January is the season when meal prep reigns. Whether you’re just trying to get more organized or trying to refine your food budget, these meal prep noodle soup jars are a great option for make-ahead lunches. I took my favorite upgraded instant ramen recipe and transformed it into these cute and convenient meal prep jars. Just add hot water, mix, and they’re ready to eat! Bonus, the jars kept the soup ingredients super fresh for several days with NO wilting!
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What is a Meal Prep Soup Jar?
These cool little jars are basically like homemade cup noodles, except with more delicious add-ins and in a reusable container. You just add hot water to the jar, mix it up to make the broth and soften the veggies, then the soup is ready to eat! So easy and so convenient.
What’s in This Noodle Soup
Similar to our upgraded instant ramen, we made our own flavored broth concentrate with a mix of Better Than Bouillon, soy sauce, sesame oil, and spices. Then we added some fresh vegetables (mushrooms, spinach, carrots, and green onions) to round out the bowl, and a little sesame seeds and sriracha for fun. These soup jars are, of course, endlessly customizable, so feel free to add your favorite ingredients!
How to Enjoy meal prep soup
Just like with cup noodles, fill the jar with boiling water from a tea kettle or a hot water tap (the kind on the front of commercial coffee makers), close the lid tightly, then shake the jar to mix the bouillon with the water. Let the soup sit for a few minutes to slightly cook the vegetables and soften the noodles. Give it one last stir with a fork or spoon (or spork!) and enjoy! You can eat the soup straight out of the jar, or empty it into a bowl.
How Long Does mason jar soup Last?
There’s some sort of magic that happens in this mason jar that keeps the ingredients fresh far longer than I would have ever expected. For food safety reasons I don’t suggest keeping these jars longer than five days, but I will just tell you that on day five the ingredients in the soup jars looked just as fresh as they did on day one. The spinach and mushrooms showed no signs of wilting and the noodles had not dried out!
To maximize the lifespan of your noodle jars, pay attention to how you layer the ingredients. The wet ingredients always go on the bottom. Next, you add ingredients that don’t wilt easily and aren’t too absorbent (in this case the carrots, then the mushrooms). Lastly, you’ll want to add any ingredients that tend to wilt or get mushy (noodles and spinach). This layering technique separates the liquids and soft ingredients for maximum storage life!
Meal Prep Noodle Soup Jars
Servings 4Ingredients
- 4 tsp bouillon* ($0.48)
- 2 tsp soy sauce ($0.04)
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil ($0.03)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp ginger powder ($0.05)
- 2 tsp sesame seeds ($0.12)
- 2 tsp sriracha (optional) ($0.06)
- 1 carrot, shredded ($0.14)
- 4 mushrooms, sliced ($0.96)
- 2 green onions, sliced ($0.22)
- 2 3oz. blocks instant ramen ($0.50)
- 2 cups fresh spinach ($0.60)
Instructions
- To each 16oz. jar add the following: 1 tsp bouillon, ½ tsp soy sauce, ¼ tsp sesame oil, ⅛ tsp garlic powder, ⅛ tsp ginger powder, ½ tsp sesame seeds, and ½ tsp sriracha.
- Peel and shred the carrot. Clean and slice the mushrooms and green onion. Divide the carrots, mushrooms, and green onions between the jars.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil for the ramen noodles. Discard the seasoning packets or save them for another use later. Add the noodles to the boiling water and boil only for about 2 minutes, or just until the noodles are tender but still slightly firm. Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse briefly with cold water to cool. Drain well.
- Divide the noodles between the four jars, then top with a handful of fresh spinach for each jar.
- Close the jars and refrigerate until ready to eat (up to five days). When ready to eat, warm the jars slightly (use your hands or let sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes), and then add 1-1.5 cups boiling water. Close the jars and shake them to dissolve the broth. Let sit for a few minutes, then stir once more with a spoon or fork before enjoying.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- 16oz. Mason Jars
- Plastic Mason Jar Lids
Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Meal Prep Noodle Soup – Step by Step Photos
To each of the four 16oz. jars add the following: 1 tsp vegetable bouillon, ½ tsp soy sauce, ¼ tsp toasted sesame oil, ⅛ tsp garlic powder, ⅛ tsp ginger powder, ½ tsp sesame seeds, and ½ tsp sriracha (you can add the sriracha here or use it to top your soup later).
Shred one carrot and divide it between the jars (about ¼ cup shredded carrot per jar).
Slice four mushrooms and two green onions. Divide the mushrooms and onions between the jars.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add two bricks of instant ramen. Boil for about 2 minutes, or just until the noodles are tender, but slightly under cooked. Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse briefly with cool water.
Add the rinsed and cooled noodles to the jars.
Add about ½ cup fresh spinach to each jar on top of the noodles.
Close the jars with a tightly-fitting lid and refrigerate for up to five days. When you’re ready to eat the soup, allow the glass to warm slightly (use your hands or sit at room temp for about 10 min), remove the lid and add 1 to 1.5 cups of boiling water.
Screw the lid on the jar tightly then shake to mix the bouillon with the hot water. Let the soup sit for a few minutes for the flavors to blend and the vegetables to soften.
Give the soup one last mix with a spoon or fork, then enjoy the soup straight out of the jar or dump it into a bowl for serving.
I topped my noodle soup with sriracha. …Because of course I did. ;) Enjoy!
Delish! Day of I like to add a couple boiled quail eggs or half a preserved duck egg. So tasty. Also, I ran out of Sriracha one day, but my coworker had Thai sweet chili sauce. An absolute must try. I won’t eat it without it now.
Unbelievably good. I reduced spices to my liking and decided to add a little bit of red wine vinegar prior to eating. It had a hint of ‘hot and sour’ soup to it. Heavenly comfort food!
It’s okay to trust your great writing without needing to end so many sentences with exclamation points (“!”)
:( !!
Too busy drinking HATER-ade to enjoy a nice jar of soup, huh?
Oh! No! Sorry! You! Feel! That! Way! But! No! One! Forced! You! To! Read! That! yk!
Genius! I can’t wait to try this recipe. Do you have an affiliate link for the mason jar lids by chance? I need to replace my metal lids and wasn’t able to find a link to your lids on the equipment page. :)
Here ya go! https://amzn.to/3SieL2x :)
Is it safe to put cooked meat in the mason jars as well? I’d love to add some extra protein to my ramen!
You can!
Delicious lunch! I used shredded cabbage instead of mushrooms. Amazing how this was done perfectly, so much flavor. Helped to take the jar out of the refrigerator about 2 hours before adding water, to keep hotter.
Need more recipes, please!
My husband and I both loved these! Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
Can you use other noodles besides ramen for this recipe?
If you do, I would suggest fully cooking the noodles before placing them in the jars, instead of leaving them slightly firm. Ramen noodles cook much faster than other types, so sitting in the hot water is enough to soften them the rest of the way, but this probably isn’t the case for other types of noodles.
This was amazing! Some kind of magic happening here? The veggies cook ‘just right.’ We will be making again. We made the recipe as written but because of our preference would I think pack in more veggies next time. I would have never thought this would have worked as good as it did but it’s a keeper!
My daughter and I cannot wait to customize these to send to school for her lunch.
Love this!!! Such a fantastic meal
Prep and easy to customize. I don’t love mushrooms so I swapped them out for edamame the first time. The second time around I used a package of rainbow slaw as the base layer. So good.
I came here to look for mushroom subs. I’ll keep these two ideas in mind!
Hello, love your recipes! I was wondering how I would go about this if I wanted to eat this right away, as opposed to prep for later. Would I boil the veggies a few mins before adding the noodles, and then just cook the noodles through?
No, you don’t have to. I literally made everything at the same time. Just let it sit for a while maybe five minutes to allow the water to cool and the veggies will be ready to go. I used canned mushrooms.
This is the second time that I made the 4 jars, and these are so flavorful, and I like the texture also. I want to try using a wild rice blend in place of the ramen for my sister who needs a gluten free option. So glad I found this recipe thank you for all the great recipe selections.
I can’t eat mushrooms, what would be a good substitute?
Hi, Alisa! I would suggest checking out the companion blog post to this meal prep, 6 Ways to Upgrade Instant Ramen (https://www.budgetbytes.com/6-ways-to-upgrade-instant-ramen/) which is also linked in this blog. Beth has given tons of suggestions that you can peruse in order to replace the mushrooms. ~Marion :)
I added bbq sauce. Sooo good!
Hi this recipe has 2 cups spinach as no no for people with oxalate stones? Can I substitute Kale or arugula ?
Thank
Nancy B
Hi, Nancy! I think any type of leafy green will work in this recipe, and you should choose whatever you like and fits your dietary plan! I will say, heartier greens (like kale) might take a little more steeping time in order to soften.
Beth also made a very comprehensive list of substitutes in the companion blog post to this meal prep guide, called 6 Ways to Upgrade Instant Ramen. Here’s the link, which you can also find in this blog post: https://www.budgetbytes.com/6-ways-to-upgrade-instant-ramen/
I hope that helps! ~Marion :)
I decided to make this recipe as written and it turned out great! I wasn’t sure what to expect from the mushrooms, but they were actually very good. My coworker brought a kettle for everyone to share so this was a very timely recipe. Now that I know the base recipe works well, I can’t wait to customize it next time.
I can’t believe how yummy these turned out! I wasn’t sure what to expect, but wow. I used white beans instead of mushrooms and a little less sriracha, but kept everything else the same. So good and SO easy, especially to take to work!
I LOVE all of your meal prep recipes – they have quite literally changed the way I eat (been meal prepping lunches for about 3 years now, and the vast majority of recipes I use for this come from Budget Bytes). Please keep them coming! :)
Would the mushrooms be cooked enough? Sorry if this question is silly; just that I have always been told mushrooms must be cooked thoroughly before we can safely eat them. Thank you! I love the idea of ramen jars as meal prep!
Hi, Grace! Not a silly question at all. According to the USDA, any mushrooms you purchase at the grocery store (NOT wild mushrooms) are inspected to ensure that they are safe to eat, cooked or raw, within 5-7 days of purchase. Brush off any visible dirt with a damp paper towel (or rinse and dry thoroughly) before slicing, discarding any discolored areas. The very hot water will help soften and cook the mushrooms in the same amount of time as the noodles and other veggies. So good! ~Marion :)
https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Are-mushrooms-safe
These were absolutely marvelous. Thank you for this brilliant recipe!
This looks great, but I dunno about the shaking hot water in a jar part. My Mason jars aren’t very big. I’m thinking instead I’ll put it in a big bowl, add hot water, stir, and leave a plate on top for a couple minutes instead.
Another great recipe from you, Beth! Thank you.
This looks great, and I can’t wait to try it! But, I’m worried about adding boiling water to a glass jar. Won’t the glass jar break due to the sudden temperature change? Do I need to use a special type of heat-resistant jar? Thank you!
I have had this thought, but it is probably why the recipe states to let glass sit at room temp for 10 min or warm it up with your hands.
The recipe instructions say to add 1/2 teaspoon of garlic and ginger to each jar. I thought it sounded like too much so I’m glad I checked the step by step instructions. You may want to update! I can’t wait to have these for lunch at work tomorrow!
Hi, Katie! Great catch! We have updated the recipe card to reflect the correct amounts to match the step-by-step! Thank you & hope you enjoy your lunch! ~ Marion :)
Love the idea! But won’t the jar break when you add boiling water and put the top on tightly? Even after 10 minutes, it would still be cold.
Hi, Lynn! Leaving it out for a bit longer than 10 minutes won’t do any harm. The jar should be cool, but not cold, to the touch. You can also leave the lid off the jar while it steeps if you are concerned! Likewise, very hot (but not boiling) water will also do the trick. ~ Marion :)
Sounds great! I forwarded the link to my granddaughter and daughter. One of the granddaughters is vegetarian but doesn’t like mushrooms so I suggested she sub tofu. The other is a meat eater but I think she likes mushrooms. I suggested she use a different flavor bouillon for each jar or add a bit of cooked meat to the bottom after the carrots. This is so changeable and maybe it’ll even get a little veggies into them! (The vegetarian eats mostly pasta and beans so I’m trying here!
Is there a reason you’re boiling the noodles in advance? Wouldn’t they cook when you add the boiling water to the jar, just like with cup noodles?
Thanks! Looks like a great recipe.
Hi Nora, I only par-cooked them because I wanted to make sure that even if the water I add later isn’t quite boiling, it would still be enough to soften them all the way through. :)
If I wanted to add a protein, like shredded chicken or even a few precooked shrimp, where could it be layered?
I would layer it just above the wet ingredients or anywhere toward the bottom. :)
What brand of noodles do you use?
This time I had Top Ramen on hand, but I don’t have a specific brand that I go for every time.
This looks great! I’m not a huge fan of mushrooms – do you have any suggestions about other vegetables I could use instead?
Came here to ask the same thing. This is an overall great idea!
Maybe broccoli slaw
I put edamame & cubed tofu in mine – amazing!
I don’t make tofu myself much. What kind of tofu would you recommend for ramen jars like this?
Depends on your texture preference– personally, I like soft tofu in soup as it soaks up the juices better (or tofu puffs if you can find them!). But if you want a firmer bite, go with firm or extra firm.
Zucchini is a great sub for mushrooms
Broccoli or cauliflower florets (par-cooked), edamame, peas, corn (baby corn or regular kernels), bean sprouts, leek, cabbage (shredded), bell pepper, snowpeas…
Have you tried tofu? I think that might work.
I used white beans! I don’t like mushrooms either.