15-Minute Korean Noodle Soup

This 15-minute Korean noodle soup is a perfect one-pot dinner for your busy weekdays. You only need a few ingredients and some leftovers in your pantry to make this hearty dish that is bursting with flavor and loaded with nutrients. Different topping options are provided so you can DIY a custom version with whatever ingredients you have on hand!

It has been a mild winter in New York, but we’ve been enjoying lots of soup nonetheless. No matter if it’s a quick egg drop soup, an earthy hot and sour soup, or a creamy Kabocha squash soup, we put soup on the dinner table almost every single day. 

Today I want to show you one of my favorite ways to fix a quick lunch – 15-minute Korean noodle soup! It’s inspired by the Korean guksu but without the trouble of making the stock from scratch, and the result is super delicious.

Ingredients you need

• Somen noodles (or Instant Noodles without the seasoning packs)
• Pacific Foods Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth 
• Kimchi, Gochujang, maple syrup, soy sauce, and garlic to make the sauce mixture
• Baby bok choy (or any other greens you prefer)

Regular chicken broth is my go-to choice when I develop recipes, but lately I’m using more low-sodium broth in my cooking for a healthier diet. 

I love using Pacific Foods Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth because it’s made from organic free-range chicken, has a low sodium percentage, and is very flavorful. If you compare it to some common brands, you’ll find that 1 cup of regular chicken broth usually contains a shocking 800+mg sodium, which is more than half the daily recommended sodium intake. On the other hand, the Pacific Foods low-sodium broth only contains 10mg of sodium. 

Cooking process

The cooking is so easy that you literally only need 5 minutes.

1. Mix the sauce ingredient to make a paste
2. Boil the noodles and veggies in the chicken broth
3. Stir the sauce mixture into the broth until it dissolves

Stirring in the seasonings at the end, instead of cooking them, will yield a fruity and refreshing taste. It will also keep the probiotics of the kimchi alive, which provides further health benefits.

Topping options

I’ve listed eggs, baby bok choy, and rotisserie chicken as topping options in my Korean noodle soup recipe. In reality, many other ingredients work as well.

For example:

• Protein: any deli meat, leftover stew or braised meat, pan-fried shrimp and fish, fried tofu etc.
• Veggies: various mushrooms, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, spinach, napa cabbage etc.

NOTE: Different veggies require various cooking times. For example, sliced white mushrooms and napa cabbage take about 5 minutes to cook through. Bean sprouts and spinach take 1 to 2 minutes.

If you do not have leftover chicken but still want to add shredded chicken, here is a quick method.

Set up a steamer. Add a small piece of raw chicken breast onto a plate and sprinkle it with a pinch of salt. Steam the chicken until it’s cooked through, 15 minutes or so. Now you have shredded chicken for your noodle soup.

More delicious one-pot meals

• Creamy Chicken Sweet Potato Stew
• 15-Minute Curry Ramen with Leftover Ham
• 5-Ingredient Savory Oatmeal (Chinese-Style)
• Korean Fire Chicken (Cheese Buldak)
• Japchae (Korean Sweet Potato Noodles)

If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.

15-Minute Korean Noodle Soup

By Maggie Zhu

5 from 2 votes

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 servings

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This 15-minute Korean noodle soup is a perfect one-pot dinner for your busy weekdays. You only need a few ingredients and some leftovers in your pantry to make this hearty dish that is bursting with flavor and loaded with nutrients.

Ingredients 

Sauce

• 1/2 cup kimchi , roughly chopped with 2 teaspoons juice
• 2 tablespoons gochujang
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup (or agave syrup)
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic , grated

Soup

• 4 cups Pacific Foods Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 6 oz (180 g) somen noodles (2 bundles) , or 2 packs instant noodles (without the seasoning packs)

Topping options (see the blog post above for more options)

• 4 heads baby bok choy , trimmed & halved
• 2 eggs (Optional)
• Rotisserie chicken (or other leftover meat), shredded (Optional)

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Instructions

• Combine all the sauce ingredients and set aside.
• Bring the broth to a boil and add the noodles and bok choy. Cook for 2 minutes.
• (Optional) You can add the egg to the broth along with the bok choy to make runny poached eggs. Alternatively, you can top the noodles with raw egg yolks. Or you can fry the eggs in a separate pan.
• Once the broth is done cooking, add the sauce mixture and stir to incorporate.
• Serve immediately as a main dish.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 368kcal, Carbohydrates: 72.4g, Protein: 14.9g, Fat: 0.8g, Saturated Fat: 0.1g, Sodium: 2212mg, Potassium: 258mg, Fiber: 4.9g, Sugar: 4g, Calcium: 65mg, Iron: 2mg

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