When we’re looking for a cozy, comfort food meal that will never let us down, noodles ALWAYS hit the spot. The fact that noodles of all shapes and sizes show up in cultures all over the world, from Asia to Europe, should be proof enough—everyone loves a noodle! From comfort food classics you probably already know and love (hello, chicken noodle soup) to ones you might be less familiar with, we’ve got something here for every heartbreak, illness, and celebration.
While we might use the words interchangeably when it comes to what’s for dinner, there actually is a difference between “pasta” and “noodles,” which is why you won’t find a ton of Italian-inspired dishes here. “Pasta” is technically defined as being made from durum wheat that’s been stamped into shapes, whereas “noodles” can be made of a wide variety of flours, and can be pulled, stretched, twisted, and more. That means rice noodles, buckwheat soba noodles, egg noodles… you’ll find them all here, in recipes like our Haluski cabbage & noodles, our Korean tteokbokki, or our Chinese dan dan noodles.
Looking for something easy that’ll give you that comforting dopamine hit, stat? Ramen noodles are a classic, but we know you can do better than just the brick and the seasoning packet. Instead, jazz them up like we did in our warm tahini ramen noodles, our pesto ramen, our creamy chicken ramen soup, or our breakfast ramen. Try these, and you'll never have basic ramen again.
Looking for more of a challenge? Admittedly, some of these recipes do take a bit more effort than, say, a store-bought can of soup or your favorite local take-out order. Trust us, though, our homemade shoyu ramen, our pad see ew, our homemade pad Thai, and our jajangmyeon are SO worth it. Bust these out when you’re really trying to impress, whether for a special occasion or for when someone you love is feeling under the weather.
Pad Thai
We've got all the top tips to get this Thai stir-fry just right. Best part? Making this dish at home means you can have it exactly the way you like it, so feel free to swap the shrimp or eggs for chicken, tofu, or stir-fried veggies.
Get the Pad Thai recipe.
Chicken Noodle Soup
Chunks of juicy chicken mingle with carrots, celery, and tender egg noodles in a deep, savory broth for a soup that will transport you right back to Grandma’s table after just one spoonful.
Get the Chicken Noodle Soup recipe.
Tteokbokki
Pungent. Spicy. Savory. Sweet—Korean tteokbokki is saucy, delicious comfort food in a bowl. Captivating to the eye and pleasantly explosive to the taste, it will make you break into a happy sweat.
Get the Tteokbokki recipe.
Creamy Chicken Ramen Soup
Here you get some spiciness from the curry powder, a rich creaminess from the coconut milk, and if you top that off with a squeeze of lime, you have a chicken noodle soup that will ambush your taste buds.
Get the Creamy Chicken Ramen Soup recipe.
Haluski Cabbage & Noodles
This humble Eastern European dish is a combination of caramelized cabbage and onions, tossed with rich egg noodles; savory, crisp bacon; and of course, butter. The most traditional Haluski recipes keep it simple, but this one adds a punch of acidic lemon and fresh garlic to cut through some of the fattiness.
Get the Haluski Cabbage & Noodles recipe.
Pad See Ew
Pad see ew is on everyone’s top 10 Thai dishes list, and after you give it a try, you’ll understand why. The combination of thinly sliced, wok-seared meat, Chinese broccoli, and the signature wide, chewy rice noodles will make this Southeast Asian stir-fry an instant favorite.
Get the Pad See Ew recipe.
Sichuan Pesto Noodles
There are lots of ways to add spice to your meals, but when we’re looking for something really special, we turn to Sichuan peppercorns. Paired here with a few other unexpected ingredients, these peppercorns add new intrigue to the old standby of pesto and pasta.
Get the Sichuan Pesto Noodles recipe.
Homemade Shoyu Ramen
Braised pork belly, aka a little slice of heaven, is the star in this amazing homemade ramen. Making ramen from scratch is pretty darn elaborate, but we promise your patience will be more than rewarded.
Get the Homemade Shoyu Ramen recipe.
Thai Drunken Carbonara Noodles
Pesto Ramen
Since we'll be flavoring the instant ramen noodles with your choice of homemade pesto, it truly doesn't matter what flavor of ramen you purchase (we won't be using the seasoning packet). If you're a semi-homemade type of cook, store-bought pesto will do just great too!
Get the Pesto Ramen recipe.
Creamy Noodle Salad
These noods get coated in a sweet & spicy mayo-based dressing that can honestly go on anything. The heat of fresh ginger, garlic, and sriracha is tamed by the mayo and a touch of sugar; the creaminess of the mayo is in turn nicely balanced out by the tart rice vinegar and lime zest. Yum!
Get the Creamy Noodle Salad recipe.
Copycat Panda Express Chow Mein
Warm Tahini Ramen Noodles
This quick and satisfying meal lands somewhere between savory instant ramen and creamy peanut noodles. Throw in your favorite raw veggies for a dish that's healthy, filling, and delicious. (The trifecta!) For a little extra oomph, whisk in part of a ramen flavor packet little by little, tasting and adjusting along the way.
Get the Warm Tahini Ramen Noodles recipe.
Perfect Buttered Noodles
Buttered egg noodles is the perfectly simple and always comforting dish of our childhood that we never grew out of. For those nights when you need something fast and have no time or energy to cook, keep it a relaxed affair: A bowl of these noodles will feed you in under 30 minutes from start to finish.
Get the Perfect Buttered Noodles recipe.
Sesame Noodles
On the most hectic days, it's best to go simple. For these sesame noodles, you can use any noodle in a pinch, and the nutty dressing comes together in under 10 minutes. You'll spend more time slicing some refreshing cucumbers than you will actually cooking!
Get the Sesame Noodles recipe.
Khao Soi
Khao Soi is a delicious noodle soup with a variety of textures and fresh flavors. Typically, the dish uses yellow egg noodles and is made with chicken. Hot tip: Make sure your oil heated to at least 325° so your noodles will puff up when frying.
Get the Khao Soi recipe.
Crispy Pan Noodles
If you're ever feeling snacky but feel like you should be eating a "real meal," this is what to cook to really confuse that judgmental internal compass. Tell it to go away and mind its own beeswax, because this is both!
Get the Crispy Pan Noodles recipe.
Chicken Yakisoba
When you think of soba noodles, you may be reminded of the buckwheat noodles often served cold with a dipping sauce, but in yakisoba, the noodles are made of wheat and resemble something similar to what you'd see in a lo mein. TMYK!
Get the Chicken Yakisoba recipe.
Jajangmyeon
Jajangmyeon is Korean comfort fare at its best. This dish is also the inspiration behind the famous Ram-don noodles from the movie Parasite, where they paired instant noodles with highly marbled, diced steak. We're using slightly less expensive pork belly, but if you want to splurge, by all means, go off!
Get the Jajangmyeon recipe.
Breakfast Ramen
We don't know how we didn't think of this dreamy savory breakfast earlier. Because of course, ramen is the ideal umami vehicle for cheesy eggs and bacon. If you love this, you'll really love our ramen carbonara too!
Get the Breakfast Ramen recipe.
Camille Lowder is the digital food producer at Delish, otherwise known as our resident queen of recipe galleries. Previously, she attended the Natural Gourmet Institute for culinary school and worked at/managed a number of New York restaurants. She loves anything vegan, foods masquerading as other foods (hello, cauliflower), and a well-used Oxford comma.
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