Upgrade Instant Ramen With Your Favorite Canned Soup

When your stomach starts rumbling, and you need a quick meal to munch on, instant ramen is a pretty good way to go. All it takes is a bit of boiling water and a couple of minutes of your time, and you've got a steaming hot plate of noodles in front of you.

But, while instant ramen tastes fine on its own, there's a way to make it even better: By adding your favorite canned soup into the mix. Canned soup can upgrade your dish by adding thickness, richness, and extra flavor to your dish. Best of all, this trick is fast, easy, and affordable. All you need is to mix your favorite cream-based soup. Then, prepare your instant noodles as usual, except use just half the water you normally would. To finish up, stir in half the soup, and you'll wind up with a dish that's bursting with flavor, has a unique texture, and a more opaque broth.

As you add soup to your dish, there are a couple of things to be aware of, such as which soups to pair with which ramen. Plus, once you've made the meal, finish strong by throwing in some additional veggies and toppings for a truly tasty dish.

When mixing canned soup with ramen, getting the flavor pairings right is key. There are many different types of ramen out there, including beef, chicken, shrimp, and pork. Each type of ramen will work well with different kinds of soup. For instance, for shrimp ramen, you could try mixing it with a clam chowder. Not only will you get chunks of clam in your meal, adding texture and packing in more protein, but you'll also be pairing complementary seafood flavors. Another option could be to mix a cream of chicken soup with chicken ramen. Or, give your ramen an umami pop by mixing in a cream of mushroom flavor, which could work particularly well with a meaty beef instant noodle packet.

Besides mixing half a can of cream-based soup with your ramen, you could also branch out and make your meal by simply cooking the instant noodles in a water-based soup instead of using the seasoning packets that come with them. You won't get the same creamy effect, but it can be a fun way to combine the taste of the ramen with a different broth.

Once you've prepped your soup, it's time to get to work adding extra toppings and other additional ingredients to upgrade your instant ramen. One easy way to do so is to play around with different proteins. An oozy poached egg can add to the creamy texture of the broth. Or, a good pick here could be a few slices of fried tofu. For meat lovers, you could play around with adding a slice or two of beef or chicken. Or, give your meal a bit of crunch with a slice or two of crispy bacon. Bacon can work particularly well with chicken and pork flavors.

Besides adding protein, a little sauce can also go a long way. Elevate your ramen by adding a bit of hot sauce, such as sriracha or Cholula. You could also try mixing in a spicy mayo to add to the creamy texture of the dish and introduce some tanginess. Or sprinkle on a dash of crushed red chili pepper flakes.

Finally, you can also finish off your creamy ramen with things like fresh herbs, such as chopped parsley or a sprig of basil. Or, add some dehydrated mushroom flakes to give a slight crunch. Whichever you choose, think about the soup bases and ramen flavors you chose and select herbs and add-ins that will pair accordingly. The sky's the limit with this trick, and you can create tons of tasty combos!