Parmesan Noodles in a Bag
Ramen noodles tossed with parmesan, herbs, and oil. Nothing gets boiled dry.
- calories
- 725
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 121
- protein
- 21 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 5 min
- total time
- 7 min
- water
- 475 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Lunch
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Bikepacking
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Instant ramen | 1 block | discard the seasoning packet, or 3 oz of any small dry pasta |
|---|---|---|
| Grated parmesan | 1.5 oz | the shelf-stable green-can kind travels without a cooler |
| Italian herb blend | 1.5 tsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1/4 tsp | |
| Sea salt | 1/8 tsp | |
| Olive oil | 1 oz | in a leak-proof bottle |
Method
- Pull the oil bottle out of the food bag before you start.
- Heat about 475 ml of water until it steams, then shut the stove off. It does not need a rolling boil.
- Drop the noodles in the pot and let them sit until soft. Four minutes for ramen, longer for pasta.
- Lift the noodles out with your spoon and drop them into the bag of cheese and spices. Leave most of the water behind in the pot.
- Seal the bag and turn it over a few times until the cheese coats everything and melts.
- Pour in the oil, mix again, and eat out of the bag.
Cooking noodles off-heat saves fuel and keeps the pot from scorching. Steaming water softens a ramen block fine, and the whole thing is done before your stove would have finished a hard boil. Draining into a bag rather than the pot means the cheese hits hot noodles, not hot water, so it melts into a coating instead of settling out as grit at the bottom.
Parmesan is salty and dry enough to keep for days out of a cooler, which is why it is the cheese here. The oil is not optional. It carries the herbs, adds most of the fat, and turns a bag of noodles into a dinner that holds until morning. Skip the ramen seasoning packet; between the parmesan and the added salt there is plenty already.
Packing
Noodles, parmesan, herbs, garlic powder, and salt all go in one quart freezer bag at home. The oil rides separately in a bottle that seals.
Variations
- A foil packet of tuna or chicken stirred in at the end adds real protein.
- Sun-dried tomato bits or dried mushroom slices rehydrate in the noodle water.
- Swap half the parmesan for powdered cheese sauce mix if you want it saucier than dry.
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