Like many collegiettes, I don’t have cash to spare for food. I don’t even have cash to spare for a new binder! But I have a secret to eating well: a case of ramen. Embrace the college-student stereotype and stock up. With a few cheap additions to your dorm-room pantry and mini-fridge, I promise you can create gastronomic masterpieces using ramen noodles as your base.
1. Basic Ramen Noodle Soup
Sometimes—particularly when you have the exam-week sniffles—plain ramen soup is the best-tasting snack since chocolate. My microwave shortcut is to simply put the dry noodles in my water-filled vessel without bothering to boil the water first—a few tests in your microwave will let you know how long to leave your noodles in for. Don’t forget you can control the sodium content of your soup by adjusting the amount of seasoning you add.
2. Buttered Noodles
Instead of adding the flavor packet to make soup, drain your noodles. You now have a base for any number of improvised pasta dishes. Arguably the simplest, buttered noodles (or “I-Can’t-Believe-It’s-Not-Buttered noodles) just use the ramen with a dab of butter. It’s a quick and easy change from the monotony of soup.
3. Store-Bought Pasta Sauce
The easiest (and fastest) route to ramen pasta comes in a jar—preferably, the cost-conscious store brand—that you keep in your mini-fridge. The options are nearly endless; I’ve tried marinara, cream-based, and cheese sauces. The curly ramen noodles can be a little unusual, but prove to be a unique and yummy alternative to regular noodles. Don’t forget to grab some parmesan cheese as a topping. It’s worth the investment—remember, it’s likely only you delving into your pasta stash, so the ingredients will go further than they would at home.
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4. Dressing as a Sauce
Much like with regular pasta, you can use dressing on cooked ramen noodles rather than pasta sauce. Many Asian-inspired dressings (like sesame) work well for this usage. You can even use your parmesan cheese over top.
5. Peanut and Soy Sauce Noodles
Once you’ve mastered the simple approaches to creative uses for ramen, you should definitely try more complex “recipes” with ingredients that are versatile, cheap and easy to store. For this recipe, the shopping list is simple: peanut butter, soy sauce and hot sauce (or cayenne pepper if you don’t mind making room for the odd spice here and there). These flavors blend well—just mix a spoonful of peanut butter with a dash of soy sauce and your spicy component to taste. Your hot noodles will melt the peanut butter and allow you to mix the sauce directly in the noodles. To make this even fancier (and impress your friends on a Friday night) pick up some sesame seeds and scallions to cut up and add to the mix. (Note: for a thinner sauce, add a drop of vegetable or olive oil).
6. Veggie Pasta
Those collegiettes with access to a meal plan (but an occasional distaste for the menu offerings) can use items from the dining hall’s “to-go” options to obtain ingredients to create a more desirable meal. Is the dining hall offering steamed vegetables? Grab them! Vegetables like snow peas, broccoli and squash are perfect for a simple pasta dish. Add a bottle of olive oil (it doesn’t need to be the classy stuff) to your pantry. You can drizzle it over your ramen base, toss in your veggies, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. If you’re feeling adventurous, try this with an unusual vegetable. You can also use frozen vegetables, which are relatively cheap.
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7. Protein Pasta
Just like you can pirate vegetables from the dining hall, keep an eye on the protein options. Are they offering tofu in some type of sauce? Is there an option for a chicken breast you could slice up in your pasta? Those late nights cry out for some solid food in your stomach—many to-go options can easily be transferred to a bed of pasta to help fill you up so you can power through your study session.
8. Improved Canned Pasta Sauce
While store-bought sauces provide welcome relief from ramen noodle soup, those sauces are often missing a little flair. Use the hot sauce or spices in your dorm pantry to pump up the flavor. My suggested recipe requires store-bought cream-based sauce, frozen peas and bacon saved from your dining hall breakfast. Thaw the peas you need (only a handful) in the microwave before adding them to your serving of sauce. Chop the bacon to the best of your abilities and mix. Use a drizzle of olive oil to thin the results as needed. I promise this combination is ideal for satisfying your “that time of the month” cravings (and cheaply!) If you don’t have access to the dining hall (or bacon) you can try this with strips of store-bought deli ham—again, an investment, but happy taste buds are important.
9. Chili?
Really, chili! Whether canned, snagged from the dining hall or sent from home, chili and noodles are meant to be. It’s a little heartier than a meat sauce and can be modified for vegetarian tastes. Again, this option is crying out for a dash of hot sauce and a sprinkle of cheese. If you happen to have junk food stashed somewhere, corn chips are a tasty (if unhealthy) addition. They even make Chilli flavored ramen!
10. Reliving Your Childhood Via Noodles
When you put cheese sauce on ramen noodles, they start to look like modified macaroni and cheese. This means it’s perfectly acceptable to cook a hotdog (through microwave boiling) and cut it up into your dish with cheese sauce. Hotdogs are the inexpensive option, but if you want to make this for more grown-up taste buds, try using a type of sausage (chorizo, anyone?) and adding in a dash of garlic powder and cayenne pepper.
11. Tuna Melt on Ramen
Normally, a tuna melt refers to cheese (generally American slices) melted over tuna on a sandwich. However, you can substitute your ramen base in for the bread. Both cheese slices and tuna are relatively easy and inexpensive to procure. Make sure you have a can opener on hand!