Photo Courtesy of Natalie Correa

Ah, back to school. A time of papers, new friends, clubs … and almost no time to eat. When I am pressed for time, I opt for this quick recipe that adds healthy fats and protein to an otherwise unsatisfying meal. It may seem odd, but the peanut butter adds a savory richness to the noodles. It also helps that all these things can be found at Dutch Treats if you can’t get off campus!

Ingredients:

1 package of ramen noodles (chicken works best, any flavor can be used)

1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter (can probably be substituted with sunflower butter)

Water

Optional (but highly recommended) toppings:

Green onions

Lemon juice

Roasted peanuts

Instructions:

Cook your ramen with just enough water to cover the top of the noodles. If there is a seasoning packet, add about half of the pack to avoid it being too salty. You can always add more later.

Once the noodles have just about finished cooking (most of the water should be gone and the noodles should be just about cooked all the way through), add in 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter, depending on taste. Sunflower butter can also be used since it has a similar flavor.

Stir until the peanut butter is dissolved, adding water if necessary.

Transfer to a bowl (or leave in the pan). From here, you can top it with whatever you want! I like to add green onions (sliced with scissors for time), lemon juice to cut some of the richness and roasted peanuts for some more protein.

To take this a step further, you can add in a ½ cup of frozen veggies while cooking and other protein, such as leftover chicken, pork or tofu to help bulk it up into an even more complete meal!