Ramen Packet Pasta

I've mentioned my love of spicy store-bought ramen before, specifically Shin Ramyun, made by the Korean company Nongshim. It's not the ramen noodles that I find so irresistable, but rather the flavor of the seasoning packet. Every now and then, I will indulge in the noodles that come in the ramen package, or make the soup with shirataki noodles, but I have been thinking of other ways to get my spicy ramen flavor fix that are nutrient-rich and filling. This spicy and creamy pasta really hit the spot. It's quick and easy to make with only 5 ingredients in addition to the ramen seasoning packet(s). This dish is going to be on the higher-carb end for some people, and the calories and macros will vary somewhat depending on the pasta you use. I have done the calculation with Explore Cuisine edamame pasta, which has an average carb count for a soy-based pasta (7g net carbs per 2-ounce [56g] serving). Their edamame and mung bean pasta has slighly lower carbs (6g per serving) and some other products on the market have 8-9g net carbs per serving. To make this soy-free, you could use a lupin pasta or, if you have a very high carb limit (or eat low-carb), a chickpea or lentil pasta. Enjoy!

The seasoning and veggie flake packets I've used here are for Shin Ramyun. Please be aware that the original Shin Ramyun is not vegan everywhere (e.g. in the USA, to my knowledge, it contains beef). If you can't use Shin Ramyun, or take issue with the ingredients in the seasoning powder, you can replace it with another ramen packet of preference, or perhaps a vegan dashi powder and cayenne pepper, sambal oelek, or sriracha to taste. Note that I'm not able to know exactly what the nutritional details are for the seasoning/veggie flake packet(s) in Shin Ramyun, but based on the ingredients, some online sleuthing, and a bit of macro math, I'm going with 25 calories, 2g protein, 0g fat, and 4g net carbs.
Yield: 2 servings
Macros: 460 calories | 33g protein | 26g fat | 14g net carbs
Prep: 20 minutes
Storage: refrigerated for up to 3 days. Add a splash of water when reheating.
Ingredients:
  • 2 servings (4oz | 113g) low-carb pasta, e.g. soy or lupin-based ✎
  • 8 ounces (224g) white mushrooms, sliced (about 3 cups)
  • 1 cup (240ml) canned coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons (10g) nutritional yeast flakes​
  • seasoning packet(s) from a package of spicy ramen ✎
  • 2 medium green onions, sliced (30g | about ½ cup)​
Directions:
  1. Prepare your pasta as per the package directions. If it's a type of pasta that is prone to overcooking, cook it to slightly less than the texture you'd like it to be when done. Drain and set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, in a saute pan for which you have a lid, put the mushrooms, coconut milk, nutritional yeast, and seasoning packet(s). Bring to a simmer on medium heat, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are cooked through. Mix occasionally and add a splash of water if the mixture is getting too thick.
  3. Add the drained pasta to the saute pan. Increase the heat to medium and cook, mixing frequently, until the sauce has thickened somewhat and is sticking to the pasta. The time this takes will vary depending on the type of pasta you've used. I find some soybean and edamame pastas release water.
  4. Remove the pasta from the heat and mix in the green onions.
  5. Divide between 2 dinner bowls, top as desired, and enjoy hot.
​Optional toppings: vegan kimchi, chopped green onions, sesame seeds, and nori or dulse flakes.
✎ Notes:
  • I've calculated the macros with Explore Cuisine edamame fettucine. Another low-carb pasta option would be lupin or (black) soybean pasta. If you have a higher carb limit, you could use chickpea or lentil pasta. If this recipe were made with chickpea pasta, the macros would be roughly 510 calories, 23g protein, 26g fat, 37g net carbs. With a lentil pasta, the net carbs would likely be a bit higher still. 
  • I'm not able to know exactly what the nutritional details are for the seasoning/veggie flake packet(s) in Shin Ramyun, but based on the ingredients, some online sleuthing, and a bit of macro math, I'm going with 25 calories, 2g protein, 0g fat, and 4g net carbs. The ingredients in the seasoning packet might be questionable to some people. What you put in your body is entirely your perogative. Personally, I have no qualms with these ingredients. Please use whatever seasoning mixture suits your individual dietary preferences.
  • What about the noodles from the package?! Well, if you don't have family that would enjoy them, I suggest gifting them to a friend or adding them to a cooked meal (maybe a veggie noodle soup) that you could donate to a local food pantry. Unfortunately, open food packages are not typically accepted as donations. 
  • Macros for this recipes are calculated with American national nutritional data (i.e. NCCDB & USDA entries in Cronometer) for the mushrooms and green onions. Label/custom dats is used for the pasta (Explore Cuisine edamame pasta), coconut milk (Aroy-D), nutritional yeast flakes (a mix of Bob's Redmill and Foods Alive unfortified), and ramen seasoning packets (Nongshim Shin Ramyun - my own estimate).
  • Macro numbers are rounded. Numbers equal to or greater than 10g are rounded to the nearest whole number (e.g. 10g, 11g, 12g, etc.) and numbers below 10g are rounded to the nearest 0.5g (0.5g, 1g, 1.5g ... 9g, 9.5g). Any numbers below 0.5g are given as is (e.g. 0.1g, 0.2g, etc.). Calories are rounded to the nearest multiple of 5.