Food Literacy Students
Most, if not all, college students I know always seem to be pressed for time. Time is a valuable resource and it often seems like there isn’t enough time to get everything done. Because of this, fast and easily accessible foods are highly valuable. Sadly, many foods that take minimal preparation tend to be less nutritious. My hope with this recipe is to illustrate how easy it is to turn a fast college staple dish (ramen) into a more balanced meal with relatively little extra cooking time. Essentially I add protein (egg), and vegetables (spinach and broccoli). The same principle of adding a couple extra ingredients to provide the desired nutrients can be applied to a wide variety of recipes. With a little bit of intentional planning and grocery shopping, it can take almost no time to add in a few ingredients to make a meal more balanced.
Cost Calculator
| Ingredient | Amount | AP Unit Cost | Recipe Ingredient Cost |
| Broccoli Florets | 1/2 cup | $1.50/ lb | $0.12 |
| Egg | 1 or 2 | $1.90 for a dozen | $0.16 (1 egg) |
| Ramen | 1 packet | $0.25 for 1 package | $0.25 |
| Baby Spinach | 1/2 cup | $2.98 for 5 oz | $0.19 |
| Soy Sauce (optional) | To taste | $2.98 for 25 fl oz | $0.09 (for a Tbsp) |
| Sriracha (optional) | To taste | $3.78 for 28 oz | $0.07 (for a Tbsp) |
| Olive oil | 1 Tbsp | $5.19 for 16 fl oz | $0.16 |
| Salt and Pepper | To taste | – | – |
This recipe makes one serving, so the total cost is the same as an individual serving cost. This recipe is easy to double if cooking for more people, but does not make very good leftovers. There are a few ways to make this recipe more budget friendly. The thing that will have the largest impact is the type of ramen you buy. There is a wide variety of instant ramen to buy, and the generic maruchan or top ramen brands are generally the cheapest. Sapporo or other brands, while they taste better, cost more. Buying a pack of 24 ramen packages will lead to a lower unit price as well, as opposed to buying singular packages. Another way to reduce cost is to use frozen broccoli instead of fresh broccoli, and steaming it in the microwave. This recipe only uses a small portion of a head of broccoli and a package of spinach. Don’t just use them for this recipe! Plan to make other recipes that use broccoli or spinach to reduce food waste. None of these items were listed as ingredients that the SNAC pantry was offering.
I make this recipe often and use different variations. One thing I do sometimes that allows the egg to cook faster is to crack it into the pot and cook it more like a poached egg and then add the ramen noodles to the same pot once it begins to boil and reduce the heat. An issue I run into with this is some pots are ridiculously hard to clean after cooking an egg this way which defeats the purpose of a quick meal. Another issue is different amounts of broccoli cook for different amounts of time, so it is important to check it every now and then to ensure it doesn’t burn.
This recipe is very versatile, and the cost can vary a lot depending on what ingredients are used. Buying ramen in packages of 12 or 24 significantly reduces the cost. There are also many different types of ramen noodles. Lotus Foods sells a kind of ramen made from millet and brown rice that is significantly more nutrient dense and sustainable, but also more expensive than the typical Maruchan or Top Ramen. Another way to mix it up is to use other vegetables in place of the broccoli! A fun way to prepare the egg is by frying it in a separate pan. If you break the yolk it cooks very quickly.
General information:
- Time management during preparation went pretty well. The way the recipe works tends to help all the ingredients be ready at the right time.
- It was very easy to find the ingredients needed for this recipe! All of the ingredients are pretty standard ingredients and grocery stores.
- I did not make any alterations to lower the cost, but I did make sure to try to buy the cheapest type of each ingredient.
- The cooking techniques for this recipe are pretty simple, just make sure not to forget about the broccoli in the oven
I love this recipe! One thing to note about it is that this recipe does not keep very well. Refrigerating and reheating ramen noodles gives them a weird texture and the liquid gets too absorbed into the noodles. This is best served hot, right when it is off of the stove. I like putting some spinach on the bottom of the bowl before the noodles and then some on top of the noodles with the broccoli and egg, and then pouring the broth over it all. It is an easy recipe to adjust for different numbers of servings. Some fun ideas to change it up would be to experiment with other vegetables and greens! Happy cooking!
Quick Ramen with Egg and Greens
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Chop a couple of florets off of the head of broccoli (you could use a whole head of broccoli and save the rest for another meal though)
- Arrange broccoli florets on a baking sheet, and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roasting a half cup generally takes a little more than 10 minutes.
- Once you put the broccoli in the oven, fill a small pot with about 2 ½ cups of water or just enough to almost cover the egg, and place egg in water. Bring to a boil, and set timer for 8 minutes. Here is some time where you could squeeze in some studying.
- Just before the egg is done, prepare a small bowl with ice water to help the egg cool faster and be peel-able. Remove egg from boiling water and place in ice water.
- Put ramen into the boiling water from the egg and cook according to directions on package. While the ramen is cooking (and once the egg is cool enough) peel the hard boiled egg and cut it in half.
- Once all ingredients are prepared, combine them all in a bowl and add other seasonings as desired. I sometimes like to add soy sauce or sriracha. Enjoy!
