Don’t you just love how I post a pasta recipe immediately after the blog post where I say I’m trying to break my addiction to pasta? 😂 We’re all human. Anyway, This week I threw a spin on my classic Dragon Noodle recipe by adding ground pork and chopped peanuts, using a chunky chili garlic sauce in place of the sriracha, and using some good ramen noodles that I got at the international market. This recipe is ridiculously easy and soooo rich and delicious. Sweet, salty, sticky, crunchy, and all the noooooodles! These Pork and Peanut Dragon Noodles are like comfort food x 100. You’ll never go back to take out. Ever.
What Kind of Noodles Can I Use?
You can use just about any type of noodle for this recipe, but I suggest something kind of light like a ramen or egg noodle as opposed to a traditional spaghetti. The noodles I used came in a huge package, but I used about the equivalent to two standard 3oz. ramen packages. My noodles were quite a bit more expensive than grocery store ramen, so you can probably make this for even less! Woo!
What to Serve with Pork and Peanut Dragon Noodles
And because this dish is so sweet, rich, and indulgent, I highly suggest serving it with something green. I grabbed a bag of baby bok choy while I was at the international market and just sautéed them up briefly until wilted. You could even add some vegetables to the noodles, if you want. Broccoli florets or even some fresh spinach would be awesome. Shredded napa cabbage would be amazing, too. Or serve some Sesame Kale on the side!
Pork and Peanut Dragon Noodles
Servings 3Ingredients
Dragon Sauce
- 1/4 cup chili garlic sauce ($0.53)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce ($0.24)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar ($0.16)
Pork and Noodles
- 1/2 lb. ground pork* ($1.50)
- 2 3oz. packages ramen noodles (seasoning packets discarded) ($1.00)
- 3 green onions, sliced ($0.20)
- 1/4 cup unsalted peanuts, chopped ($0.12)
Instructions
- Combine the chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar in a bowl.
- Add the ground pork to a skillet and cook over medium heat until it is fully browned*. Once browned, add the prepared dragon sauce and chopped peanuts. Allow the pork and peanuts to simmer in the sauce for another 5 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced by half.
- While the pork is browning, begin boiling water for your noodles. Once boiling, add your noodles and cook according to the package directions. Drain the noodles in a colander.
- Once the sauce has reduced and the noodles have drained, add the noodles to the skillet and toss until everything is combined and coated in sauce. Top with sliced green onions and serve!
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Notes
Nutrition
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Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Pork and Peanut Dragon Noodles – Step by Step Photos
Prepare the dragon sauce by combining 1/4 cup chili garlic sauce, 1/4 cup soy sauce, and 1/4 cup brown sugar.
This is the chili garlic sauce I’m talking about. You can find it in most stores right next to the sriracha. It’s kind of like a chunkier version of sriracha. It’s a mix of red chiles, garlic, vinegar, and salt. Super simple, but easier than adding all of those ingredients to your sauce individually. :)
Add 1/2 lb. ground pork to a skillet and cook over medium heat until it’s browned and cooked through. The ground pork I used was about 25% fat. It had enough fat so that I didn’t have to add any extra oil, but not so much that I had to drain off any excess fat after browning. You want about 1 Tbsp fat in the skillet to combine with the sauce, so if your pork is really greasy, drain some off before the next step.
Add the dragon sauce to the browned pork, along with 1/4 cup unsalted peanuts that have been chopped.
Let the pork and peanuts simmer in the sauce for about five minutes, or until the sauce has reduced by half. The sauce should be just thick enough that you can leave a trail in the skillet when you drag your spatula across, and the trail slowly fills in. While the pork and peanuts are simmering, boil the water for your noodles. Cook 6 oz. noodles according to the package directions. Drain the cooked noodles in a colander.
The pork is almost candied at this point and is SO GOOD that I had a hard time not just eating it out of the skillet. The peanuts kind of absorb the sauce as well. It’s just too good to be true.
Add the drained noodles to the pork and peanut mixture. Toss until everything is combined and coated in sauce.
Once everything is combined, sprinkle a few sliced green onions over top and serve!
So freaking good, guys. So good.
And like I said in the intro, these noods are really rich, so I suggest serving them with something green. Because the noodles are super flavorful you don’t even have to add anything to your greens. Just leave them fresh to contrast the super rich pork and noodles. 👌
At least as good as the small-town takeout I could get where I live (truthfully, better!), for a fraction of the price. Whenever I need to spoil myself a little from now on, this will be the recipe :)
Thanks Catherine!
Ok I just about never comment on or rate anything – here or otherwise – but I am blown away by how delicious this was! Used TVP instead of pork (added sesame oil for some fat and flavor) and paired it with a cucumber salad. I even already had everything on hand! So quick and easy, too! Will definitely be making this one again soon.
Thank you Steph!
This was super good for meal prep! I didn’t have chili garlic sauce so I just used sriracha and added some garlic powder and vinegar to the recipe, and it worked great! I also subbed the ramen for pad Thai noodles, and it was good but made the dish a little bit heavier. Overall, fantastic and cheap!!!
Great swaps!
OH, how yummy! I doubled the recipe, as written and no substitutions, since I cook for me and my son, since he has seconds and I need lunch for the next day; we have two suggestions. He grew up preferring only beige foods but lately likes the heat. We both found that the chili sauce (recommended brand), as doubled, was almost too intense, so next time will halve it. The noodles (just cheap ramen packet noodles) rather than doubling, we will 3/4 so more room for the pork and sauce. There will be a next time! So good.
Hooray for a kid win!
Just made this today for maybe the 20th time. I was cooking for someone who has a lower tolerance for heat so I cut the sambal in half and replaced it with fresh line juice. Pleasantly surprised with the result.
Would this meal freeze well?
Yes I think you definitely could freeze even in individual portions.
Hi! what brand of noodles did you use specifically for this recipe?
I was a package of noodles that I had purchased at an Asian grocery store and the text on the package was not in English, so unfortunately I don’t know the name of the brand. Here’s a link to a photo of the package: https://www.dropbox.com/s/fk5e8zrsogc6o0j/IMG_8216.JPG?dl=0
This maybe a very silly question, one you probably already addressed even: When you say Ramen, do you mean the Ramen that’s like the 30 cents at Walmart in the packets? THANKS!
I love you site by the way! All the food I’ve made off of here has been wonderful :)
You definitely can use the cheap ramen, although the one I have in the photos is one that I bought at an Asian grocery store, so it’s a little better quality. :)
This looks awesome, but my nutritionist would balk at the ground pork (boooo). Would this work with a pork tenderloin instead, or should I aim for ground turkey/ lean ground beef/chicken?
You can most definitely sub with any other lean ground meat.
But I will also add that the fat from the pork does make this dish “next level” good because of the way it crisps up the meat and balances the flavors in the sauce. ;)
How did you cook the baby bok choy that is pictured? Also, aren’t ramen noodles supposed to be “bad” for you?? I have read lots of not good things about them. Is there another noodle that you would suggest using? Thank you! Your recipes look delicious and I appreciate the fact that they are simple and budget friendly!
Sorry…didn’t mean to ask a redundant question!! I see that you already addressed what type of noodles to use. Maybe I’m confused on the ramen noodle thing…maybe it’s just the cheap ones in the store that aren’t good but I will try egg noodles. :) Would still like to know how you cooked your bok choy though. Thanks! :)
I just steamed the bok choy until it was tender. You can use a steamer basket or just place it in a skillet with about an inch of water, place a lid on top, and bring the water up to a simmer. It should only take a few minutes until the bok choy is tender. :)
My tongue cant handle spicy stuff AT ALL is there any other substitute I could use for the chili garlic sauce because I really want to try this recipe it looks soo good!
You can use my teriyaki sauce recipe, which is very similar minus the heat (do not add the cornstarch/water combo listed as the option).
We’re vegetarians, so we tried subbing the pork for different proteins. We LOVED this recipe with 1/2 lbs Beyond Beef (vegetarian ground “beef”). It’s not the most budget friendly protein, but it was a super yummy alternative to the pork. The first time we made this recipe, we used Butler’s soy curls (1/2 bag). It was yummy, but a little bland because soy curls don’t have much flavor on their own. Other than the protein, we kept everything else the same. We’ll definitely keep this recipe in our rotation.
Would beef instead of pork work?
Yes, that would work. :)
Hi, can I replace chili garlic sauce with shiracha?:)
Or should I add then garlic and white vinegar too?
Yes, that also makes a really good sauce. :)
Would tofu work with this, instead of pork?
I don’t feel like tofu would be a good fit for this one because of its texture and lack of flavor. You could maybe try crumbled tempeh, but you’ll also want to add extra butter or oil to make up for the pork fat, which goes a long way to making the flavor and texture of this dish oh so good. :)