More CUP-of-noodles

Love making your own cup-of-noodles after trying these recipes? Here’s how to get started creating new combos.

Start with the Right Equipment

You’ll need three 1½-pint wide-mouth canning jars to make these soups. Why three? Because each soup keeps for three days in your fridge. Eat all the jars yourself, send them to work or school with your family or adjust the recipe to make fewer—or more. Pick wide-mouth jars because they make it easier to layer in ingredients.

Layer your choice of ingredients

Pick a Flavor Base: Choose one or several and use 1 to 3 tablespoons total per serving:

▪ Bouillon or stock base

▪ Chile-garlic sauce

▪ Chipotles in adobo sauce

▪ Citrus juices (lemon, lime, orange)

▪ Coconut milk

▪ Curry paste

▪ Harissa

▪ Mirin

▪ Miso

▪ Peanut satay sauce

▪ Pesto

▪ Tahini

▪ Tomato paste

▪ Vinegar

▪ Yuzukosho

Choose Your Noodles: ½ cup cooked noodles or spiralized raw vegetable noodles per serving:

▪ Beet noodles

▪ Butternut squash noodles

▪ Ramen noodles

▪ Rice noodles

▪ Shirataki noodles

▪ Soba noodles

▪ Udon noodles

▪ Whole-wheat noodles

▪ Zucchini noodles

Add Vegetables: For each serving use ½ to 1 cup of quick-cooking vegetables or at least cut the vegetables so they’ll cook up fast.

▪ Broccoli

▪ Cabbage

▪ Carrots, shredded

▪ Collards

▪ Corn

▪ Edamame

▪ Green beans

▪ Greens

▪ Kale

▪ Mushrooms

▪ Peppers

▪ Radishes, sliced

▪ Shoots

▪ Frozen vegetables

Add Some Protein: 3 ounces tofu or cooked meat, poultry, seafood or beans per serving:

▪ Canned beans

▪ Chicken

▪ Duck

▪ Hard-boiled eggs

▪ Pork

▪ Salmon

▪ Shrimp

▪ Steak

▪ Tempeh

▪ Tofu

▪ Turkey

Finishing Touches: Add these for flavor and flair:

▪ Chile flakes

▪ Chinese five-spice powder

▪ Fresh herbs

▪ Lime or lemon wedges

▪ Scallions

▪ Toasted sesame seeds

▪ Minced shallot

▪ Shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven-spice powder)

▪ Spice blends (Italian seasoning, garam masala)

To prepare each jar

Add 1 cup very hot water to the jar, cover and shake very well. Uncover and microwave on High in 1-minute increments until steaming hot, 2 to 3 minutes total. Stir and then let stand a few minutes before eating.