Easy Steak Ramen Noodles with Broccoli

Savory flavors and silky saucy noodles with have you falling in love with this easy to make homemade Steak Ramen. Made in the slow cooker its a set and forget recipe and a great sugar free meal idea that the whole family will love.

Recipe Highlights

• No Added Sugar:  This is a sugar free recipe that is naturally sweetened with Monkfruit to create the perfect savory sauce
• Saucy, silky Noodles:  its amazing how a couple packets of instant ramen noodles can soak up the flavors and the sauce actually stays on the noodles without sliding off 
• Tender Beef: The slow cooker ensures that the thin strips of beef become tender and melt in your mouth
• Convenience: Only 10 minutes of prep and let the slow cooker do the rest
• Customizable: You can customize the ingredients and seasonings to suit your taste, whether you prefer it spicier, with egg, with cheese, with bok choy, or even with peanut butter! Noodles with peanut butter are the bomb!
• Healthy Meal Prepping:  perfect for making ahead and stocking up the freezer with tasty sugar free dinners.

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes 

 This noodle dish is made with simple ingredients:

• Beef: The choice of beef is crucial in this dish. Thinly sliced cuts such as sirloin, flank steak, skirt steak or even chuck roast work well. These cuts bring a robust, meaty flavor and become incredibly tender during the slow-cooking process.
• Ramen Noodles:  You’ll need two packets of instant ramen noodles.  The seasoning packet that comes with the noodles is not needed and can be discarded. 
• Beef Broth (Beef Stock):  a quality store bought broth or stock forms the basis of the sauce
• Seasonings:  Soy Sauce, Garlic, Sesame Oil, Red Pepper Flakes (Chili Flakes) are used to further flavor the broth.  Olive oil can be used to substitute sesame oil.
• Vegetables:  Broccoli florets, Red Capsicum (Bell Pepper), Green Onions (Spring Onions/Shallots)
• Cornstarch:  just a little to thicken the sauce and give it that glossy finish
• Garnishes:  Sesame seeds for sprinkling on top tp serve

Check out this Vegetarian Yaki Udon Noodles for a quick and easy meat free version, and these Salmon Noodles are also popular.

What cut of steak for ramen is best?

In my experience when making spicy steak ramen bowls, there are 3 main options:

• Sirloin Steak: Sirloin steak is a tender and flavorful option for slow cooker steak ramen noodles. It offers a juicy and beefy taste. Cook it low and slow in the slow cooker to ensure it remains tender.
• Flank Steak: Flank steak is a lean cut with a strong beef flavor. It's suitable for slow cooking as it becomes tender when cooked over a long period. Slice it thinly against the grain for the best texture.
• Skirt Steak: Skirt steak has a pronounced beefy flavor and can work well in slow cooker steak ramen. When slow-cooked, it becomes tender and absorbs the flavors of the dish, adding depth to your ramen noodles. Slicing it thinly is essential for a pleasing texture

Saucy dishes are so comforting and two of my other favorites are Garlic Sauce Beef and Thai Beef Curry made in the slow cooker.

How To Make

1. Add Beef:  Add beef strips, capsicums/bell peppers and a few green onions to the slow cooker, ensuring they are spread out across the bottom evenly.
2. Make Sauce: Combine together the beef stock/broth, soy sauce, brown sweetener, sesame oil, red pepper flakes (chili flakes), garlic, green onions (shallots) and cornstarch in a mixing bowl.

3. Add Sauce: Pour the sauce over the beef and red bell peppers.
4. Cook: Cover with lid and cook on low for 6 hours until the beef is tender
5. Add Broccoli and Noodles: 30 minutes before serving add the broccoli and ramen noodles, stirring frequently until the noodles are tender.
6. Garnish with sesame seeds and more green onions/shallots.

Recipe Tips

1. Preparing the meat:  To cut sirloin steak into strips, place it on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to slice it into thin strips, about ½-inch wide, against the grain for tenderness.
2. Option to "Sear" meat: Searing the meat before setting the slow cooker on will lightly brown the meat to lock in extra flavor. You can do this either in your slow cooker if it has a "sear" setting, usually a medium-high heat that will brown the meat without drying it out.  Alternatively this can be done in a skillet on the stovetop
3. Add Vegetables Later: To ensure the broccoli retains its vibrant color and crispness, add it to the slow cooker during the last hour of cooking. This prevents it from becoming overly soft and mushy.
4. Adjust Seasonings Carefully: Be mindful when adding seasonings like soy sauce and red pepper flakes. You can always add more later, so start with a modest amount and taste as you go to achieve the perfect level of saltiness and spiciness.
5. More Spicy:  add your favorite hot sauce either into the marinade or at the end to serve.
6. Disgard seasoning packet:  because you're not using the seasoning packet from the ramen noodles, t doesn't matter which flavor you buy.  I definitely don't recommend adding it in.  It will definitely upset the flavor balance.

Thai Beef Salad and Vietnamese Beef Salad are great dishes to swap out when you feel like a fresh reset. There's noodles, tender beef and of course are no added sugars!

Storage Instructions

 Storage: Store leftover slow cooker steak ramen with broccoli in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

Reheating: To reheat, place a portion in a microwave-safe container, cover with a microwave-safe lid or a damp paper towel, and heat in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between intervals, until heated through

Variations

• Ground Beef:  This recipe will work with ground beef, following the same steps
• Ginger:  a teaspoon of freshly grated ginger adds additional freshness and a subtle heat
• Rice Vinegar:  adding a tablespoon to the steak ramen marinade adds a little sharpness which I love
• Shitake Mushrooms:  for extra depth in the broth, add a few shitake mushrooms when you add the broccoli.  They go perfectly together
• Worcestershire sauce:  this can be used in place of rice vinegar.  Use one of the other, not both.
• Peanut Butter:  this can be used as a shortcut to thicken the sauce

Making this steak ramen noodles in the slow cooker is easy and great if you like to prep in the morning so you can relax in the evening.  Its also a good recipe for meal prepping as it keeps in the fridge for upto 4 days and the flavors just get better and better.  

But what my favorite thing is about this recipe is that I can basically use whatever veges I have on hand, and the sauce is also very forgiving and many ingredients can be substituted if you don't have something on hand.