Ramen Tacos
At 10 years old my mom decided she'd had enough of my shenanigans.
I was the pickiest of picky eaters and this picky eater never went down without a fight.
So she gave up, and I was allowed to make my own dinners—whatever my little heart desired.
Well, both my heart and stomach were ramen noodle addicts.
Let's face it, whether you spend 10 cents or 10 dollars, ramen is salty and full of flavor.
As I am still a ramen noodle fanatic, I started wondering if I could do more with these chewy, delicious noodles.
Behold! The ramen taco was born.
A crunchy corn tortilla and soft ramen noodles mixed with turkey and chilies—all topped with a fresh, bright salsa.
If you think this sounds weird, well, you're weird! Because this is delicious!
Ramen Tacos with Pico de Gallo
servings: Makes 6 tacos
Pico de Gallo:
- 5 ounces tomatoes, roughly chopped (about ⅔ cup)
- 3 tablespoons diced white onion
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- Juice of half a lime
- Pinch of cracked black pepper
Ramen Tacos:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 4 ounces dark ground turkey meat
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 onion, chopped
- One 4.5-ounce can of green chiles
- 1½ teaspoon ramen noodle seasoning pack (from 1 package)
- 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- One 4-ounce package ramen noodles
- 6 crispy corn taco shells or iceberg lettuce leaves
- 1 ounce queso fresco, crumbled
- ½ lime, cut into wedges, for a garnish
Pico de Gallo:
- In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, salt, lime juice, and black pepper, and stir to combine. Let this mixture sit at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to come together.
Ramen Tacos:
- Heat the oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Then cook until meat is no longer pink--about 4 minutes.
- Stir in the onion and green chiles and cook until onion is soft--about 4 minutes.
- Add the ramen noodle seasoning, chile powder, paprika, and remaining ¼ tsp salt. Stir to incorporate, then add 1 cup of water along with the ramen noodles. Cook, stirring frequently, until the noodles are soft and most of the water has evaporated--about 5 to 8 minutes, then turn off the heat.
- Heat corn shells in oven until crispy--about 2 minutes.
- To assemble the tacos, add ½ cup of the ramen filling to each corn shell or lettuce leaf. Follow this with 1 tablespoon of the Pico de Gallo, then 1 teaspoon of the queso fresco. Serve garnished with the lime wedges.
