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. 👌
If you were to make this veggie would you use like soya meat crumble? crumbled tofu? tempeh? Thanks in advance!
Love this recipe! When we had to go gluten free, I substituted the ramen for a shedded coleslaw mix and it’s delicious!
It goes well with zoodles as well!
even better the next day so delicious
You have some left the next day?!? I applaud your self restraint ! 😂
A favorite in my house! The sauce is so yummy, I’ve used it in other dishes as well.
These were great, I love using ramen for dishes like this! I used Sambal, which I think maybe a tad spicer than the chili garlic sauce. I cut the amount in half and it was still spicy! But it was a perfect balance with the sweetness. Giving 4 stars because I don’t know if I would have been able to eat this if I had used the full amount of sauce.
Great recipe. My hubby went back for seconds. Used bulk mild italian sausage as i had it on hand. I cut back on spice for my kids. Very flavourful! Will definitely make again but i will try to reduce fat with ground turkey.
Quick and pretty good. I love a three-ingredient sauce.
I subbed veggie hotdogs for pork and even though I don’t shy away from spicy normally, I did Not trust that 1/4 cup chili garlic sauce. My taste buds are too sensitive for coffee, even as an adult, so no way was that happening. I halved the brown sugar and added it by the teaspoon instead.
Super fresh, spicy, and filling! 10/10 recommend
My Scandi tastebuds barely survived this trip down noodle lane, but it was worth it. Yummy !
This was fantastic. I’ve come across this recipe a half dozen times on Reddit and finally made it tonight. I had a 1 lb package of ground pork so I doubled the sauce (except the garlic chili sauce – kept that the same!). My ramen noodles (Hakubaku brand) came as a 9.5 oz package, so I just used the full thing.
My husband and I don’t order out often and this scratched that occasional craving itch for lo mein/drunken noodles/pad thai type dish.
We’ll definitely make it again. Im looking forward to the leftovers! I’m glad I halved the garlic chili sauce – it was still lip burningly hot! If I’d gone with the whole amount, I don’t know that I’d have been able to eat it.
I served it with roasted broccoli.
The sauce is insanely hood. I added a splash of toasted sesame oil just for some extra nuttiness. I like the idea of adding broccoli to the sauce. I’ll try that next time.
This is a great and simple recipe. Fairly spicy, add veg., as suggested, to “lighten “. Brilliant work!!
Tried this. Not something I would make again sadly. It’s more sweet than savory which gives it an odd flavor. Frankly, it tastes like not-very-good Asian food.
My favorite things about this dish are the peanuts and the sheer amount of food it makes. It makes a lot. The peanuts are satisfying. Even though I won’t make this again, I see myself using peanuts in Asian food in the future.
Sodium is off the charts on this awesome looking dish. Anyway of reducing it?
I’m going to have our consulting dietitian double-check that one. It does seem off to me.
We re-checked this one and got the same results. Both soy sauce and chili garlic sauce are very high in sodium and they are the main ingredients in the sauce, so I think the only way to considerably reduce the sodium is to just make less of the sauce.
Try using Coconut Aminos or reduced sodium Soy.
Cut the soy sauce in half with rice wine vinegar, adds a bit a tartness and reduces the sodium while keeping an Asian taste profile
I didn’t reduce the chili garlic sauce and it was a good heat level, but I like spicy. I added 8 oz frozen broccoli florets (chopped small) at the same time as the sauce.