Savory & hearty soup made with pork rib

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Created with a few basic ingredients, this delectable pork rib soup offers a convenient and effortless addition to your dinner repertoire. Its simplicity, nutrition, and satiating qualities make it a favorite among all, leaving everyone longing for seconds.

Pork rib soup

Image of spare ribs soup with noodles and vegetables served in a white soup bowl

Featuring a combination of tender spare ribs, egg noodles and fresh vegetables, pork rib soup is a classic dish that’s perfect for a cold winter 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.

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.

Pork ribs soup recipe photographed in a soup pot

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Pork Rib Soup Tips

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.

Pork rib noodle soup served in a white soup bowl

How to diversify this recipe?

  • 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.

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!

Image of pork vegetable soup made with spare ribs, fresh vegetables and noodles, served in a white soup bowl

Ingredients in Pork Rib Soup

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.

Instructions for how to cook pork rib soup

  1. 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.
  2. Meanwhile sauté onions, peppers and carrots until slightly soft but still a little crisp.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Serve with chopped parsley (optional) and lemon juice.

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Hearty pork rib soup

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Image of spare ribs soup with noodles and vegetables served in a white soup bowl
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Pork rib soup

Made using just a handful of simple ingredients, this flavorful pork rib soup is a quick and easy way to add a unique dish to your dinner rotation!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Dinner, Soup
Cuisine: International
Keyword: pork noodle soup, pork rib soup, spare rib soup
Servings: 6 people
Author: Petro Neagu

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

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.

Video

Notes

Serve with chopped parsley (optional), lemon juice, sour cream (also optional).
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about petro

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…

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