A simple and nourishing noodle soup recipe that can be enjoyed as a snack or a complete meal within minutes.
Pre-packaged 2-minute noodles are a cheap, quick and convenient snack. However, they aren’t a complete nourishing meal.
The broth in packet noodles is often high in sodium—sometimes more than the recommended daily sodium intake. Some instant noodles can be high in saturated fat as they may be deep-fried so that they cook ‘instantly’. Furthermore, they are often low in protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals.
So, if you are looking for a complete meal or snack, I recommend increasing the nutrition of pre-packaged 2-minute noodles or making your own.
A nutrition boost to 2-minute noodles
You can make packet 2-minute noodles go further and reduce your sodium and saturated fat intake by adding a handful of frozen veggies and sharing your serving. Alternatively, throw away the flavour sachet and add a small can of flavoured tuna to the noodles for flavour and protein.
When choosing packet 2-minute noodles, compare the sodium and saturated fat content on the nutrition panel. Baked, not fried noodles often contain less saturated fat.
Remember, however, that no food is absolutely good or bad. If you love the taste and convenience of pre-packaged 2-minute noodles, they are fine as an occasional snack. However, if they are a frequent go-to or you’d like to vary the flavour and increase nutrition, making your own is a great way to go.
Make your own nourishing noodles in minutes
Making your own flavoursome noodle soup can be worth it nutritionally and for sustained energy. It requires a little more preparation but is still a quick way to get a meal or snack on the table in minutes.
Choose your noodles
The great thing about making your own noodle soup is you can combine your noodles of choice. You could choose:
- egg noodles
- Hokkien noodles
- vermicelli rice noodles (gluten free)
- udon noodles
- soba (buckwheat) noodles
- angel hair pasta
- edamame noodles (gluten free)
- spaghetti squash noodles (gluten free)
The right amount of noodles will be a personal preference and depend on your noodles of choice. In the below recipe, I use 50 g of uncooked noodles.
Choose your veggies
Similarly, you can add as many or whatever veggies you choose to your noodle soup. Frozen or canned veggies are also a great option for a quick meal. All they need is warming through, and your soup is ready to enjoy.
In the below recipe for noodle soup, I suggest adding 1 ½ cups of veggies of your choice. Veggies that work well with the Asian flavour of this soup are:
- carrot
- capsicum
- corn
- baby corn
- spinach
- mushrooms
- broccoli
- cabbage
- kale
- zucchini
- bok choy
- green beans
- snow peas
- edamame beans
Whether choosing fresh, frozen or canned vegetables for this soup, ensure they are not overcooked. You want them to keep their vibrant colour and maintain some crunch for texture.
If using fresh veggies that require cooking, add these before the noodles. Cook for three minutes before adding the noodles.
If you choose frozen or canned vegetables, these can be added after the noodles have cooked for 2 minutes. So the veggies simply warm through but don’t become overcooked and mushy.
Ultimately you can cook your vegetables to your liking.
Add a protein
To make your noodle soup a satisfying meal that will sustain you, I recommend adding a protein to the soup, whether we are talking pre-packaged 2-minute noodles or the recipe below.
Great protein additions include:
- shredded chicken
- prawns
- pork meatballs
- boiled egg, halved
- edamame beans
- chickpeas (try Crispy Chickpea Croutons)
- fried, baked or cubed tofu
- tempeh
Opt for toppings on your noodle soup
You can enjoy pre-packaged 2-minute noodles or the recipe below as is. Or try topping with a sprinkle of:
- chilli flakes
- finely sliced fresh red chilli
- toasted sesame seeds
- crushed nori sheet
- crispy fried ginger slivers
- finely sliced shallots or onion
- finely sliced spring onion
- coriander, parsley or Thai basil
Serving with a wedge of lime or lemon can enhance the flavour and dress up a simple noodle soup.
Quick Nourishing Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups water or stock
- 3-4 tablespoons reduced-salt soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos
- 1-2 tablespoons miso paste
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon reduced-salt stock powder or stock cube, if using water
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 50 g uncooked noodles of choice (see notes)
- 1 ½ cups veggies of choice (see notes)
Instructions
- Place water or stock into a saucepan and put on medium-high heat.
- Add soy sauce, miso, ginger, stock powder (if using water), sesame oil and pepper into the saucepan.
- Stir to combine, ensuring the miso fully dissolves. It can help to press it between two spoons.
- Bring liquid to a boil before adding noodles.
- Then add veggies.
- Cook until noodles are cooked, and veggies are warmed through. The cook time will vary depending on the chosen noodles and vegetables. Follow the instructions on the packet of your chosen noodles. If using frozen veggies, cook the noodles for 2 minutes before adding the veggies. However, if using fresh vegetables that require cooking, such as carrot or broccoli, add these before the noodles and cook for three minutes before adding the noodles.
- Serve as is or with your chosen proteins or toppings.
Notes
Your Choice of Noodles
I generally make this soup with vermicelli rice noodles. However, it would work well with egg noodles, Hokkien noodles, udon noodles, soba (buckwheat) noodles, angel hair pasta, edamame noodles or spaghetti squash noodles. Cooking time may vary.Your Choice of Veggies
You can use fresh or frozen veggies in this recipe such as carrot, capsicum, corn, baby corn, spinach, mushrooms, broccoli, cabbage, kale, zucchini, bok choy, green beans or edamame beans. Actually, there are probably plenty of other veggies you could add—over to you to get creative!Flavour to Your Taste
Try with a teaspoon of crushed garlic or a pinch of chilli powder.Noodle soup, how you like it
I hope this recipe inspires a quick and easy noodle soup.
I have provided variations so that you can make it your own. However, if you want more inspiration, check out 26 noodle soup recipes.
I’d love to hear if you give the recipe a try. Share any changes you made to the recipe, depending on ingredients you had available or to suit your taste preferences in the comments below.
Want a more ‘instant’ noodle soup?
Pre-combine the oil, soy sauce, miso, ginger and sesame oil. Then freeze it as an individual ice cube in an ice cube tray. Store in a ziplock bag or plastic container in the freezer. That way, you can simply add a frozen cube to water or stock to get this noodle soup underway. Obviously, to make this worth your while you’d want to make a batch at once.
