Rachael Ray's Favorite Easy Comfort Meal Might Already Be In Your Pantry
Sometimes, especially on weeknights, it's hard to gather the strength to make a complicated meal — even recipes designed to be quick and easy can seem daunting on hectic days. This happens to everyone, so there is nothing wrong with turning to a quick, easy, super low effort meal; even well known chefs do it. For Rachael Ray, that easy comfort meal is something you may already have in your pantry: instant ramen.
In an April 2024 interview, Ray told EatingWell, "I think there's such beauty about just making ramen. Anybody can make a ramen bowl. It's so impressive and it's gorgeous to look at." Further, Ray insists that instant ramen doesn't have to be plain and boring. Ray has plenty of suggestions to make instant ramen more delicious, such as making a jammy egg and soaking it in sake and soy sauce. Plus, include all of your favorite veggies, as well as tofu. You can even seek out a high-quality broth to finish off the bowl. Ray said, "You can buy bone broth anywhere and beautiful vegetable stock anywhere."
Customize the instant ramen to exactly your liking
Rachael Ray had some great suggestions for elevating your instant ramen, but the upgrades don't stop there. You can customize it to exactly your liking with all of your favorite ingredients. For example, Tasting Table's recipe for spruced up instant ramen and fixings includes many of Ray's suggestions, such as the veggies and egg, while infusing soy sauce (with an addition of miso) into the veggies for extra flavors. Our veggies of choice include bok choy and mushrooms, but choose any of your favorites: Corn, bean sprouts, and spinach are all great options.
You can also spice up instant ramen with simple tricks, such as adding a sprinkle of furikake. In general, don't be afraid to keep it simple — you don't need to include all of the works (veggies, egg, and so on) for the instant ramen to be delicious. You can always choose just one upgrade per meal to keep the things low-effort — one day, include just the egg. Next time, fry up some veggies.