Recipe for Ramen Noodle Broccoli Slaw

Have you ever had this Ramen Noodle Broccoli Slaw? Supposedly it’s a common staple to see at potlucks and gatherings, but I’ve never seen it. I was sooo curious though, and I thought this would be a great dish to remind you of with Memorial Day weekend coming, up, as well as summer and potential potlucks and picnics.

There are other recipes I’ve seen out there using ramen which is making a strange comeback as an ingredient, such as Ramen Burgers and Ramen Grilled Cheese, Ramen Casserole or Ramen Snack Mix Ramen Omelet or even Ramen Pizza – all that I haven’t had the courage to attempt to make (see some example possibilities here). I thought I would take my first step with a Ramen Noodle Broccoli Slaw.

Ramen is not the main ingredient of this slaw, which is super easy and fast to make – it is just the highlight that makes what would otherwise be a slaw into something else because of all the fun textures with every bite. The textures make this side dish fun as well as tasty, and as an accompaniment to a many times of proteins (especially bbq) can provide a great balance. Plus love having a slaw option that doesn’t involve Mayo but is not just a regularly expected salad.

This recipe serves 4-8 depending on the size of the slaw side you are dishing up! 4 would be some pretty big sides, more like if it was the only side to your protein.

Ingredients:

• For the Dressing:
• • 1/3 cup Olive Oil
  • 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
  • 4 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Seasoning Packet From one 3 ounce Ramen Noodle Package
• For the Slaw:
  • 1 12 ounce package of Broccoli Slaw. This is in the refrigerated prepared salad/veggies section of your regular grocery store, or you can shred together your own mix of slaw. This one is a mix of red cabbage, broccoli, and carrots 
  • 1 Avocado, diced (I like to cut my avocado in half and remove the pit, and then just peel away the avocado skin and dice from there)
  • 1 cup of shelled edamame (I used a frozen package that I defrosted)
  • 1 3 ounce Package of Ramen Noodles, this is the kind that comes in a square shaped package, not the cups
  • 4 tablespoons of Butter
  • 1/3 Cup Slivered Almonds

Directions:

1. Whisk together the olive oil, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and seasoning packet all together to make the dressing. Mix in the broccoli slaw and shelled edamame so the dressing is coating all the slaw. If you are not serving right away, cover and chill this. As the dressing soaks into it, it will be even more flavorful.
   
2. In a pan, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Crush all the ramen noodles with your hands, and then toast the noodles and almonds in the butter until the almonds are fragrant, maybe 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. If you’d like, you can skip the step of toasting the slivered almonds if you purchase almonds that are already toasted.
   
3. When you are ready to serve the salad, add the ramen noodle and almond mix and the diced avocado and toss until mixed, and then serve. By waiting to add the crunchy ingredients and the avocado (which will brown over time) until serving time the Ramen Noodle Broccoli Slaw will be at its peak texture, though it tastes good the next day too (just not as crunchy). So if you pack this for a picnic or outside gathering, consider bringing the noodle almond mix in a ziploc you add in – and I might only cut the avocado in half with a knife already, but leave the pit in, and then using a picnic or knive at the eating location cut the rest to keep it as green as possible.
   

I have seen some recipes that add fruit – such as mango or mandarin oranges – but that seems to not be a slaw anymore to me as much as a shredded slaw salad hybrid. You can also top this with bits of crispy bacon too, or diced chicken (like leftover orange chicken from takeout the day before…), but in what I wrote below I kept it vegetarian. Add even more crunch with sunflower seeds.

Other options are to use a different kind of vinegar (I’ve seen versions with white or red wine vinegar) or use sesame oil instead, substitute brown sugar with honey or agave, or even bottled Asian vinaigrette. The key is the dressing is a balance of tangy from the vinegaraitte but also sweetness.

Have you ever had a ramen dish using ramen besides the typical ramen noodle soup way like this?