There’s a ramen sauce that makes ramen soup I like. Add that to just the dry noodles they sell- not the packs of ramen- and it’s very economical and better quality.

Anything works in ramen. If you have a freezer I’d suggest ham is a very very cheap protein to add if you can buy in a large size.

Otherwise, sprouts are good and inexpensive. So are mushrooms. Turkey is cheap but in bulk like ham. If you’re aiming for less bulk chicken thighs are inexpensive and good in soups.

If you want something like frozen broccoli try peas. Peas are great.

If you brine your eggs in mirin and soy sauce they will work even better in the dish.

Fry an onion and some bits of bacon drop in the ramen with some
frozen peas, add seasoning’s and an egg if wanted.

You can also add hot-sauce and mix up the veg by adding bell peppers, maybe add paprika or even cheese.

Ramen has little flavour of its own and little nutrition but it makes a great base for anything. Imagine ramen tortilla :)

Green onions and broth. Meat if thats your kind of thing

Get some dried wood-ear or shiitake mushrooms. Soak them in boiling water to rehydrate them, then use that mushroom-infused water to make your noodles. If you’re using shiitake, fry them up in a pan; wood-ears are ready to eat without doing so.

Throw some kimchi in there, too. It’s good for your guts.

Chili crisp. Easy, cheap (homemade to make it as cheap as it gets), delicious

Egg drop is the best I’ve found, at least for the classic chicken flavored ramen packs.

Wilted collards

That doesn’t mean old collards, it means separate the center stem from the leaves, cut them up and in the same pan you fried your bacon and eggs for your ramen, pan fry them until they turn a darker deeper green.

It’s called kilt as well if you’re in a place where people do this.

Save the cut up stems for stock or pickling. Pickled collard stems, bamboo shoots and watermelon rinds are good in ramen too.

You can do this with all kinds of greens but some like turnip don’t need it.

If you’re insanely poor and ill equipped, a half cup of the little frozen mixed vegetable cubes turns packet ramen into cup noodles.

Add stuff and flavor. When it comes to ramen, more is more.

I usually use some combination of these:

Stuff:

• Softboiled egg
• Onion, Carrot, Veg
• Pork/Chicken/White meat
• Sardines/Fish

Flavor:

• Lemon joose
• Honey
• Worchestershire
• Fish sauce

Really anything that’s fresh from the grocery store can be cooked and added.

Cook noodles, but drain most of the water, add some peanut butter with the seasoning, some veg, and some chili crisp. Now you have pad thai ish.

Cheese is a thing some people do as well.

I used to do an egg and a couple pieces of lunch meat.

Now I don’t eat eggs or meat anymore, so I tear up a sheet of nori (dried seaweed), add about six ounces of cubed tofu, one spoonful of sambal oelek (chili paste), and a little bit of sesame oil (add the sesame oil last, after taking it off the heat).

I’ve found that if I add boiling water to just the noodles, let sit and stir a little until they’re soft but not too soft, then drain like 60% of the water and then mix in the seasoning, it’s way tastier and doesn’t cost extra.

I also like to add seaweed and kimchi

Look up real ramen recipes and think about what each ingredient adds. Use other frozen veggies - a bag of stir fry mix can’t be that different from a bag of broccoli price wise. Eggs definitely. Sausage (or bacon, or Taylor ham, or Spam) can be a good flavor bomb. Frozen seafood mix adds protein, flavor, and changes the dish.

Also consider seasonings - any of the following help. Paprika, turmeric, garlic, onion, dill, bay leaf. Look at international noodle soups, adapt the flavors.

Oh, and you can also replace the packet seasoning with a low salt bouillion cube. Still a good flavor, but so much healthier. Mushrooms help too!

I was always a fan of just tossing a bunch of spices in there. The big ones were chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, basil, oregano, and cumin, but I’d switch it up every time just to keep things fresh.

Egg, pan fry Spam or other meat to get a bit of crust on it, hot sauce and I’m good to go. I do like using Buldak noodles vs most others. They are thicker and denser than the usual maruchan.

My go to additions:

• frozen peas/corn
• TINY AMOUNT of sesame oil
• a big glob of chili oil
• an egg or two
• american cheese