Learn how easy it is to stock your pantry with this ready-to-go “cup of soup” mix.
Since swapping to healthier, less processed foods over the years, there are certain convenience foods that I miss.
Especially at lunch time, I long for foods that don’t require much preparation. Leftovers usually do the trick, when we have them.
But if you had those handy ramen “cup of soup” in your pantry as a kid, you might be a little nostalgic for a quick, steamy cup of noodles now and then.
Luckily, I recently learned how to assemble my own ramen soup jars. Now I’m stocking my pantry with them so that we can enjoy these delicious noodles that are actually good for us.
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Choosing ingredients for your mason jar ramen soup mix
I knew that the prepackaged ramen mixes from the store were full of processed, questionable ingredients. So my goal was to make a healthier version that was still really simple, with few ingredients.
Noodles
There are a lot of options for dry ramen-style noodles, but I like these organic brown rice noodles. I buy them in bulk from Azure Standard co-op for the best price.
They happen to be gluten-free, which I like because most other types of ramen are made from enriched wheat flour, and I try to avoid the enriched part. This is part of the reason I mill my own grains (for fresh milled flour).
You can read more about the issues created by commercial enriched flour in Sue Becker’s book. It’s really interesting and packed with good information for the health conscious.
Since I haven’t started making my own freshly-milled whole-wheat pasta yet…these are the next best thing.
For these brown rice noodles, one cake has about 8 grams of protein per serving and 4 grams of fiber (not too shabby). It also has a fraction of the fat contained in a typical store bought cup of soup noodles: 3 grams, versus 12 grams.
Dried vegetables
Of course vegetables are optional, but I love them with my ramen. The cheapest way to do this is to buy a bulk bag of frozen mixed veggies and dehydrate them yourself.
I put parchment paper on my dehydrator racks, spread out my frozen mixed veggies and dried them at 130 degrees for about 6 hours. You can simply dry them until the pieces are dry all the way through, not spongy.
You can also buy dehydrated mixed vegetables from Azure standard (look for “Azure Market vegetable soup mix”), or from Frontier Co-Op.
Broth powder
This part is really according to your preference. Some people throw a few bouillon cubes in their mix. But those usually have a ton of ingredients, including MSG.
Since I wanted to have cleaner ingredients in my ramen jars, I used Azure Market vegetable broth. It’s a powdered mix of vegetables along with some thickening agents and it makes a pretty healthy, lower-sodium option (it’s also MSG-, GMO- and gluten- free).
Ideally, I would just use my canned homemade chicken broth. That would be the healthiest version, and there’s nothing better than home-canned broth when you’re sick.
But right now, I’m stocking my pantry and I wanted the option of just adding boiling water to each jar. I was thinking of my college kid this winter, and I needed something that was as simple as possible when I sent a few jars with her.
(Because ramen and college just go together.)
You can definitely use chicken broth along with the powdered broth for added flavor and nutritional value. Or, simply leave out the powdered broth if you prefer and add the hot chicken broth when you’re ready to eat it.
Seasonings
I found that the vegetable broth powder had plenty of seasoning, so besides that, I just added a few pinches of dried parsley to my jars.
Assembling Mason Jar ramen soup
To make your shelf-stable soup mix, it’s really just a matter of dumping the ingredients into clean, dry mason jars.
I used wide-mouth pint jars (16 ounces) to make it easy to eat right out of the jars. No need for extra dishes!
Use 1 cake of the brown rice ramen for each jar (1 jar = one serving), and then add the 3 teaspoons of vegetable broth powder, 3 teaspoons of dried mixed veggies, and a few pinches of dried parsley.
See instructions for storing and serving in the recipe card below!
Mason Jar Ramen Soup mix
Stock up on healthy, homemade Mason Jar Ramen for the fall and winter months.
Ingredients
- Brown rice ramen cake (1 per jar)
- 3 teaspoons dried mixed vegetables
- 3 teaspoons vegetable broth powder
- Two pinches of dried parsley, as desired
Instructions
- Prepare clean, dry wide-mouth mason pint jars (16 oz), lids and bands (as many as desired).
- To each jar, add 1 cake of dried ramen noodles (don't break up), 3 teaspoons dried mixed veggies, 3 teaspoons vegetable broth powder, and a few pinches of dried parsley.
- TO STORE: Add clean lids and tighten bands on each jar. If you plan to store these for longer than 6 months or so, you may want to vacuum seal your jars to maintain freshness.
- TO SERVE: Fill jar with boiling water (or broth*) up to the rim. Add lid and band back to jar, tighten and let sit for 10 minutes. Stir noodles to separate them, then close jar again and let sit for another 10 minutes. Stir and serve.
Notes
*Chicken stock or bone broth can be used in place of boiling water.
Optional: When ready to serve, you can add cooked, diced meat or any other desired add ins.
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