Hi Tieghan!
My name is Tori and I’m new to your blog. I just wanted to say that I made this last week and it was PHENOMENAL!! Making it again today- thank you so much!!
Hey Tori!!
Thank you so much! I am flattered and so happy you loved this soup!! Hope you have a great week!!
You mentioned for a vegetarian version you might use broccoli, bok choy, bell pepper and edamame along with the squash. Are you saying you would roast those with the squash or just toss them in the broth? I am new to cooking and need it dumbed down for me. How would you do it? Thanks!
Hey Kayla!! You could do either or, but I think roasting the veggies and then adding them to the broth would be best. I love the crispy texture roasted veggies have! Let me know if you have any other questions. Hop you love the soup!
Making this at the firehouse. It’s that good. The first time I made it. I grabbed the jug of teriyaki instead of soy sauce by mistake. Spec-tac-u-lar!!!! It wasn’t salty this way. Yes, kind of sweet, but that way we’re able to add all the siracha we wanted and it was devine!
That is SO awesome! I hope all the guys love it! THANKS! 🙂
This was absolutely AMAZING. I had to used korean soybean paste because I couldn’t find miso paste, but even so the squash was the most delicious part. And I honestly have never had a more flavorful broth. I didn’t add the egg tonight because the whole thing looked so filling, but when I have it tomorrow I’ll give it a try (and maybe skip lunch beforehand).
I was worried about adding so much vinegar to the pan when I crisped the pork, but when I tasted it, it totally made sense. It cut through the fattiness and added a sharper flavor. The cilantro on top brightened everything up. No joke, I cook soup every week in the fall and winter months, and this is one of the best recipes I’ve ever tried.
SO excited you loved this recipe, THANK YOU! 🙂 Hope you are having a the best weekend!
WOW
That seems really tasty. I’m hungry when i see this picture.
Great job !!
Bravo from France = )
This soup was unreal! I was so shocked at how perfectly this all came together. I will certainly be making this again.
YEAH!! So happy you loved it, THANKS! 🙂
This looks so good! I am so excited to try it this weekend. One question though… Which type of sesame oil do you use? Toasted or regular? Thanks!
I love toasted sesame oil. Hope you love this!
I’ve just discovered your website. I too LOVE fall and have been wanting to be in the kitchen and make some warm, comfort food to enjoy for that meal and to have yummy leftovers for my work lunches. I’ve save 5 already to try. This one is at the top of my list. Will you share how you do the med poached eggs in the picture?
Thank you for sharing with us,
Michelle
in Seattle
I’d like to try and make this dish a day before serving it. Have you tried this and been successful? I thought I’d just keep the caramelized pork, broth, squash, and toppings stored separately?
Also have you tried cooking this By multiples of two or three?
HI!
I have never tried cooking this by multiples, but I do think doubling this would work fine. I would not double the pork portion however as the original recipe provides extra pork as is.
Yes, you can make ahead of time no problem. You can store the pork + broth together, but leave the noodles + toppings separate. Hope that answers all your questions, but let me know if you have more. Enjoy!
I liked this recipe. I used less rice wine vinegar and it turned out delicious. Half way through my first bowl I realized it was also salty (but didn’t taste that way). I added water to the remain broth and now I can’t wait to have it for the rest of the week. I also added left over green beans to it because I like a bit of green. Thanks for a delicious base!
I made last night on our first rainy cold night. I had to make a couple of adjustments, but it still turned out amazing. My kitchen still smells delicious! I found the recipe because I was looking for an asian soup to use up some pork shoulder roast that I had from previous crockpot dish. So I made the broth without the meat (since mine was already cooked) and simmered it slowly on stove. Then caramelized the pork I had in frying pan. That was the best part! There was no butternut squash in the store, so I used Delicata. skipped the eggs (although they looked delicious in picture, with meat i thought it was too much) The whole thing was wonderful. I’ve never commented before about a recipe on any blog, but this one deserved it. Thanks! (BEAUTIFUL PHOTOGRAPHY!)
YESSSS!! So incredibly happy it was a hit! THANKS!
I made this today. And it turned out perfectly. I am delighted. Thanks so much. This gives me other ideas. Have you ever tried it with tempera instead of pork?
HI! I have not tried that, but I am sure it would be great, THANKS!
I don’t eat pork. Do you think I could use chicken instead!
HI! I think chicken will be great! I would use breast or thighs. Enjoy! 🙂
quick question for you:
1. What brand of curry paste do you use? I have a hard time finding one that is full flavored.
Hi Jes!!
I use Thai Kitchen’s Brand. It the only one my grocery store shells, but I like it! I buy the Red Thai Curry Paste. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Made this last night…I was worried about a few things, the salt (not overly salty at all), and the acorn squash (never cooked it)…how silly of me to worry. This was fantastic! My daughters (ages 7 & 8) had seconds! Everyone loved it. I especially liked the squash…added a sweetness (with a kick) to the dish. Thank you for yet another fabulous recipe!