Bake Ramen Noodles In The Oven For A Simple Weeknight Dinner

Ramen noodles are an easy, premade, seasoned meal that only requires the addition of water and a quick stint in the microwave. However, over the past few years, famous chefs and viral TikTok and Instagram reels have shown the potential to personalize and transform a packet of instant ramen noodles into a culinary masterpiece. While many chefs customize ramen noodles with homemade sauces, broths, or fancy garnishes, baking ramen noodles in the oven is a simple technique that will yield an easy one-dish dinner for the whole family.

The beauty of a ramen bake is that you can use any seasonings and additional ingredients you like, letting the oven do all the work. It's important to parboil the noodles so they don't dry out in the oven; parboiling ramen noodles entails bringing water to a boil before turning off the stove and adding the noodles to soak until tender. While parboiling pasta for baked pasta dishes is controversial, it's necessary for a ramen bake because you won't submerge the dry noodles in sauce or other wet ingredients with enough volume to effectively cook the noodles.

Consider parboiling a part of your dinner prep and gathering, slicing, and assembling your ingredients; You can get all of these tasks done while the oven preheats. Once the noodles are ready, add sauce, veggies, and raw protein to a casserole dish and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes or until all raw ingredients are fully cooked.

There are countless ways to season, sauce, or otherwise elaborate a ramen bake. If you don't want to make your own sauce or even chop vegetables or proteins, you can use frozen vegetables, pre-chopped meat, and your favorite bottled sauce. You can also use the seasoning packet mixed with a bit of oil and soy sauce to dress the noodles and season added veggies.

As ramen is an Asian dish, Asian-inspired sauces and seasonings are typical pairings for a ramen bake. Teriyaki, hoisin, Japanese curry, Thai peanut sauce, and Gochujang would all be great options that you can buy at your local grocery store. You could add peanut sauce to ramen with cubed tofu, peas, carrots, and green beans, garnishing the bake with diced Thai chilies, cilantro, and green onions. Teriyaki, cubed beef, and broccoli are another classic trifecta for an easy and delicious ramen bake to garnish with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.

Ramen would also taste delicious with Italian, Middle Eastern, or even Latin-inspired sauces and mix-ins. You could toss the ramen in pesto with sliced mushrooms and pine nuts, and garnish the bake with parmesan cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. For a tasty Mexican pasta bake, you could blend chipotles in adobo with crushed tomatoes, a dash of brown sugar, onions, and garlic, adding chicken, frozen corn, zucchini, and red bell peppers for the mix-ins.