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. 👌
I’ve made this twice. Whole family eats it! I had it on the table in 30 minutes, even though I also added some extra veggies (sliced carrots, shredded cabbage, sliced onions) because I happened to have them on hand.
This dish is so delicious! My husband and kids love it, but it is a bit on the spicy side for me and the kids. What do you think is the best way to cut down on the spice without losing the sauciness?
You can cut the chili paste in half to cut down on the spice :)
Yum!! Thank you! I only used about 2 T of chili garlic sauce because that is all that I had, and it was great for my family (with kids). But I probably would have loved the full amount of heat! Even the kids got seconds – it tasted better than takeout!
Beth,
I want to make this but I only have 1 pound of frozen ground pork. Once the pork thaws out and I split it to make this recipe, can I refreeze the remainder of the pork. Excuse me for my ignorance, but I am new at this cooking stuff!
Thanks for all your help! I love cooking your recipes. You make them simple to follow for new cooks:)
Shannon
Hi! I’m not Beth but I’ve been cooking this for a couple years now! I find it much easier to just cook the entire 1lb I have. Just make sure you have a big enough skillet!
I also find it much easier to add one serving of noodles to the dish you’re eating out of, rather than in the skillet. I leave the batch to cool as I’m eating, then pour it into tupperware to store.
When I’m ready for another serving I just cook another single serving of noodles. I spoon out some of the batch into a bowl and nuke it in the microwave on a low (2-3) power setting a couple of times, stirring in between and then throw the cooked noodles ontop of it. Super, super easy! One of my absolute favorite leftover meals ❤️
Just made this tonight and it was amazing! We had a full lb of pork and only 1/3 of sriracha (and everything else), but it came out beautifully and we ate all of it with no leftovers…oops!
I don’t see sriracha in the recipe, it’s chili garlic sauce.
Hi! This is one of my favorite dishes that I make ALL the time! I would love to share it with my new beau but they are allergic to peanuts. I know someone else already asked if they can omit it and you said it still tasted delicious. However, I’m interested to know if you would suggest something to actually replace the peanuts with :) Thank you so much! I’ve followed your website for about six years now and just wanted to say how much I love your recipes <3
I love this recipe and have been making it for years. I usually use cashews in place of the peanuts. I have also used any kind of ground meat with success. Even crumbled tempeh subbed in for vegan friends. I like to serve with a side of roasted broccoli. Generally I make a double batch to feed the whole family. I double everything except the chili garlic sauce and it comes out perfect every time!
Wow!!! I’ve wanted to try this one for a long time now and finally got around to it. I used chicken instead of pork since my roommate doesn’t eat pork but it still turned out fantastic! I threw in a bag of stir fry veggie mix that had been languishing in the freezer as well and all in all this is one of the best things I think I have ever made <3
Hi Beth, this is one of our daughter’s favorite dishes! I’m wondering if it’s suitable for making ahead and freezing? I’m preparing meals for her for when she gets home from having baby#2.
I wouldn’t freeze the end product because I don’t think it’s saucy enough to not get dried out in the freezer. You could certainly mix up the sauce ahead of time and freeze that. :)
My husband said, “this is the best Chinese food you have ever made.” So I guess he liked it. Thanks for the recipe!
I have made this 3 times now… well more like 8 times… double the recipe the first and second times and just now made a quadruple batch… OMG… so yummy!!! Love the combination of sweet/salty/spicy and so economical. Absolutely perfect!!! Shared the recipe with my coworkers. Thank you!
Simple. Spicy (I’m perspiring). Delicious. Inexpensive.
Win, win, win.
That’s why I love Budgetbytes.
Easy and delicious! It was pretty spicy for us so will probably cut back on the chili sauce next time!
This looks yummy! Instead of pork can I use beef minced meat?
yes! I’ve made it with ground beef and it’s just as good.
Hi! Love your recipes! I was wondering, I’m allergic to peanuts, and this recipe looks amazing. Do you think I could omit the peanuts, without completely changing the recipe? Thanks!
You can omit them and the sauce is still amazing!
I bet it would be good with cashews, too, if you aren’t allergic to those. Or shelled edamame.
This is such a great recipe! Super easy and the spice wasn’t too much at all, I also added in some sliced cabbage with the noodles to add more veggies. Highly recommend for a quick weeknight dinner