Before-Practice Recipe

Early Dinner Ramen Stir Fry

Early dinner ramen stir fry uses three packs of instant noodles with the seasoning thrown out, three eggs, and frozen vegetables, and it feeds four for around four dollars.

IngredientsTimingStorageeggs
Comic-book style illustration of early dinner plates packed around practice bags before leaving the house for Early Dinner Ramen Stir Fry.

Throw the seasoning packet away and this gets good

Boil three bricks of ramen for two minutes and drain them early. Scramble three eggs, cook three cups of frozen stir-fry vegetables, then toss everything with soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and ginger.

The packets are the salty part you do not want an hour before running. Your own sauce is three tablespoons of soy and a spoon of honey, and a kid can drink water normally after eating it.

Ingredients

The recipe serves 4. Plan on about 20 minutes.

  • 3 packs (3 oz each) instant ramen, seasoning packets discarded
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 3 cups frozen stir-fry vegetables
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)

How to Make It

  • Boil the ramen noodles 3 minutes, then drain and set aside.
  • Stir together the soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, garlic powder, and ginger in a small bowl.
  • Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high; add the beaten eggs and scramble 1 to 2 minutes, then push to one side.
  • Add the frozen vegetables and cook 4 to 5 minutes until hot and tender-crisp.
  • Add the drained noodles and the sauce; toss 1 to 2 minutes until everything is coated and glossy.
  • Top with sesame seeds and serve.

Timing Before Practice

Start about 25 minutes out; once the noodles are boiled the stir-fry is just a few minutes.

  • T-minus 25: boil the noodles and mix the sauce
  • T-minus 12: scramble the eggs and cook the vegetables
  • T-minus 4: toss in noodles and sauce, then serve

Make It Ahead or Save Leftovers

Cold ramen stir-fry is surprisingly good, so leftovers double as a next-day lunch.

  • Mix the sauce a day ahead and keep it in a jar
  • Reheat in a skillet with a splash of water to revive the noodles
  • Pack leftovers cold in a box for tomorrow
  • Serve with: edamame, mandarin orange cups

Parent Tip

Slightly undercook the noodles since they finish cooking when tossed with the hot sauce.

Make it fit tonight

Small changes that make this one fit your night

Noodles pulled a minute early

They finish cooking in the hot sauce, and fully boiled ramen turns to paste in the pan.

Sauce mixed in a jar Sunday

Shake it up ahead and this dinner drops to twelve minutes on the night you need it.

An extra egg for the hungrier kid

A fourth egg costs about twenty cents and settles a fifteen-year-old who lifted after school.

Frozen edamame stirred through

A cup of shelled edamame adds something to chew and thaws in the hot noodles.

Leftovers packed cold in a box

These eat surprisingly well straight from the fridge, so tomorrow's lunch is already made.

Plan the next step

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