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
Slow Cooker Chili Lime Chicken Tacos
Slow Cooker Balsamic Cranberry Pork Loin
Print
Slow Cooker Japanese Pork and Ramen Soup
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 4 Hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Japanese
Description
The rich flavor of this ramen develops while it cooks all day in the slow cooker. It’s an easy weeknight meal!
Ingredients
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
Instructions
The Prep:
- Microwave onions, garlic, ginger and oil in a bowl – about five minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a slow cooker.
- Stir in broth and mushrooms. Season pork with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker.
- Cover and cook until pork is fork tender – 7-8 hours on low or 4-6 on high.
To Finish and Serve:
- 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.
- 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.
- Sprinkle each bowl with a few green onions and sesame seeds before serving.
Notes
America’s Test Kitchen – The Make-Ahead Cook
Keywords: Crockpot, Slow Cooker, Soup, Pork, Ramen, Japanese
Fav make ahead meal is……eggplant Parmesan, freeze in foodsaver bags.
Marinara and meatballs, spaghetti pie, pasta casseroles. I’d love to find some other options though. The cookbook looks great!
I like to make a traditional Indian dish in my crock pot: Kitchadi. It’s rice and lentils seasoned with turmeric, salt and a few other spice. Yummy and comforting. My husband and I love it!
I am all about making recipes ahead of time! This looks amazing!!
Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Pork.
Definitely lasagna! My mom has the most amazing recipe and it taste better the day after it’s cooked.
These soup looks so tasty! My favorite make-ahead meal is probably a lasagna!
I follow you on pinterest!
I like ATK on FB!
Comforting and delicious, right up my alley!
I’m holding a 5 day old. If anyone needs to run to the book store for a make-ahead cookbook, it’s me!
Thankfully, I made some of our favorite black bean burgers and froze them, pre-baby-arrival 🙂
I love to make a big batch of chicken salad or asian chicken lettuce wraps.
PS. This recipe is AWESOME.
Lasagne! Or, chicken pot pie using the CI recipe
This looks so tasty – I never thought to make ramen in a slow cooker but the pork looks so tender!
Mmmmm ramen!! And love that it’s in the slow-cooker!!!
Soups are definitely my favorite make aheads. I always make a BIG batch and freeze leftovers for those nights when I just don’t feel like cooking.
I want this book so badly, everything ATK puts out is gold! Having a favorite make ahead meal would imply that I’m organized enough to make ahead. But I’m not. Which is why I need the book. Ha! Scratch that, I’ve made cookie dough and put it in the freezer, does that count? 😛
Aww I’m sure that’s hard sleeping alone but I do love the star fish coping mechanism. 😉 I love all Asian soups so I am totally down for this!!
Love the sound of this ramen soup…and you made it look sooo yummy! My favorite make ahead recipe is to make salsa chicken in the crock pot, then just come home to delicious chicken that I can use for tacos or nachos!
I too have been trying to come up with creative ways to use Ramen without the seasoning packets. This looks and sounds wonderful! Perfect for these crisp fall nights that will be showing their faces soon!
Megan, you’ve captured this ramen so beautifully in pixels—I can only imagine how it tastes. Make-ahead is a concept I need to embrace more regularly, but if there’s one as a favorite, it has to be lasagna. Hang in there with the wonky schedule!
Whole heartedly adore this!
Love this. Probably lasgana is my favorite make ahead.
Crock pot beef stew. Love the crock pot!
I truly loooove this ramen soup!! AND I need that book!!
My fave make-ahead is any and all soups!
Tamale Pie is always a great make ahead!
I like Americas Test Kitchen on FB
My husband works night shifts sometimes, too… hard to sleep alone but I do love having the bed allll to myself. 😉 Just like I’m planning to make this slow cooker ramen soup and eat it allll by myself.
The Korean Short Rib Tacos from Foodie Bride. OMG, they are insane!
I don’t actually pre make anything which is why I’d love this book.
My favorite make-ahead meal is pot roast!
I love that you add the dish count at the top! Though some dishes I think we’d both agree that we wouldn’t want to share that number lol. My favorite make ahead dish would have to be cookies or pie… okay okay for real if it has to be savory then any soup will do!
I love make-ahead meals. Cook a plump, whole chicken in a stockpot then, you have chicken stock to use or freeze. And, you have delicious chicken to use in Enchiladas Suizas, a Pot Pie, Chicken Divan, Chicken Tetrazzini or any other chicken casserole that can be frozen.
The same goes for making marinara sauce that can be frozen for those busy weeknights ahead or can be used in Baked Ziti or Baked Lasagna that can be frozen too.
No need for processed foods — your family gets the healthy, home-cooked goodness with just a little pre-planning. I always say if you’re going to make a mess of the kitchen, make a big one all at once!
Enchiladas! I can’t wait to try this ramen!
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my favorite make-ahead is crock-pot bologense sauce — I make a big batch and then freeze smaller portions for later!
Soups of all kind which can go in the freezer – I hope I can add this one to my freezer staples!
I always like to have some slow cooker pulled pork on hand in the freezer for a quick dinner option!
(I already follow/like America’s Test Kitchen on Facebook and instagram.)
Chicken Enchiladas – ATK has a great freezer to oven to table recipe!
Favorite make-ahead meal is chicken gyros
I follow you on pinterest!
I like ATK on facebook.
In the winter I make a pot of chicken soup and eat it for lunch all week.
I make a whole bunch of green chile chicken empanadas all at once and freeze them so my husband can pull one out of the freezer and pop it in his lunchbox.
I love crock pot ribs that i put under the broiler for just a few mins with some sauce to caramelize. Yumm!
My favorite make-ahead meal (breakfast) is freezer biscuits with freezer jam! 😉
I like America’s Test Kitchen on Facebook
I like Country Cleaver on Pinterest, I’m at http://www.pinterest.com/piclinks/
Here’s my tweet! https://twitter.com/pic_links/status/509464690859053056
I love to cook a big pork roast in the slow cooker, then shred it and freeze the meat so I have protein ready to toss into pasta sauces or turn into tacos, burritos, or wraps.
The difference between using packaged ramen noodles and using real noodles available from any Asian market is like night and day. The texture and flavor of chukka-soba noodles for instance in incomparable and the amount of time to cook is essentially the same.
My favorite make ahead dish is lasagna.
ATK is seriously the best. I’m on this book tour too! I made the chicken fingers for the freezer and they are out of control good. Such a great book! This ramen looks awesome too; can’t wait to try it!
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