Secret Vegetable Ramen

My fella loves these noodles.  But loving veggies?  Not so much.

I like to give my guy stuff that he enjoys but I want to keep him healthy too.

What's a girl to do?

Here's how I give my meatatrian the ramen he loves but sneak some nutrition in there too.  

The finished dish has 1-1/2 to 2 times the quantity of vegetables that it does noodles, but my fella actually likes carrots and thinks they're the only vegetable in the dish.  The finely sliced onions and cabbage mimic the shape and colour of the noodles so he doesn't even notice that they're there.

You'll need:

• ramen noodles
• thinly sliced onion, 1/2 to 3/4 cup for each package of noodles used
• thinly sliced cabbage, an amount roughly equal to the quantity of noodles you'll be cooking. (Slice your onion and cabbage very thinly.  You want the shreds to mimic the shape and size of the noodles.)
• shredded carrots, about 3/4 cup for each package of noodles use
• 3 cups of stock for each package of noodles used (I used homemade chicken stock this time, but any flavourful stock will do.)
• toasted sesame oil to taste
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Open the ramen package and throw away the flavouring packet.  There is nothing good in that little foil envelope.   

I usually break the noodles up into shorter strands before cooking them but that is, of course, entirely optional.

Place the vegetables and stock in a saucepan, bring them to a hard boil, and cook until the vegetables are tender-crisp.

Add in the ramen and cook the dish for 3 minutes longer.

Much of the liquid will have boiled away, but drain off what remains and save it.  It's now quite concentrated and will add good flavour to another dish.

Return the drained ramen mixture to the pan and add in a little sesame oil.  You won't need much; it's strongly flavoured.  I use about 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil for each package of ramen I've cooked.

Season the dish to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Toss the noodles and vegetables until seasonings and oil are distributed throughout, then transfer them to a serving dish.  Secret Vegetable Ramen is best served piping hot.

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This post is linked to Gallery of Favorites hosted by Premeditated Leftovers and The 21st Century Housewife, to Foodie Friday hosted by Rattlebridge Farm, to Friday Food Frenzy hosted by Adventures in All Things Food, to Foodie Friends Friday hosted by Tracy at Busy Vegetarian Mom, Robyn's View, Marlys at This and That, Lois at  Walking on Sunshine, Michelle at  From Calculus to Cupcakes, Cynthia at Feeding Big, Jodie at Binomial Baker, R Dawn at Spatulas on Parade, Angie at A lil Country Sugar, Kelly at Adorned Well, Cindy at Cindy's Recipes and Writings, Joanne at Winelady Cooks, Marlene at Nosh My Way, Jutta at Hungry Little Girl, and Erika at Chef Picky Kid, to Strut Your Stuff Saturday hosted by Six Sisters' Stuff, to Nifty Thrifty Sunday hosted by Nifty Thrifty Things, to Delicious Dish Tuesday hosted by Full Time Mama, Mama Chocolate, and Coping With Frugality.