Souped-Up Tortilla Ramen
Ramen rebuilt with fajita seasoning, dried vegetables, and a handful of corn chips on top.
- calories
- 600
- weight
- 4.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 133
- protein
- 11 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
- Basecamp
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Instant ramen | 1 block (3 oz) | throw out the flavor packet |
|---|---|---|
| Low-sodium chicken bouillon | 1 tsp | |
| Mexican or fajita seasoning | 1 tsp | |
| Powdered lime | 1/4 tsp | one True Lime packet |
| Dried diced carrot | 1 tsp | |
| Dried diced onion | 1 tsp | |
| Dried diced bell pepper | 1 tsp | |
| Diced sun-dried tomato | 1 tsp | |
| Corn chips | 1/4 cup | Fritos hold their shape in broth |
Method
- Put 2 cups of water and the whole seasoning bag in the pot. Bring it to a boil.
- Cut the heat and drop in the ramen block. Push it under.
- Lid on, five minutes. The dried vegetables rehydrate in that window along with the noodles.
- Stir once, then scatter the corn chips over the top and eat.
The flavor packet is the weak part of any ramen, so it goes in the trash and bouillon plus fajita seasoning takes over. The dried lime is what keeps it from tasting flat: acid at the end does the work salt would otherwise have to do, and powdered lime weighs nothing.
A teaspoon each of four dried vegetables sounds like a rounding error, but they swell to several times that volume and give the broth something to chew. The corn chips go on last, dry, and stay crisp for about a minute. That is the point of them.
Packing
Bouillon, seasoning, lime, and all four dried vegetables go in one small bag at home. The ramen block rides whole in the pot, chips in their own bag so they stay chips.
Variations
- Freezer bag version: seasoning and crushed ramen in a quart bag, 2 cups near-boiling water, seal, ten minutes in a cozy.
- Keep the noodle flavor packet if sodium is not a concern. Spicy chicken works with the lime.
- A foil packet of chicken turns it into a real dinner.
https://trailcooking.com/soups/trailheads-tortilla-souped-up-ramen