Toasted ramen noodles mixed with walnuts and pepitas star in this simple yet flavorful Crunchy Romaine Summer Salad.
My Aunt Kim used to make this Crunchy Romaine Summer Salad for family get-togethers and I remember loving it as a child. It’s so simple but packs serious flavor. It’s nutty, salty, acidic, and sweet all in one bite, making it a definite crowd pleaser!
I was recently reminded of this salad while flipping through some family recipes my Mom gave me and knew I had to immediately make it for <3M. He loves ramen noodles so I thought throwing them on top of some greens may be a good way to coerce him into eating more veggies (and it worked!).
It’s All About the Crunch
My favorite part about this salad is the crunchy ramen noodle & toasted walnut topping that gives this salad its name.
Yes, you use RAMEN noodles. Raw ramen noodles to be exact — like the kind from the little square packs that come with a side seasoning such as ‘chicken flavor’ or ‘beef flavor.’ Except for this recipe, you just open the noodles, toss the flavor packet, and break up the noddles into pieces for toasting with butter on the stovetop.
It’s delicious.
Looking for more salad recipes? Try my Grilled Shrimp and Peach Panzanella Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
In fact, I remember making this salad with my Mom as a child and eating JUST the topping. My Mom and I used to spread the warm crunchy topping on top of paper towels to cool then snack on the topping before it ever made it to the salad.
Toasting the noodles, walnuts, and pepitas
In fact, when I recently made the recipe, I did the exact same thing!
I laid the crunchy topping out on paper towels and even snapped a pic of it to send in a group text to my Mom & Aunts, asking them to guess what I was making. They all instantly knew what it was, the unique combination of walnuts and ramen are a dead giveaway for the Crunchy Romaine Summer Salad!
Crunchy ramen noodle salad topping
Updating the Crunchy Romaine Summer Salad Recipe
While I love the original recipe, I made a few changes to make the salad a tad healthier than its 90’s version.
Here are my updates:
- Added pepitas for a superfood boost in addition to the walnuts and ramen noodles in the topping
- Reduced the amount of sugar in the dressing by decreasing the amount and swapping honey for white sugar
- Utilized a tablespoon less butter for toasting the ramen noodles, walnuts, and pepitas
Other than those three modifications, this recipe is pretty much the same and 100% just as delicious as I remembered.
And best yet, <3M also loved it. He was just as obsessed with the crunchy ramen noodle topping as I was as a child.
And honestly, I may have to make the topping again all by itself just to have on hand to throw on other salads or dinner options. I highly suggest you do too when you make it.
In fact, just double the topping ingredients so you’ll have plenty of leftovers.
- For the salad:
- 1 head of romaine lettuce, roughly chopped into bite-size pieces
- 8 scallions, green and white parts sliced into ¼-inch rounds
- For the crunchy topping:
- 1 pack of ramen noodles, flavor packet discarded and noodles broke into 1-inch or smaller pieces
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
- ¼ cup raw pepitas
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- For the dressing:
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add in the walnuts and ramen noodles, stirring to coat the nuts and noodles with the melted butter.
- Cook until noodles and walnuts begin to lightly brown, about 5-6 minutes then add in the pepitas and cook for another 3-4 minutes until everything is golden brown.
- Sprinkle everything with the ½ teaspoon salt, stir, then remove from heat. Place the topping ingredients on a paper towel to cool until serving.
- In a large ball jar or small bowl, add the vinegar, oil, soy sauce, honey, and ground black pepper. Give it a good shake (or whisk vigorously) to combine.
- When ready to serve, place the lettuce pieces and scallions in a large bowl and toss lightly with half the dressing. Top with the cooled ramen noodle topping and serve.
- Store any additional topping in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
- Store any additional dressing in the fridge for 3-5 days.
