Spicy Ground Pork Soup with Noodles
This Pork Soup with noodles takes about a half hour, but has the depth of flavor of a soup that has simmered all day, thanks to smart ingredient choices.
My Go-To Pork Noodle Soup
If I’m making pork soup, you can almost guarantee it’s going to be Asian-inspired. And include noodles. And maybe be a tad bit but not too spicy.
This soup is adapted from a Bon Appetit recipe, and I love it because it includes lovely mustard greens, a vegetable I don’t use often enough. They truly do have a mustard-like flavor, so it breaks up the typical spinach and kale we normally see at dinnertime. The sharp, tangy mustard flavor is a great pairing for the ground pork in this soup.
Another thing I love about this soup is that it includes cumin. I would have never thought to add cumin to an Asian soup until seeing this magazine recipe, but it really works. You can’t really detect a specific cumin flavor in the end result, but all of the ingredients work in perfect harmony to make the broth one of the most delicious substances ever.
Why You’ll Love Ground Pork Soup
- The broth has an amazing depth of flavor thanks to garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, cumin, soy sauce and fish sauce.
- It tastes like a long-simmered soup but comes together pretty quickly right on the stovetop.
Pork Noodle Soup Ingredients
- ground pork – the rich, savory protein for this soup
- olive oil – for sauteeing the pork.
- garlic – adds a strong aromatic flavor.
- grated fresh ginger – adds a warm, slightly spicy flavor.
- red pepper flakes – contribute a bit more heat.
- cumin – lends a warm, earthy flavor that complements the other spices.
- salt and pepper – to season the pork soup to perfection.
- chicken broth – I like to use a less-sodium kind so that I can control the seasoning level myself.
- mustard greens – adds a fresh, slightly bitter element to balance the rich pork. If you can’t find mustard greens, use spinach or kale.
- green onions – adds a mild onion flavor.
- soy sauce – to add umami and season the broth.
- fish sauce – another umami and seasoning punch.
- rice noodles – to make the soup more filling and give you something to slurp up!
How to Make Pork Soup
- PORK. Heat oil in a large pot, then add the garlic, pork, ginger, red pepper flakes, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook until the pork is browned and cooked through, breaking up pork with side of spoon as it cooks.
- BROTH. Add the broth and heat to boiling, then reduce the heat and simmer for 8 minutes.
- GREENS. Add the mustard greens, onions, soy sauce and fish sauce, and simmer until the greens are tender.
- NOODLES. Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to their package directions, then drain them.
- SERVE. Divide the noodles between 4 bowls and ladle the soup over the noodles.
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Pork Soup Recipe Home Chef Tips
- Adjust the heat to your taste by adding more or less red pepper flakes.
- This pork noodle soup tastes even better the next day, so make a double batch and enjoy the leftovers!
Simple Pork Soup Recipe FAQs
The most tender parts of pork for soup are typically the shoulder and tenderloin, but in this case we’re using ground pork so that it cooks up nice and fast, and is plenty tender and flavorful.
To soften pork in soup, allow it simmer over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes. This allows the collagen in the meat to break down and results in very tender pork in the finished dish.
This is meant to be a thin, brothy soup, so no thickening agent like cornstarch or potato starch is necessary here.
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Simple Pork Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ pound ground pork
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cups less-sodium chicken broth
- ½ bunch mustard greens stems removed, torn into large pieces
- 4 green onions thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 8 ounces wide rice noodles
Instructions
- In large saucepot, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, pork, ginger, red pepper flakes, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook 6 to 8 minutes or until pork is browned and cooked through, breaking up pork with side of spoon and stirring occasionally.
- Add broth and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 8 minutes.
- Add mustard greens, onions, soy sauce and fish sauce. Simmer 5 minutes or until greens are tender; stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions; drain.
- Divide noodles between 4 bowls and ladle soup over.
Notes
- Adjust the heat to your taste by adding more or less red pepper flakes.
- This pork noodle soup tastes even better the next day, so make a double batch and enjoy the leftovers!
Wow…very tasty! I’m a sucker for anything with greens like mustard, collards etc and noodles are always a plus. I threw in some Korean red pepper flakes which are very flavorfull IMO and not overly ‘hot’, plus it gives soups a nice color if bland looking. I’ll definitely keep recipe and make again. Thanks for a tasty soup…Bill in the PNW
Korean red pepper flakes sound perfect for this. So glad you liked this recipe, Bill!
Wow! Just finished cooking and tasting this fabulous soup! Warm, soothing, flavorful…and super delicious. OK, in full transparency, I did more than just taste. I just consumed 3 bowlfuls of this incredible soup. Albeit small bowls, I had 3 servings in one sitting. Wasn’t even hungry. Very good soup. Now at the top of my list to make regularly. Thank you!
So glad you liked this, Kim. All 3 bowlfuls 🙂
Since my last comment over 2 years ago, I have to tell you I keep coming back to this recipe time and again. A little bit different every time but always simple and delicious! Tonight I made it with fresh ground bison, dandelion greens (they seem to be my go-to for this soup) and sauteed fresh garlic scapes and chive flowers before adding the broth. I think this is the best one yet!
Oh my gosh, I’m so flattered to hear this, Alisha! That’s my favorite thing about soups like this – you can just adapt them to whatever you happen to have on hand or want to use. I have a chive plant in my yard doing crazy. You’ve inspired me to add some chive flowers to my next batch of soup!
Thanks so much, Kaitlin! I’ve definitely enjoyed cooking the cover for the last year or so!
This looks awesome–just the kind of thing I want to eat at the end of the day. And such a good idea to commit to the cover recipes!
Oh yum, all of those ingredients sound great for this, Alisha! The broth is my favorite part of this soup, for sure 🙂
I made this last week with ground turkey, organic dandelion greens (don’t ask me why I paid $5 for dandelion greens!) and black kale. It was amazingly delicious and I plan on making it again tonight! I love how simple but flavorful the broth is. My noodles absorbed ALL of the liquid though so I’ll have to keep them separate. I just threw the noodles into the broth and served. Even will all of the broth absorbed it was super delicious though.
do you think i could make this with kale or spinach if i can’t find mustard greens? thanks!
xo julesinflats
Oh yes, definitely, Julia! I would recommend kale – it’ll hold up a little better than spinach 🙂
thank you for your quick reply, lori!
Wow! This looks fabulous. I’m new to your blog (found you thru Susan Palmer) and love the idea behind Cook the Cover! After all the terrible weather here in the north east I’m ready for a spicy soup like this!
So glad you found me, Mallory. Cook The Cover is really fun – it definitely makes going to the mailbox fun at least once a month 🙂 I am SO tired of the cold weather here in Michigan. Ready for spring!
Pretty much a perfect soup. I’m really into Asian noodle dishes with greens so this makes me a bit too excited (I’m really pumped). Can’t wait to try!
Oh gosh, me too, Pamela. I’ve been so into Asian soups with dark leafy greens lately. I just made another one with homemade wontons and kale – that recipe coming soon 🙂
Having eaten this twice – when made and as a leftover – I can say it is a very tasty interpretation of ramen noodle soup. It was a good combo of pork flavor, spice, and greens. Yum.