Description
This Instant Pot Spicy Short Rib Noodle Soup is a hearty and flavorful dish combining tender, melt-in-your-mouth short ribs with a spicy, savory broth enhanced by gochujang and garlic. Perfect for a comforting meal, this recipe uses an Instant Pot to quickly cook the ribs until tender and then finishes with noodles and optional fresh spinach for added texture and nutrition. Topped with scallions, sesame seeds, and sesame oil, it delivers a satisfying bowl of Korean-inspired spicy noodle soup in under an hour.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Marinade
- 1 pound short ribs (meat removed from bone, fat trimmed, cut into smallish chunks)
- 1 tablespoon gochujang sauce (adjust for preferred spiciness)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
Aromatics
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
Broth and Noodles
- 4-6 cups beef broth
- 10-16 ounces dry ramen noodles or any stir-fry noodles (2-3 individual serving packages)
Optional Toppings and Garnishes
- Spinach (optional, sautéed separately)
- Scallions
- Sesame seeds
- Sesame oil
Instructions
- Browning the Short Ribs: Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode. Sprinkle the short ribs generously with salt and place them in the pot. Without moving them too much, let the meat brown well on the outside to develop deep flavor.
- Sautéing Aromatics: Add gochujang, tomato paste, minced ginger, garlic, and thinly sliced shallot to the Instant Pot with the browned ribs. Sauté everything together for 1-2 minutes to let the flavors meld and the aroma intensify.
- Pressure Cooking the Ribs: Pour in 4-6 cups of beef broth depending on your preferred soup quantity. Seal the Instant Pot lid and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. Once done, the ribs should be extremely tender and deliciously flavored.
- Cooking the Noodles: Switch the Instant Pot back to sauté mode and add the dry noodles directly into the broth. Cook until the noodles are soft but firm to your liking. Taste the broth and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and optionally a splash of rice vinegar for brightness.
- Preparing Optional Spinach: While the noodles cook, sauté fresh spinach in a separate pan until wilted. This step is optional but adds a lovely green freshness to the soup.
- Serving: Ladle the noodle soup into bowls and top generously with tender short ribs, sautéed spinach, chopped scallions, sesame seeds, and a drizzle of sesame oil for an aromatic finish.
Notes
- Adjust gochujang quantity to control the spice level to your taste preference.
- You can substitute beef broth with vegetable broth for a lighter flavor.
- If you don’t have an Instant Pot, a pressure cooker or slow cooker can be used alternatively but will require longer cooking times.
- Sautéing the noodles in the broth inside the Instant Pot ensures they absorb more flavor.
- Adding a splash of rice vinegar brightens the broth and balances the spiciness.
- Optional spinach adds nutrition and color but can be omitted or replaced with other leafy greens.
- Use gluten-free noodles to make this recipe gluten free if needed.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (approximately 1/4 of the recipe)
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 900 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg
