So, last month I had a Rachael Ray Magazine recipe on my weekly menu plan. I was all excited to make Tofu Ramen Soup with Spinach, but then I saw that Hannah had made that very soup recently… and thought it was basically a flop. A good idea as a nod towards a healthified college classic, but a flop nonetheless. Good thing I found this out before I made it. Thanks to Hannah, I can present you with this amazing Thai-inspired Tofu Ramen.
Each noodle-y slurp of this spicy, garlicky, gingery broth took me back to my sophomore year of college when, sick of dorm food, I enjoyed a steady rotation of ramen, easy mac, and oatmeal for lazy dinners or weekend meals. Prepared in the microwave, of course. Fortunately, this ramen has grown up and gotten much healthier, but still delivers in terms of ease, taste, and comfort. Instead of just a salty bowl of meat-flavored noodles with a few dehydrated vegetables thrown in, this ramen has tons of personality–chunks of carrots, celery, and mushrooms. Spinach! Cilantro! Tofu! A little coconut milk to add a bit of creamy sweetness and balance out the spice… and ta da! You have an easy, flavorful soup that is darn near perfect comfort food.
Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients, including the scary fish sauce. This soup certainly comes together quickly and the fish sauce? Well, all I can say is a little goes a long way. Just stir it in quickly and ignore the smell, because you’ll love the taste! All the flavors go so well together, and definitely improve over time, so leftovers will be really coveted. At least they were here! Enjoy!
Thai Tofu Ramen [adapted from Rachael Ray Magazine]
click to print
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 ounce freshly grated ginger
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 7 cups low-sodium chicken broth [or vegetable broth]
- 3/4 cup carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 stalk celery, minced
- 1/4 pound mushrooms, sliced and cleaned
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1/2 pound tofu, drained, pressed, and cubed
- 4 ounces fresh spinach
- 1/4 cup cilantro, minced
- 1 bunch scallions, minced
- 3 packages ramen noodles [uncooked, broken, noodles only]
- 3/4 cup lite coconut milk
Directions:
Heat oil in a medium pot set over medium heat. Add ginger, garlic, and crushed red pepper and saute for 1 minute until fragrant. Add chicken broth, carrots, celery, mushrooms, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.
Next, stir in tofu, spinach, cilantro, scallions, and ramen. Cover again and simmer 3-5 minutes until noodles are tender. Reduce heat to low and gently stir in coconut milk. Simmer for another minute or so until hot, then season with additional crushed red pepper or coconut milk as desired.
Time: 30 minutes.
Yield: 6-8 servings.
The Pajama Chef 
I am so glad that your version turned out a lot better!! 🙂
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it was delicious–thanks to you! give it another try soon. 🙂
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YUM!!!! Love slurpy soup!
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it’s the best! 🙂
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Sounds great. Thank you!
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hope you like it 🙂
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This definitely sounds like a healthier, better version of plain ole ramen noodles. I love all the ingredients and I’m not afraid of fish sauce…lol! I like that it has a lil kick too 🙂
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yay! another fish sauce fan. it’s so good 🙂
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Oh these sound faaaabulous!
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thanks!
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Love ramen, love thai, love tofu = Want this!!! it looks SO good!
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thank you amy!
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This really is an awesome Ramen upgrade! I guess you lucked out seeing that other recipe was a flop. There’s nothing worse than a disappointing recipe. I’m sure this one didn’t disappoint though.
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yea, it was pure luck 🙂 fortunately, a disappointing recipe can often lead to innovation which leads to this! yay!!!
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Ohh I love this! It’s actually really similar to a recipe I’m including in my cook book, but no tofu (I am not a fan of tofu). I love the added flavors, great job!
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oh fun! i can’t wait to see that recipe. 🙂 thanks!
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Homemade ramen is always such a treat! I am in love with just about any Asian soup!
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have you made any other homemade ramens? i can’t wait to experiment more 🙂
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I’m so glad you were able to fix up the recipe to make it MAJORLY delicious! I’m all about thai flavors and this sounds fabulous.
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thanks joanne!
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did you just leave me a comment saying they make coconut-almonds?
oh heavens! who? I must get those!
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yes i did! blue diamond. i haven’t tried them yet but they sound amazing!!!
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Oh yum! I’m currently obsessed with ramen!
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it’s a good obsession!
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