Homemade Noodle Cups Make Lunch Easy!
I eat pretty much the same thing for breakfast every morning with few variations and I don’t mind that. Lunch is another story altogether. If I’m clever enough to plan ahead, I might just have enough leftovers from last night’s dinner to take for lunch, but believe it or not, meals in our house are often last minute throw-together affairs and the leftover options are often pretty thin. The view inside my fridge is, well, not very inspiring. But wait! There’s a jar of something in there, after all. It says “Just add (hot) water”! Yes, it’s a homemade noodle cup I cleverly made at the beginning of the week! Now that’s a lunch I can get excited about. I love to make multiple jars—sometimes all the same, and sometimes each with a different base and flavoring.
Why Make Your Own Cup of Noodles?
Whether you are working at home or taking lunch to work or school (because wouldn’t it be nice to save a few pennies and eat something delicious?), these homemade noodle cups should be on your meal rotation list. Sure, you can buy the packages of ramen, but don’t do it! Those packets are loaded with preservatives and salt – these homemade cups are easy and much more delicious. They’re are not just for lunch, either. At the end of a particularly tiring day, I love to grab a jar and put the kettle on for dinner, and forgo the original meal plan. Feet up! Slurp, slurp!
How to Make Homemade Cup of Noodles
How easy is it to make these noodle cups at home? This easy! When you’re ready, just add boiling water and stir!
The Ingredients for Making Homemade Noodle Cups
Here are some ideas for the different elements in your noodle cups—the broth base, the protein, the vegetables, the noodles, and the seasonings and garnishes. Use the recipe below as a base, and then use these ideas to vary it to your taste. There are probably tons more ideas, too; these are just suggestions—scavenge your leftovers and save little special tidbits for your soup. You can see that there are so many variations it will be hard to decide, but that means you don’t have to eat the same thing every day! Remember that that adding boiling water won’t actually cook anything, so proteins, large chunks of vegetables (such as green beans or sweet potatoes), and all but a few types of noodles need to be cooked before going in your cup.
The Broth Base
Be choosy and read the labels to avoid MSG or other potentially undesirable ingredients.
Reduced sodium vegetable, chicken, or beef bouillon pasteWhite, yellow or red miso pasteRed curry pasteUnsweetened coconut milk
The Protein
There’s lots to choose from here, or you can leave them out for a plain vegetable noodle soup.
Tofu cubes Tempeh Shredded cooked chicken, pork, or beef Halved hard-boiled eggs Cooked shrimp
The Noodles
There are so many different kinds of noodles to choose from at most supermarkets! If you’re using cooked noodles, make sure they have cooled before assembling your cups. (You can cool them quickly under running water.)
Cooked (preservative-free) ramen noodlesCooked buckwheat sobaCooked spaghetti and other leftover plain cooked pastasCooked rice noodlesCooked egg noodlesUncooked thin rice vermicelli (Note: this is the only type of pasta that will cook with just boiling water and that doesn’t need to be pre-cooked)
The Vegetables
Instant noodle cups are where odds and ends find a home.
Shredded carrotsSliced shiitake, white, or cremini mushroomsSpiralized zucchini or squashSliced scallionsBaby spinachSliced snow peasShredded Napa cabbageFrozen peas and corn
The Seasonings and Garnishes
Everybody needs some spice in their life, even if it’s just soup.
Chile-garlic sauceGrated fresh gingerGrated garlicSesame seedsUnseasoned rice vinegarHoisin sauceSrirachaFish sauceFresh herbs like cilantro, Thai basil, or mint leavesLime wedges
Make as Many (or as Few) Cup of Noodles as You Like!
You can make as many or few cups as you wish. I give you two of my favorite variations below—but feel free to improvise. Each recipe makes enough for one 2-cup serving, but you can make multiply the ingredients to make multiple servings or to make larger servings in larger jars if you wish.
More Asian Noodle Recipes to Try!
Vietnamese-Style Noodle Bowls with Chicken Soba Noodle Bowls with Spinach and Poached Egg Sesame Noodle Salad Soba Noodle Soup with Chicken and Bok Choy Singapore Noodles with Shrimp
If you’re making the Chicken in Spicy Broth, wrap the herbs in plastic wrap to make an airtight package. Place on top of the other ingredients. Remove the lid and stir the contents with chopsticks or a fork to distribute the flavorings. Transfer to a bowl and top with the fresh herbs.
