Spicy Beef Sausage Ramen (6 Ingredients)

Ingredients

• 1 pack ramen noodles (with its seasoning packet)
• 2 spicy beef sausages (any sausage you like; cut into 3/4-inch cubes)
• cheese, to taste (any cheese you like, broken up)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 of the ramen seasoning packet (I use the chicken flavor)
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley (plus more, to taste, for topping)
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

How to Make It

1. Set a pot of water on to boil for the ramen.
2. Cut each sausage in half, then cut into 3/4-inch cubes, and set aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
4. Add the sausage cubes and brown them on all sides — this beef sausage is already fully cooked, so the goal here is just to brown it for color and flavor.
5. Remove the browned sausage to a napkin-lined plate and set aside; keep the pan with its drippings.
6. Add the ramen noodles to the boiling water and cook to al dente, about 3 minutes (don't go past 3 minutes).
7. Drain the noodles, straining out all the water.
8. Return the reserved pan to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter, scraping up the sausage and seasoning stuck to the pan.
9. Add the drained noodles to the pan.
10. Sprinkle in 1/2 of the ramen seasoning packet.
11. Add 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper.
12. Mix everything together (turn the heat down if the noodles start to stick).
13. Turn off the heat.
14. Stir the reserved browned sausage back in.
15. Add cheese to taste, broken up over the top.
16. Cover with a lid to melt the cheese (or microwave it briefly).
17. Sprinkle a little more parsley on top and serve.

Curtis's Tips

• This is all about taking nothing and turning it into something — a six-ingredient hack built around leftover sausage.
• Use any sausage you like. If spicy sausage is hard to find near you, check an international grocery store — mine are called "Jungle Gems."
• Save the empty pan after browning the sausage — the beef-sausage spice left behind on it is what flavors the noodles.
• Cook the noodles only to al dente; don't go past 3 minutes or they'll turn soft and soggy.
• If you don't like the ramen seasoning packet, skip it and just add salt instead. I use the chicken-flavor packet but only half of it, because they put way too much in there.
• Feel free to adjust to your own preference — the lemon pepper, parsley, and crushed red pepper amounts are just a starting point.
• Don't get discouraged if the noodles start to stick to the pan — that's just because they're wet; turn the heat down and keep adjusting.
• I break the cheese up rather than dropping a whole slice on, then melt it under a lid or in the microwave.