Slow Cooker Japanese Pork and Ramen Soup

America’s Test Kitchen has a new book coming out featuring all means made ahead of time! From slow cooker fare to freezer meals, and left over reinvention, this book is hands down handy!

Dish Count : 1 Slow Cooker, 1 Cutting Board

Having a husband working night shift is weird. Our schedules are all wonky and we are turning dates nights in date breakfasts, actual breakfasts into dinners, and don’t get me started on basically never sleeping next to your husband again. The plus side, I guess, is that I can no starfish across the bed again instead of being pushed off of it. But it still sucks.

So while we are working on this new life cycle reinvention, we’ve had to get creative with meals and start planning better. My friends at America’s Test Kitchen have just come out with a new cookbook all about The Make Ahead Cook.

This book has saved my bacon already and I’m going back for more. There are eight strategies for make ahead meals that you can’t beat, from slow cooker recipes like this ramen, to freezer meals, and ways to make a BIG dinner and then utilize all the leftovers in completely new creations (my favorite).

And if you’re like Ben and I, we thrive on doing one shopping trip for the week and creating new meals out of it. The Make-Ahead Cook has a whole section on 1 Grocery Bag, Three Meals that is totally genius.

For my first recipe out of the book, I went with this Slow Cooker Japanese Pork and Ramen Soup. I’ve recently been sucked into a new TV show called Mind of a Chef on PBS that follows a David Chang from Momofuku and his endeavors in all things food, particularly his favorite ramen! From there, I was inspired and wants to test out the flavors of this slow cooker version. It did not disappoint! It’s so rick and full of flavor, I’m making this again asap!

More Inspired Slow Cooker Recipes

Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup

15 Slow Cooker Appetizers

Slow Cooker Chili Lime Chicken Tacos

Slow Cooker Balsamic Cranberry Pork Loin

Slow Cooker Japanese Pork and Ramen Soup

• Author: Country Cleaver
• Prep Time: 15 Minutes
• Cook Time: 4 Hours
• Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
• Yield: 8 1x
• Category: Soup
• Method: Slow Cooker
• Cuisine: Japanese

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Description

The rich flavor of this ramen develops while it cooks all day in the slow cooker.  It’s an easy weeknight meal!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Soup:

• 2 Onions, chopped
• 6 cloves Garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp Ginger, grated
• 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 8 cups Chicken Broth (I used Low Sodium, worked great!)
• 12 ounces Shitake Mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 pounds Boneless Country-Style Pork Ribs
• Salt and Pepper

To Finish and Serve:

• 2 packages Top Ramen (instant Ramen), discard the seasoning packets
• 6 cups Baby Spinach
• 2 Tbsp White Miso, plus extra
• 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce, plus extra
• 1 Tbsp Mirin (if you can’t find, leave out)
• 1 tsp Sesame Oil
• 2 Green Onions, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds

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Instructions

The Prep:

1. Microwave onions, garlic, ginger and oil in a bowl – about five minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a slow cooker.
2. Stir in broth and mushrooms. Season pork with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker.
3. Cover and cook until pork is fork tender – 7-8 hours on low or 4-6 on high.

To Finish and Serve:

1. Transfer pork to a cutting board, and using two forks, shred the pork into bite size pieces. Skim any fat off the top of the soup.
2. Stir in the instant ramen noodles, and spinach, cover and let cook for about 8 minutes. Stir in the shredded pork, miso, soy sauce, mirin, and oil and let it set until it’s heated through. Serve.
3. Sprinkle each bowl with a few green onions and sesame seeds before serving.

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Notes

America’s Test Kitchen – The Make-Ahead Cook 

Keywords: Crockpot, Slow Cooker, Soup, Pork, Ramen, Japanese