Description
Hearty Slow Cooker Beef Ramen Noodles deliver comfort with Japanese-inspired flavor profiles that melt together perfectly. Tender beef and silky noodles invite home cooks to savor rich, complex tastes with minimal kitchen effort.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Protein:
- 1 kg (2 lbs) beef chuck roast or stew meat, cut into chunks
- 4 packs instant ramen noodles
Sauces and Seasonings:
- 4 cups beef broth (low sodium)
- ⅓ cup soy sauce (low sodium)
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
Vegetables and Garnishes:
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup baby spinach or bok choy
- ½ cup sliced green onions
- Soft-boiled eggs (optional)
- Sesame seeds (optional)
- Additional green onions (optional)
Instructions
- Nestle beef cubes into the slow cooker, considering optional pre-searing to enhance meat complexity and develop deeper flavor profiles.
- Create liquid foundation by combining beef broth, water, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, minced garlic, sliced ginger, and onion. Infuse with sesame oil and thoroughly integrate ingredients using gentle stirring motions.
- Secure slow cooker lid and allow meat to tenderize through prolonged gentle heating, targeting 6-8 hours until proteins become effortlessly shreddable.
- Strategically incorporate crisp vegetables like spinach, mushrooms, or carrots approximately 30 minutes prior to serving, maintaining their textural integrity and nutritional vibrancy.
- Introduce ramen noodles during final cooking phase, carefully fragmenting noodle clusters and integrating them into rich broth environment. Permit noodles to absorb liquid and soften for 4-5 minutes.
- Transfer steaming mixture into serving vessels, ensuring balanced distribution of meat, noodles, and aromatic broth. Elevate presentation by garnishing with freshly chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
Notes
- Searing the meat before slow cooking creates a deeper, more complex flavor profile by caramelizing the protein’s surface.
- Choose fatty cuts like chuck roast for maximum tenderness and rich, melt-in-your-mouth texture during long cooking times.
- Customize vegetable additions based on seasonal availability or personal preference, ensuring they maintain vibrant color and slight crunch when added late in cooking process.
- Adapt recipe for gluten-free diets by substituting regular soy sauce with tamari and using gluten-free ramen noodles, keeping authentic flavor intact.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 78 hours (low) or 45 hours (high)
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Japanese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg