Meet Alex Caspero
Alex Caspero is a Registered Dietitian, New York Times Bestselling Plant-Based Chef and mom of two. She aims to cut through the nutrition noise by providing real-life, nourishing tips for body and mind. Learn more about Alex.
You’ve gotta try this vegan Summer ramen noodle salad filled with ramen noodles, green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, corn and a ponzu sauce. It’s a healthy, delicious dinner option that is ready in no time!
Summer ramen! Fresh noodles, vegetables and a light ponzu sauce. It’s as refreshing as it sounds.
I’ve been on a cooking spree lately, which I assume correlates to the fact that I am back home after a busy travel schedule. Don’t get me wrong, I love visiting friends/family and getting to see new places, but I’m a homebody at heart. I relish lazy weekends where we don’t have much on the agenda except being with each other and eating good food.
I originally posted this recipe last year but I made it again this weekend and it was so good that I wanted to reshare it again. If you like salad and you like ramen, then you will love this simple, plant-based dinner.
Summer Ramen Noodle Salad
Ramen noodles will always remind me of middle school, of days when I would come home from school and cook an entire packet of ramen noodles to enjoy while doing my homework/reading Teen People magazines. I think my family had just discovered the beauty of $0.25 packs of noodles and we happily downed bowl after bowl of the good stuff.
My flavor of choice was creamy chicken with added frozen peas; I opted to drain most of the broth out after cooking so I could slurp the noodles without making a mess. To this day, I can’t look at a package of ramen noodles without instantly thinking about that time and the 5,988 bowls of ramen that I ate during those years.
Well, this ramen is none of that.
It’s a cross between a ramen salad, a ramen noodle bowl and a DK creation. Fresh ramen noodles (10x much better than the dried kind) are tossed in a light ponzu sauce, then served with heirloom tomatoes, cucumber, blanched green beans and corn. Plus more sauce and sesame seeds for texture and crunch.
Super delicious and dare I say, refreshing? It’s ramen for 100 degree days.
To make prep work super easy, I use steamable fresh green beans that I find at Trader Joe’s (though I think most grocery stores carry them in the produce aisle). Yes, I know cooking vegetables in plastic in the microwave probably isn’t the greatest, but they are done in less than 4 minutes without me needing to get any other pots or pans out.
If you prefer to steam the beans on the stove, that works too. I might suggest using the same pot that you cook the ramen noodles in. Simply place a steamer basket over the hot water and let cook until just tender. The green beans should still have a bite to them; you want that texture to contrast with the juicy tomatoes, sweet corn and tender noodles.
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag your Instagram photos with #delishknowledge . I absolutely love seeing your creations. Happy cooking!
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Summer Ramen Noodle Salad
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: main, lunch, dinner, vegan, vegetarian
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Japanese, American
Description
Summer Ramen Noodle Salad! You’ve gotta try this vegan salad filled with ramen noodles, green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, corn and a ponzu sauce.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: main, lunch, dinner, vegan, vegetarian
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Japanese, American
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: main, lunch, dinner, vegan, vegetarian
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Japanese, American
Scale
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh ramen noodles (see notes)
- 8 ounces. fresh green beans
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 ears fresh corn, kernels removed
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
- 1 scallion, sliced
- 2 Persian cucumbers (or other thin-skinned cucumbers), sliced
- 1/2 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup ponzu sauce
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- sesame seeds, for garnish
- sliced scallions, for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the ramen and cook according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water; set aside.
- While the noodles are cooking, steam the green beans. I buy the fresh green beans from Trader Joe’s that can steam in the microwave. Alternatively, steam on the stove or in a microwave. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the fresh corn kernels, ginger and scallions. Cook until corn is just softened, then set aside.
- Whisk together the ponzu, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil. Toss noodles with 1/2 of the sauce and divide among 4 bowls. Top with green beans, cooked corn, cucumbers and tomatoes. Drizzle with remaining sauce and garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.
Notes
I use fresh ramen noodles for this as I think they taste best, but most brands contain egg. For the vegan version, if you can’t find fresh egg-free noodles, then substitute dried.
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(4 comments) leave a comment
WOW !! This is amazing recipe thanks for Sharing
★★★★★
Thanks!
this looks delish, what brand of fresh noodles do you use, or where do you buy them at? I usually shop at spouts and i rarely see fresh noodles but maybe i’m not looking in the right place?
Hi Diana- I don’t have a Sprouts near me so I’m not sure of the exact location but check near the tofu section- that’s where I typically find mine. They should be near fresh wonton wrappers and other asian noodles. While I love the taste of fresh noodles, it’s OK to substitute in dry noodles instead.