Pork Ramen Bowls with Garlic & Ginger

This dish began as I, full of complete false confidence, headed to my kitchen to make pork dumplings. Now, honestly, my experience with dumplings extends to eating them at Asian restaurants. But that wasn’t going to stop me!

Spoiler: it did stop me. Everything that could go wrong did: overstuffed wrappers tearing, too much simmering liquid, batches disintegrating in the pot…It was a lot. But as I was tasting the filling, I knew the flavors were too good to waste. So I pivoted to ramen bowls.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 green onions
• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp white pepper

For the Green Beans

• 12 oz. green beans, trimmed
• 1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
• Dash of red pepper flakes
• Drizzle of olive oil

For the Broth

• 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Dash of red pepper flakes
• 2-3 cups beef stock
• 8 oz ramen noodles
• Toasted sesame seeds (for garnish)
• Thinly-sliced green onion (for garnish)

Let’s Cook!

• Prepare the noodles according to package directions. Set aside.
• Toss the ingredients for the green beans together in a large bowl. Cook in a skillet or in the air fryer for 5-8 minutes until they are lightly browned and just tender. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix the filling ingredients until well blended.
• In a Dutch oven, sautee the pork mixture until no pink remains (you could also shape them into small meatballs, but remember, I thought I was making dumplings!)
• Add all the ingredients for the broth to the pot. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes so all the flavors come together. (if it tastes a bit too salty, add a bit more beef stock to smooth out the taste)
• Add the cooked ramen noodles to the broth and toss gently so they soak up the flavor.
• Add the green beans.
• Ladle into bowls, topping with the toasted sesame seeds and the green onion.
• Slurp away!

It wasn’t quite the dinner I’d planned, but I like to think of it as dinner and a show as I tried to figure things out! It’s a wonderful reminder that sometimes the best dishes aren’t perfect. Sometimes the best dishes are made with love and a pinch of panic!

Eat well friends!

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