Okay, okay... so we all know what Ramen noodles are. Guilty as charged! I think that I almost survived in college off of Ramen, microwave burritos, pizza bites and hot pockets. And please... don't ask me about my colored ketchup phase.

Several months back now, my mom was going through (I mean... raiding) my pantry as she usually does when she comes over. She happened to stumble upon a single package of reduced sodium chicken flavored Ramen that I had in there. I was in the process of turning over the stuff in my emergency food preparation packs that I keep on hand just in case of power outage or... you know... Z-Day (haha.) Anyway, my mom immediately started to bust my chops. Hard.

'I would have never thought I'd see RAMEN NOODLES in YOUR pantry AMANDA. HAHA. Sooo healthy!' - My mom.

That got me to thinking. You know what, mom? You're totally right. I can make my own Ramen. And it will be mighty! And SOUP-ER! It'll be... Awesome-sauce. Amazingness.

You know those little packets of doom that come in Ramen packs? First thing's first... that's out the door! What next? Bulk up those noodles with vegetables. And a lot of them too! Protein? Sure. Toss an egg in that beast and you're done, son!

Oh, yeah baby. This definitely hit the spot on a cold winter afternoon, and it's so easy to make this vegetarian or even gluten free.

For meatless, just swap out the chicken stock for vegetable stock.

Gluten free? Use rice noodles instead and make sure you use a gluten free soy sauce!

Healthified Homemade Ramen
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 2 • Size: 1/2 of Soup • Calories: 278.8 • Fat: 5 g • Carb: 43 g • Fiber: 4.4 g • Protein: 13.5 g • Sugar: 5.2 g • Sodium: 1750.3 mg

Ingredients:
1 C. Mushrooms, Sliced
1 Medium Carrot, Sliced
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 Tbsp. Fresh Grated Ginger Root
1 Tsp. Sesame Oil
2 C. Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth
2 C. Water
1/2 Tbsp. Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
3.2 Oz. (1 Bundle) Uncooked 'Japanese Style' Noodles (I used Sokina brand.)
1 Hard Boiled Egg, Shelled & Halved
1 Green Onion, Sliced
Sriracha, Optional
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Directions:

Place the mushrooms, carrot, garlic, ginger and sesame oil into the pot and cook over medium high heat until the veggies are starting to become tender; about 3 minutes.

Once the veggies are ready, add in the chicken broth, water and soy sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Increase the heat to high and bring it all to a boil.

Add in the noodles and allow to cook for 3 minutes (or to package directions if you're using a different brand than I did.)

When the noodles are done, remove the pot from the heat and add in the spinach, and allow to wilt.

When the spinach has wilted, give it all a little stir and divide the soup evenly among some large bowls.

Top each with a half of the egg and garnish with green onions and a drizzle of Sriracha if desired.

Serve right away and enjoy!