36 Tasty Recipes for Whatever Noodles You Have on Hand

Few ingredients are as versatile (or satisfying) as noodles so it’s no wonder that they’re used in many different dishes across global cuisines and cultures. You’ll find buttery egg noodles floating in chicken soup or tucked into kugel, rice noodles serving as the basis of flavorful stir-fries and curries and even store-bought ramen noodles as the star ingredient for some shortcut recipes. And that’s barely scratching the surface of what’s available when it comes to noodles. (Did you know you can even make your own hand-pulled noodles from scratch?!) No matter which is your favorite, you’re bound to need a little bit of recipe inspiration from time to time. That’s where this roundup comes in. We’ve gathered some of our favorite uses for a handful of different noodles so that, no matter what you’ve got on hand in your pantry, you can cook up something delicious — starting with this comforting classic. Ree bolsters egg noodles and canned tuna with fresh mushrooms, bell peppers and parsley for a casserole that’s hard to beat.

Jet’s popular noodle dish is ready in just 20 minutes — and guaranteed to please!

You can never go wrong with this classic soup. Egg noodles and shredded chicken work best for this slurp-worthy bowl of goodness.

This recipe is loosely based on a traditional noodle dish called soy sauce chow mein, made by stir-frying noodles with soy sauce, sesame oil, bean sprouts and scallions and served as a side dish. We’ve developed this version to include a protein in the stir-fry, so it makes a complete weeknight meal that can be prepared in a little over 30 minutes.

Steak is the perfect topping for hearty egg noodles. Slicing it thinly helps it cook up faster for this speedy take on goulash.

Whip up this quick, versatile peanut sauce and pair it with your favorite noodles (rice noodles, yakisoba, egg noodles, spaghetti--whatever you have on hand) for a satisfying bowl that is ready in just 15 minutes. Inspired by Chinese sesame noodles, this recipe relies on peanut butter instead of Chinese sesame paste (zhī ma jiang) for a nutty, savory flavor, though feel free to sub in sesame paste (or use a combination of both) if you have it at home. The dish is easy to adapt: Add more chili crisp or ginger for a bolder version, a little more sugar for a sweeter sauce or a bit of water to thin it out.

Kalguksu is a comforting noodle soup made of fresh hand-cut noodles in a deeply flavored broth. The name literally translates to "knife noodles" because the noodles are sliced into long strands using a sharp knife. Though kalgusku can be made with different broths and ingredients, haemul kalguksu features seafood — and this version is full of clams, cockles, mussels and shrimp.

An easy weeknight dinner that only takes 30 minutes to make! This homey meal is cheesy and full of flavor.

This popular Filipino noodle dish is packed with flavor and color from a variety of vegetables and proteins and tied together with a sweet and savory sauce and a touch of citrus. “Pancit” means noodle in Tagalog, and “bihon” (rice stick) are a favorite one to use in this stir-fry. Ingredients vary from recipe to recipe and cook to cook, but this version uses Chinese sausage and shrimp, both favorites for the dish, plus cabbage, carrots, snow peas and other vegetables, making it a one-pot meal. Pancit bihon is commonly served on special occasions, especially birthdays as the long noodles symbolize long life, but it’s also speedy enough to serve as a comfort classic any night of the week.

Singapore mei fun, a classic noodle dish in Chinese restaurants around the world, did not originate in Singapore--and many Singaporeans have not even heard of the dish that bears their country’s name. It was created in Hong Kong when it was a British colony and curry powder was readily available. Mixed with rice noodles and a variety of proteins and vegetables, it is the perfect seasoning for this satisfying stir-fry. This version of the dish features chicken, shrimp and char siu, but any protein will work. Or substitute mushrooms for a vegetarian version (you can sub vegetarian oyster sauce for regular oyster sauce). Feel free to change up the vegetables too, just keep them thinly sliced for easy eating with the noodles. We prefer a carbon steel wok for this recipe because it adds a charred flavor from the high heat.

A Japanese comfort classic, niku udon is a warming bowl of chewy udon noodles in a savory-sweet broth topped with thinly sliced meat (niku in Japanese), usually beef. It’s a simple recipe ready in under half an hour with common Japanese pantry ingredients, some of which can be found in well-stocked supermarkets and the rest available in Asian groceries or online. The two-ingredient Japanese broth known as dashi forms the base of the soup. While this recipe uses instant dashi powder for convenience, feel free to make your own homemade dashi (you’ll need 6 cups). Although the soup is usually presented very simply with a minimum of toppings and garnishes, fish cakes (narutomaki) or a soft-poached egg are sometimes added to the bowl. But you could easily add vegetables or other ingredients to bulk it up such as baby bok choy, spinach, snow peas or tofu.

Bobby’s turns buckwheat noodles into a refreshing salad with the help of rice vinegar, fresh ginger and crisp veggies.

Dress up simple buttered noodles with fresh parsley and dill for a versatile side that'll go with whatever you're cooking up.

Jet says, "I wrote this recipe for fast pho because you don't always want to take a whole day to source the ingredients for and make pho from scratch. This is an awesome hack to be eating pho in an hour! You can find all the ingredients locally and even have them delivered. Slicing beef paper thin can be a pain. Japanese and Chinese markets always stock paper-thin meats for shabu shabu or sukiyaki."

Noodles are a part of many celebratory Chinese meals. Not only do these yi mein symbolize long life, but eating them is believed to bring prosperity and luck!

Our trick for extra flavorful chicken noodle soup? Stir in some grated Parmesan.

We used a marbled, tender piece of ribeye in this comfort food classic. Two kinds of mushrooms are cooked until crispy to add an extra element of flavor. The whole dish is brought together with a rich, tangy sauce made with sour cream and Dijon and served over egg noodles.

This spanakopita-inspired version of noodle kugel is loaded with spinach, onions, herbs and feta. If you're looking for a new take on a classic or a simple vegetarian side, here's your answer.

This dish is deceptively simple. If you have all the ingredient on hand, you can get the finished plate on the table in 20 minutes or less — and that includes the prep work. Jet says, "There really isn’t such a thing as 'Lo Mein' noodles so don’t try to find them on the shelf. You want to bu an egg noodle or pasta that’s relatively thin and has some tooth. Some common names will be Lo Mein, Chow Mein, egg noodles or pancit noodles. Most markets have Japanese Yaki Soba noodles in the cold case and those would work perfectly."

Shirataki noodles (also known as konjac) are gluten-free noodle alternatives that are neutral in flavor, slightly chewy and come in different styles of thickness, such as spaghetti and fettucine. Though they are typically packaged as ready to eat, I prefer to cook them in a sweet and savory broth, since the noodles absorb flavor well. This recipe is no-fuss: put everything in a pot and cook them on the stovetop for about ten minutes. I’ve included vegetables I feel are complementary to the noodles and broth, but feel free to use whatever combination you like.

Savor the delicious comfort of fall-apart-tender beef and saucy egg noodles with this easy dish.

This quick version of the Chinese dish employs instant ramen noodles. Pickles stand in for traditional fermented greens and the brine replaces the sugar that is usually in the recipe.

This creamy tuna-noodle dump dinner is made entirely in one baking dish, egg noodles included. It tastes just like the casserole you grew up eating but requires less equipment (and cleanup). Instead of using the classic cream of mushroom soup, we opted for a combination of cheese, broth, heavy cream and sour cream, which provides the same velvety texture.

This noodle bowl is filled with so much flavor: fresh ginger, bread-and-butter pickles, chili-garlic sauce and more!

This version of japchae, a Korean dish made with translucent sweet potato noodles, features thinly sliced beef with vegetables. Though it comes together quickly — in less than 30 minutes — there’s no shortage of flavor, thanks to a savory-sweet soy and sesame sauce.

There are many ways to make this baked noodle pudding, including sweet or savory, topped or untopped and with or without extras like raisins or meat. With onion, as well as cinnamon, orange, sugar and a crushed cornflake topping, this kugel straddles the line between sweet and savory.

Rich and deeply flavored, this chicken-and-bacon broth with ginger and scallion unites kimchi and ramen noodles.

Soba (and the substitute, ramen) as well as soy sauce, sesame, and ginger are all common in Japanese cooking, but this slow cooker dish pulls inspiration from a wide range of cuisines. Star anise and cinnamon are used in Vietnamese, Taiwanese and Chinese cooking, while sherry is from Spain and red pepper flakes are most closely associated with Italian and Italian-American food — you’ve no doubt seen a jar at your local slice shop.

Crispy pan-fried noodles originated in the Shanghai and Suzhou region of China. As Shanghainese people migrated to Hong Kong, the dish came with them and became very popular there. It’s known by a number of names, including “Hong Kong–style noodle” and “pan-fried noodles” in English; in Cantonese, it’s often called “gong sik chow mein,” and also the traditional “liang mein huang” (literally “two face golden,” describing the two golden sides of the noodle nest). This recipe is the restaurant-style version with crunchy deep-fried noodles surrounding sautéed chicken and vegetables covered in brown gravy. As the gravy coats the noodles in the center, they soften and become similar to lo mein in texture. You can substitute other proteins for the chicken (beef, pork or shrimp, for instance); just adjust the cooking times.

In this variation of tteokbokki (Korean spicy rice cakes), thick udon noodles take the place of rice cakes, resulting in a dish similar to packaged udon-bul-bokki, but worlds better. Udon successfully mimics the doughy, chewy quality of rice cakes and my mom’s finger-licking, spicy-sweet sauce uses just five ingredients, resulting in an easy meal that offers all the satisfaction of tteokbokki when you don't have rice cakes on hand. Green cabbage, onion and sliced fish cakes round out the dish, but as in classic tteokbokki, feel free to add hard-boiled eggs for greater heft. Trust me, you won’t even miss the rice cakes.

These noodles are loaded with mushrooms and soy sauce for plenty of savory flavor. Green onions add a nice, fresh pop of brightness to the dish.

Yep, this casserole is based on the soup that you know and love. Pro tip: don’t cook the egg noodles for more than 4 minutes before assembling the casserole. Partially cooking them allows them to soak up the flavorful sauce without becoming too soft while the casserole bakes.

When you bake tuna noodle casserole on a sheet tray, you get the best of both worlds: a creamy, cheesy filling and a crispy, crunchy top. This recipe uses a combination of crushed butter crackers and panko breadcrumbs for a perfectly toasted topping.

Traditionally consumed by Buddhist monks, Buddha’s delight (Lo Han Jai) is now popular around the world as a healthy vegetarian Chinese restaurant option. The dish is also a staple on the first day of Lunar New Year — for lunch or as a side dish for the dinner feast—and is seen as providing a purifying and cleansing start to the new year. In our version, we chose vegetables with texture and flavor in mind, resulting in a pleasant combination of crunchy, tender and crisp elements. (We also included garlic and ginger, which may not align with a strictly Buddhist diet.) Feel free to mix and match with other vegetables, such as bamboo shoots, lotus root, bean sprouts or carrots — to name a few.

This is sure to become your go-to meal when you need something quick and easy — and delicious!