One Creamy Canned Ingredient Makes Instant Ramen Super Rich

Instant ramen is a pantry staple that is perfect for a quick and easy meal, but it can sometimes leave you without long-lasting fullness and is generally not as good as it ultimately can be. So, whether it's your favorite spicy instant ramen on the market or even some delicious ramyeon — Korea's take on comforting instant noodles — you'll be better off adding something to give the soup a bit more substance and creamy flavor than going without it. Above all, adding some creamy canned soup to your instant ramen is key to successfully making your simple noodles a rich, fulfilling meal.

There are plenty of upgrades that can really level up your instant ramen, but using creamy canned soup, which can be considered soup-ception, makes your snack better in practically every way. We discussed this method with Maricel Gentile, chef and owner of Maricel's Kitchen, who explained why the pairing works so well in a recent interview. "Adding creamy canned soup to instant ramen makes it richer and rounder," Gentile noted, "The fat and dairy soften the sharp saltiness of the seasoning packet and give the broth body. It turns ramen into something closer to a creamy noodle soup you would order at a diner or cafe."

Now, while a creamy soup is obviously best for the texture of your instant noodles, carefully selecting the canned soup flavor that would pair well with the ramen broth flavor can lead to truly unforgettable results. In fact, there are several classic kinds of both soups that Maricel Gentile believes create a legitimately perfect union of flavors. "Cream of mushroom works well with soy or beef-flavored ramen. Cream of chicken pairs nicely with chicken or mild miso ramen. Creamy corn soup works with seafood or shrimp ramen," Gentile suggested. "The key is choosing flavors that feel familiar together." With this in mind, the classic strategy of using additional ingredients like eggs, spinach, chicken, mushrooms, or bacon can also improve certain flavor combinations.

You can also get a creamy bowl of instant ramen by adding some butter to it, but soup provides a much superior boost in flavor and substance. However, you'll need to make a minor adjustment to the classic instant ramen formula to get the texture of the canned soup combo just right. "Use less water," Gentile advised, "I usually cut the water by half and replace that liquid with the soup. Add the seasoning packet slowly and taste as you go. You may not need all of it because canned soup already has salt."