Pork rib soup with egg noodles
Made with just a few simple ingredients, this yummy pork rib soup is an easy and tasty addition to your dinner lineup. It’s simple, nutritious, and super filling, making it a hit with everyone and having folks come back for seconds.
Featuring a combination of tender spare ribs, egg noodles and fresh vegetables, pork rib soup is a classic dish that’s perfect after a long day. Enjoy a bowlful of this delicious dish on its own or as a teaser to a big meal. Either way, you’ll be happy you took the time to prepare it!
In this article, I will show you how to make pork rib soup easily and quickly. You don’t need any fancy equipment or hard-to-find ingredients; just a few basic kitchen staples will do. So, get ready to impress your family and friends with this lip-smacking pork rib soup recipe.
How to make pork rib soup
Ingredients you’ll need
To make this delicious spare ribs soup, you’ll need just a handful of simple ingredients you most likely have in the pantry, and about 40 minutes to spare. To prepare this traditional pork vegetable soup, you’ll need:
Main ingredients
- Spare ribs – To ensure your soup is easy to eat, it’s a good idea to ask your butcher to cut your spare ribs into one-inch strips. When you bring the ribs home, you can trim the ribs in between the bones to cut them into bite-sized pieces before cooking. Or to make things even easier, you can cook the ribs until the meat is tender enough to easily remove from the bone into one piece, as I did for this recipe.
- Fresh vegetables – This easy pork rib soup is made using a variety of fresh vegetables, including onions, peppers, carrots, and zucchini. But feel free to add more or use your most favorite vegetables if my choice is not to your liking.
- Seasoning – Finish flavoring your soup with the help of fresh herbs and seasoning. We like to keep it simple and add some fresh lovage and parsley, salt and pepper, along with freshly squeezed lemon juice, to flavor your soup when served.
Optional ingredients that you can swap or skip
- Egg noodles – Using egg noodles in your soup recipe is a great way to add to its heartiness, ensuring you have a full meal all in one bowl. If you choose to add egg noodles you will probably need to skip the bread as these noodles make the soup quite filling. If you’re a big bread fan, you might be inclined to bake your own and here I have a few amazing bread recipes you might wanna give a try.
- Eggs – Give you soup even more flavor, body and texture with the help of eggs. Mixing eggs into your soup will add more protein and creaminess to the broth.
- Lemon juice – To make the soup sour. Add it to the soup bowl when serving the soup.
Substitutes
- If lovage is not available, use grated celery root or/and fresh parsley.
- If you don’t like egg noodles, you can use other types of pasta such as macaroni or bowtie.
Equipment
To prepare this pork rib soup, you’ll need a few basic kitchen tools that most people have in their homes. These include:
- Cutting board – A sturdy cutting board is essential for safely chopping and preparing your vegetables and herbs.
- Vegetable peeler – Use a vegetable peeler to quickly remove the skin from your carrots before adding them to the soup.
- Grater – To grate any vegetables for your soup, a grater will come in handy.
- Skillet – Use a skillet to brown and cook your spare ribs before adding them to the soup pot. This step will help enhance the flavor of the meat.
- Soup pot – A large soup pot is essential for cooking and simmering the soup to perfection. Make sure it’s big enough to hold all your ingredients.
Instructions to cook pork rib soup
- Boil the ribs in water for about 20 minutes. Skim off impurities as they rise to the top of the pot. If you prefer your soup clear of impurities, drain it through a fine sieve when the meat is cooked.
- Meanwhile sauté onions, peppers and carrots until slightly soft but still a little crisp.
- Add sautéed vegetables to the pot, add zucchini and noodle and bring to a boil. Then turn the heat to low and simmer until noodles are cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- Then add the eggs and cook for an additional minute. Add salt and pepper and turn the heat off. Add chopped lovage and cover the pot with a lid for 5 minutes.
- Serve with chopped parsley (optional) and lemon juice.
Tips for the most delicious rib soup
While this recipe is very simple to make, there’s no reason you couldn’t use a little extra help in the kitchen as you’re preparing it! Try these easy tips and tricks as you’re cooking to ensure your soup tastes amazing:
- Get help from your butcher. Your spare ribs will need to be trimmed to make your soup easy to eat. Although you could cut the ribs yourself at home, why make things difficult on yourself? When you purchase your spare ribs at the store, ask the store’s butcher to cut them into bite-sized pieces so all you have to do is toss them in the pan.
- Par boil the ribs for a smoother broth. As you boil the ribs in water, you’ll notice bits of rib meat and fat begin to float in your broth. While this is a normal part of the cooking process, the end result isn’t very pretty. To make your soup look a little more presentable, try par boiling your ribs by blanching them in boiling water for a few minutes, then removing the meat from the pan. Rinse the cooked ribs under cold water, then discard the broth and refill your pan with fresh water to finish cooking.
- Add more flavor with broth. While you can easily boil your ribs using water, it’s simple to add more flavor to your soup with the help of broth or stock. Chicken, beef, or vegetable stock can be used in place of water when cooking your soup to instantly add more flavor to your dish.
Recipe variations
- Use different noodles. Change the flavor of your soup by simply swapping out the noodles you use. Egg noodles are a classic addition to any soup recipe, but there are a variety of different noodle options you could use in their place. Macaroni or bow tie pasta can add some fun to your meal. Or give your dish an Asian flavor with the help of ramen or rice noodles.
- Add more vegetables. Adjust the recipe slightly to include some of your family’s favorite vegetables. You can add more veggies or simply swap out the vegetables your family doesn’t like for ones they do. Diced potatoes, tomatoes, Bok choy, and cauliflower all make great additions to this simple soup recipe.
- Use chicken in place of pork. If you don’t have spare ribs on hand, you can still make this delicious recipe! Just swap out the pork with bone-in chicken thighs or breasts. Boil the chicken in the water or broth until it’s cooked through, then remove it from the pan. When the chicken is cool enough to touch, shred the meat from the bone and return it to the pan with the rest of the soup ingredients.
What to serve with pork rib soup?
This hearty and flavorful soup can be served as a stand alone meal or paired with other dishes to make it a complete and satisfying dinner. Some great options include sour cream, simple bread rolls, garlic and herb croutons, garlic bread chips, fried rice, mashed potato pancakes, a fresh salad or roasted potatoes with mushrooms.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between baby back ribs and spare ribs?
Both types of ribs come from pigs but the difference is the baby back ribs come from the back part, where the ribs meet the spine while the spare ribs come from the belly portion of the pig. Baby back ribs are more meaty and shorter in size while the spare ribs have a higher amount of fat (making the dishes and the grilling more flavorful) and are a little bigger than baby back ribs.
What’s the difference between spare ribs and short ribs?
Spare ribs come from pig while short ribs are beef. Both work pretty well for this soup but the flavor will be different.
How long do you cook pork rib soup?
Cook low and slow for the best flavor. Although this soup can be made fairly quickly, there’s no reason you can’t give it extra cooking time for the flavors to really meld, especially if you’re not short on time. Most soup recipes benefit from a long cooking time, and this pork rib soup recipe is no exception.
Once you have your ingredients in the pan, reduce the heat to low and allow them to simmer to give all the flavors time to properly meld. The longer your ribs cook on low the more tender and flavorful your pork will be!
Storing and reheating pork rib soup
This soup is best served fresh, but if you have leftovers it can easily be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. To reheat, simply heat on the stovetop over medium heat until warmed through.
Alternatively, you can also reheat the soup in the microwave. Just be sure to stir occasionally to ensure even heating.
More delicious soups you will enjoy
Serving size
This recipe serves 6 to 8 people but the recipe can easily be adjusted to fit smaller or larger parties. Check out the recipe card for help on calculating ingredient amounts for your needs.
Pork rib soup is a delicious and comforting dish that is perfect for any occasion. With simple ingredients and easy steps, you can create a flavorful and hearty meal that will be sure to please everyone at the table. So go ahead and give it a try, it’s the perfect addition to your weekly meal rotation. Happy cooking!
Pork rib soup
Ingredients
- 1 cut spare ribs cut into pieces
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper chopped
- 1 large carrot grated
- 1 large zucchini chopped
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup egg noodles uncooked
- 2 eggs beaten
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- handful of lovage chopped
- lemon juice to serve
Equipment
- soup pot
- strainer
Instructions
- Add the ribs to a soup pot and cover in water. Bring the water to a boil and skim the scum off. Add 1 cup of water and continue boiling for about 20 minutes
- Meanwhile heat oil in a skillet then add onions, peppers and carrots to a skillet. Sauté until slightly soft but still a little crisp, about 3 minutes.
- At the 20 minute mark, add sautéed vegetables to the pot, add chopped zucchini and egg noodle. Add a bit more water fi needed and bring the soup to a rolling boil. Then turn the heat to low and simmer until noodles are cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- Add eggs and mix with a fork to distribute in the pot. Cook for an additional minute. Add salt and pepper and turn the heat off. Add chopped lovage and cover the pot with a lid for 5 minutes.
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Notes
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ABOUT PETRO
Hi, I’m Petro, author and founder of Easy Peasy Creative Ideas. Sewist, crafter, avid DIY-er, foodie, photographer, homemaker and mommy to one. I’m an expert at coming up with quick, clever sewing tips, recycling crafts and simple, easy recipes! You can find my ideas featured in reputable publications such as Country Living, Good House Keeping, Yahoo News, WikiHow, Shutterfly, Parade, Brit & Co and more. Thanks for stopping by and hope you’ll stay for a while, get to know me better and come back another time. Stick around for real fun projects! Read more…