Simple Pork Noodles
Published 9/25/2022 • Updated 10/30/2023
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These gochujang pork noodles are spicy, filling, and so delicious topped with a quick green onion salad and sesame seeds. This dish is made in less than an hour and is one of our favorite dinners!
Dinner In less than an hour? I think yes! Say hello to these delicious pork noodles, made with a spicy Korean-inspired sauce. The featured ingredient that adds a delicious spiciness with a hint of sweet is gochujang, a product we’ve been experimenting with.
These noodles are made with ground pork, ginger, carrot, green onion, and pappardelle noodles for a truly delicious dinner. We paired the pork noodles with a simple green onion salad on top because you can’t beat the combination of hot and cold.
What You Need for Gochujang Pork Noodles
- Gochujang: gochujang adds heat and is the base of this sauce.
- Tomato paste: tomato paste is mild and savory.
- Rice vinegar: vinegar balances everything out.
- Soy sauce and fish sauce: both of these sauces are salty and savory.
- Honey: a little honey brightens everything.
- Ginger: ginger adds a freshness.
- Pappardelle: we decided to go with a pappardelle noodle, but you could also try spaghetti or rice noodles, too.
- Ground pork: ground pork is the star of the show. You can always swap for ground chicken if you want.
- Garlic: add as much garlic as you wish!
- Carrot: carrot adds a bite and a veggie.
Variations for Pork Noodles
Make it less spicy: If you would like to make these noodles less spicy, replace 1 tablespoon of the gochujang sauce with another tablespoon of tomato paste. Do not substitute all of the gochujang sauce or your sauce will have no flavor.
Noodle Options: You can use any type of egg noodle for this dish, but we recommend a longer egg noodle. This dish has been tested with pappardelle and tagliatelle. If you don’t have either of those, try a rice noodle instead.
Use freshly cooked noodles: Be sure to add the noodles to this dish while they are warm or hot. The noodles mix best with the sauce when warm. If you try to mix cold noodles into the sauce you will be disappointed because they will not mix well with the sauce.
Swap the pork: we know these are pork noodles, but you can also make this with a different ground meat OR a plant-based ground.
Storage
Store leftover pork noodles in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To reheat: reheat in the microwave on high for 60-90 seconds.
How to Serve Your Pork Noodles
The green onion salad is an absolute MUST, so make sure not to skip that part of the recipe. Serve your pork noodles next to steamed broccoli and pork dumplings and you’ve got yourself one wicked meal!
Simple Pork Noodles
Ingredients
Green Onion Salad
- 3 teaspoons rice vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- Pinch salt
- 7 green onions, green part only, cut into thin 2-inch long strips
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds
Spicy Pork Noodles
- 3 tablespoons gochujang
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil, separated
- 1 lb. ground pork
- 1 teaspoon salt, separated
- 7 green onions, white part only and minced (½ cup)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 medium carrots, minced (~¾ cup)
- 16 oz. pappardelle or tagliatelle
- 1-1.5 cups starchy pasta water, separated
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- First, make the green onion salad. Add the rice vinegar, honey, grated ginger, and salt into a bowl and whisk. Add the green onions and toss with the dressing. Top with sesame seeds and place in the refrigerator for later
- Next, make the pork noodle sauce. Add the gochujang, tomato paste, rice vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, honey, and ginger to a bowl and whisk the ingredients together until combined. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of sesame oil into the sauce while whisking constantly until the mixture is homogeneous. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat and add the ground pork to the pan. Season the pork with ½ teaspoon of salt. Break the pork up into small pieces and cook it until it’s almost cooked through (about 5 minutes) but still has some pink. Use a slotted spoon to remove the ground pork from the pan and transfer it into a separate bowl. Leave the drippings in the pan (there should be about 1-2 tablespoons of drippings).
- Add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil to the pan and turn the heat down to medium heat. Add the white parts of the green onion to the pan and add ¼ teaspoon of salt to the onions. Saute the onions for 2-3 minutes and then add the minced garlic and saute for 1 additional minute.
- Next, add the minced carrots and the rest of the salt to the skillet and mix. Saute them for 1 minute before adding the ground pork back into the pan. Toss all of the ingredients together.
- Pour the gochujang sauce over the pork and other ingredients and mix until combined. Take the pan off of the heat and set it aside while preparing the noodles.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and then add the noodles. Cook the noodles until they are just al dente (so they have a bit of bite to them). Remove 2 cups of starchy water from the pot before straining the noodles.
- Place the skillet back on the stove and heat over medium heat. Add 1⁄2 cup of the starchy pasta water to the skillet and mix until combined. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and add another ½ cup of the starchy water to the skillet. Let the sauce simmer for 1-2 minutes or until it reaches your desired thickness.
- Add the warm noodles to the skillet and toss with the sauce.
- Sprinkle the noodles with sesame seeds and serve immediately topped with the green onion salad.
Tips & Notes
- If you would like to make these noodles less spicy, replace 1 tablespoon of the gochujang sauce with another tablespoon of tomato paste. Do not substitute all of the gochujang sauce or your sauce will have no flavor.
- You can use any type of egg noodle for this dish, but we recommend a longer egg noodle. This dish has been tested with pappardelle and tagliatelle.
- Be sure to add the noodles into this dish while they are warm or hot. The noodles mix best with the sauce when warm. If you try to mix cold noodles into the sauce you will be disappointed because they will not mix well with the sauce.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Recipes with Gochujang
Photography: photos taken in this post are by Ashley McGlaughlin from The Edible Perspective.
This recipe was delicious! And just the right amount of spicy. Will definitely make again.
i am obsessed with this recipe! it is incredibly flavorful and easy to make!
Yay!
Had this for supper tonight! Definitely on the top of my spice tolerance but I was was delicious!!