Meal Prep-Friendly Ramen Jars Recipe

The days when you have your lunch or dinner pre-made, conveniently sitting in the fridge waiting for you, are without a doubt, the best days. No need to spend a moment of thought on the decision of what to eat, and no time out of your busy day to stop and create a meal. Many people have packed schedules with work, school, or other commitments, leaving little time for meal preparation, and making a few meals ahead of time can be worth its weight in gold during a busy week. Additionally, prepped meals give you more control over ingredients, making it easier to eat healthier and avoid unhealthy convenience meals.

Wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe for meal prep-friendly ramen jars and says, "In this recipe, I've combined hearty vegetables that stay fresh all week and a homemade sauce that is much less sodium-heavy than the dry seasoning packet that often accompanies ramen." When it comes time to enjoy one of these vibrant little ramen jars, simply pour over some hot water, wait a few minutes, then voila — lunch or dinner is served without the fuss.

To make this recipe, head to the produce aisle and pick up bell peppers, carrots, red cabbage, and scallions. You'll need some shelled edamame, and you can buy these fresh or frozen. While you're in the produce aisle look for miso paste. "I typically use white miso, but yellow or red miso will work fine in this recipe," Hahn notes.

Then you'll need some ramen noodles, and you can opt for the classic kind or search your grocery store for different varieties. "In this recipe I'm using ramen made from organic millet and brown rice. If you buy ramen with a seasoning packet, you can discard it since we are making a simple homemade version," Hahn says. Finally, check your condiment and spice cabinet for soy sauce, chili paste, hoisin sauce, garlic powder, and ginger powder.

In a small pot combine the miso, soy sauce, chili paste, hoisin sauce and 2 tablespoons of water.

Stir frequently over medium heat for about 5 minutes, then remove from heat.

Distribute the sauce into the bottom of 3 large, wide-mouth jars that have lids.

Now evenly distribute the carrots, red peppers, red cabbage, and edamame into the jars.

Add a ramen noodle bundle to each jar.

Top with scallions.

Put the lids on and store in the fridge for up to a week.

When ready to eat, pour boiling water into the jar, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes.

Enjoy the ramen right out of the jar or pour into a bowl and serve.

An easy way to customize the ramen jars to your liking is with your choice of vegetables. You can enhance the flavor and nutritional value of your ramen jars by incorporating leafy greens like spinach, bok choy, or kale. Consider adding mushrooms such as shiitake, cremini, button, or enoki for their savory umami flavor. For added texture, include crunchy vegetables such as bean sprouts, snow peas, bamboo shoots, or water chestnuts. Mix and match these vegetables and make sure they're chopped or sliced to fit well in the jars and are easy to eat.

You can also customize the sauce for the ramen jars. Adjust the sweetness of the sauce by adding maple syrup, coconut sugar, brown sugar, or sweet chili sauce. Enhance the savory umami flavor by adding mushroom powder, Worcestershire sauce, fish sauce, or dried mushrooms.

Control the level of spiciness by increasing or decreasing the amount of chili paste, sriracha, or hot sauce. You can also add fresh or dried chile peppers for extra heat. If you are on a low-sodium diet you can use broth instead of the soy sauce or switch to coconut aminos.

Tofu is a common addition to ramen and can easily be added to these ramen jars. The simplest way to include tofu is to buy pre-cooked tofu. These varieties often come marinated in either teriyaki, miso, or sriracha flavorings. To add, just chop into small cubes and add to the jars after you add the vegetables.

If you prefer to make your own tofu, you can easily do that too. "If you want to add tofu to the ramen jars, I suggest using super firm tofu," Hahn says. Buying super firm tofu eliminates the need to press the water out and will be the quickest method. Just chop it into small cubes and pop it into a large resealable bag. Add a dash of sesame or avocado oil along with some soy sauce and shake to coat. Spread the tofu out in a single layer either on a baking sheet or in the basket of an air fryer. Cook for about 20 minutes at 400 F with either method and then add to the jars. The tofu cubes will re-heat nicely when you add the hot water before eating.