Creamy Cheese Ramen Noodles - Quick and Easy Comfort Food

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Creamy Cheese Ramen Noodles are a fun and flavorful twist on a classic Japanese comfort food. Top ramen noodles will never be the same once you give them a smooth and creamy cheesy soul. Enjoy ramen mac and cheese as a snack or a quick week night meal. This recipe is kosher, dairy, and vegetarian.

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Why This Recipe Works
Ingredients
How to make this recipe step by step
Ramen noodles have a unique texture
Recipe FAQ
Pro Recipe Tips
Ramen Toppings and Variations
Storage
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PRO RECIPE TIPS
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Why This Recipe Works

Easy to cook. This is a one pot recipe. Open a packet of ramen noodles or a cup of instant noodle soup and you are almost done. Add butter, milk, and the seasoning packet and then melt the cheese.
Ready in less than 10 minutes. This recipe requires a little bit more effort than standard top ramen preparation. You have to get the milk warmed with the butter and cheese. Once that is done, you are good to go.

Easy to store. If you want to make this easy weekday dinner in advance you can do that too. Place the finished Cheesy Ramen into an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to one week.
A fast school lunch. School lunches are always tough and this recipe makes a nice satisfying main dish. Just put the cooled ramen noodles into an airtight plastic bag and pack into a brown bag lunch. Don't forget to include a fork.
No special equipment needed. Just a pot for heating the butter, milk and cheese.

Ingredients

Ramen noodles - there are plenty of kosher options for ramen noodles out there these days. Use your favorite.
Cheese - our go to cheese is American because of how quickly and nicely it melts when heated. You can also use Cheddar or mozzarella cheese for some variety. Pre-shredded cheese works fine for this dish.
Butter - to add body and creaminess.
Milk - also adds to creaminess.
Sauce packet - the seasoning comes from the sauce packet included with the package of ramen.

How to make this recipe step by step

Step 1 - Make the cheesy sauce

In a small sauce pan, mix together the milk, butter, cheese, and seasoning packet. Heat on medium until the butter and cheese are melted. (This will make a creamier broth than you are used to). This should take 1-2 minutes.

Step 2 - Add ramen noodles

Turn the heat down to low and add the brick of ramen noodles. Cover and simmer for 4 minutes. (If you are using a larger pan that does not allow the ramen to be completely submerged in the sauce, flip the noodles over after 2 minutes, cover, and simmer again for 2 minutes). Remove the creamy ramen noodles from the heat and cool for 2-3 minutes before serving. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley or sliced green onion.

Ramen noodles have a unique texture

Recipes like our Easy Creamy Mushroom Pasta use conventional dried pasta as the starch but this one is different. Ramen noodles have a completely different texture than spaghetti or fettuccini. They are more compact and keep their shape when cooked. The cheesy sauce gets trapped inside the clumps of textured noodles and every bite is a fun taste adventure.

Recipe FAQ

What are Ramen Noodles?

Traditionally, ramen are Chinese style wheat noodles that are eaten all over Japan and Korea as a meal. In the United States, we are more used to ramen being a snack food consisting of dried and prepackaged noodles that comes in brick along with seasoning for flavor.

What kind of cheese should I use for Cheesy Ramen Noodles?

For this recipe post we used grated cheddar cheese but you can also use mozzarella, Monterey Jack, or gouda. Feel free to experiment with your own cheese blends as well. There are lots of tasty cheese sauces to experiment with.

Pro Recipe Tips

Do not overcook

Do not overcook ramen noodles. Ramen are a little tougher than traditional dried Italian pasta but they will still break down if overcooked. There is nothing worse than overcooked Cheese Ramen Noodles...nothing worse! This recipe will cook the noodles enough to be just past al dente. More than that and you lose too much texture.

Scaling the recipe for more people

This recipe is for a single serving (or two if you have small children) but it is so tasty that everyone is going to want to dig in. To scale the recipe up just multiply the ingredients by the number of servings.

Ramen Toppings and Variations

Cheesy Ramen Noodles can be eaten as a main dish but are more commonly served as a side. Here are some fun ways to alter the recipe.

Cheesy Crab Ramen - dice up some kosher fake crab (kani) and top your ramen mac and cheese. You can also stir it into the butter and milk mixture.
Alfredo Ramen - instead of the butter, milk, and cheese, substitute our recipe for Quick and Easy Alfredo Sauce. This will make the noodle dish have more of a garlic parmesan cheese flavor.
Broccoli Cheddar Ramen - add ¼ cup of chopped broccoli to the milk and butter.
Spicy Cheesy Ramen - squirt some sriracha sauce over the top before serving.
Cheese Ramen Deluxe - add your favorite veggies like tomatoes, asparagus, spinach, cauliflower, or minced onion. Add fresh ground black pepper to taste.
For a yummy Cheese Ramen Casserole, mix in crumbled meatless sausage.

Storage

Creamy Cheesy Ramen Noodles are best eaten right after preparation. If have leftovers or if you are preparing them for the next day, you can keep them in an airtight container for 24 hours. Anything longer than that and the noodles will make a mushy mess.

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