There are nights when I want a project. And then there are nights when I just want a delicious bowl of noodles and I want it fast. This guide is for the second kind of night.
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I put together this free, printable guide to help you make your own noodle bowls—no measurements, no overthinking, no shame. Just noodles, sauce, protein, veggies, and the toppings that make it yours. It’s less of a recipe and more of a loose framework—choose your noodles, toss them with a bold sauce, layer in some veg, add a protein if you want, and top it off with crunchy bits and something spicy or tangy to wake it all up. You can make it as simple or complicated as you need it to be.
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The best part is how easily it all comes together. You can go clean and fresh with cold soba, cucumbers, and sesame dressing, or load up ramen with creamy gochujang sauce, crispy tofu, and sautéed greens. Crunchy, creamy, chewy, hot, cold—it all plays together.
Mix and match whatever you’ve got on hand, from jammy eggs and chili crisp to leftover roast chicken or that half a cucumber lurking in the crisper. Toss in carrots and edamame straight from the fridge, or sear some shrimp if you're feeling fancy. A jammy egg? Definitely.
The guide breaks it down like this:
- Pick your noodles. From rice stick to ramen, even spaghetti in a pinch—anything goes.
- Choose a sauce. Spicy garlic chili oil, peanut, sesame, black bean, ginger scallion, creamy gochujang… they're all bold and quick to make.
- Add veg. Raw, cooked, shredded, sautéed—mix textures and colors however you want.
- Toss in a protein. Eggs, tofu, shrimp, chicken, ground pork—whatever you’ve got.
- Finish with toppings. Think scallions, lime, fried shallots, chili crisp, toasted sesame, or herbs.
You don’t need to follow a recipe line by line, and you definitely don’t need to plan ahead. This is more about making the most of what’s already in your kitchen and turning it into something that actually feels like a meal.
- Different noodle types (yes, even the broken pack of ramen counts)
- Fast and flavorful sauces like sesame, ginger-scallion, and creamy gochujang
- Veggies that cook quick or don’t need cooking at all
- Proteins from crispy tofu to grill steak
- Toppings that make the bowl sing—hello fried shallots and lime wedges
Print out the guide and slap it on your fridge for inspiration any time you run out of ideas for dinner or just want something a little out of the ordinary. Let the whole family weigh in with their picks for each category—or even use it as inspiration for a DIY noodle bar.
Want to try some of the sauces from the list? These are a good place to start:
It’s not about chasing the perfect bowl—it’s about giving yourself something warm, flavorful, and flexible. And that, most nights, is exactly what I want.
Robin Donovan is an AP syndicated writer, recipe developer, food photographer, and author of more than 40 cookbooks including the bestsellers Ramen Obsession and Ramen for Beginners. Her work is featured by major media outlets including Huffington Post, MSN, Chicago Sun-Times, Orlando Sentinel, Buzzfeed, Cooking Light, Mercury News, Seattle Times, Pop Sugar, and many others. More about Robin