Quick and Easy Ramen Recipe & $10 off Groceries

The other day my coworkers and I decided to check out the new H Mart at lunch, and planned to order ramen to go from Sapporo in the food court. I love the Sapporo in Porter Square (specifically the spicy miso ramen with pork), so I was psyched to find one so close to the office. Sadly, when we got there we realized they don't do takeout and after being disappointed for the rest of the day I decided to make my own.

Instacart

I had a lot of ingredients on hand already, but not everything I needed so I placed a quick Instacart order just before I left work. Before I get into the recipe, I NEED to tell you about this amazing new service I've just started using! If you sign up using my link your first order is $10 and free delivery.

Instacart is a grocery delivery service that's new to the Boston area. They work with Shaws, Whole Foods, Harvest Coop, Market Basket, and Costco (stores vary by location) and delivery is either $3.99 or free (advertised as $3.99 but they often have specials). You can schedule a delivery in advance for a specific time or just place an order to be delivered within the next two hours. For me, ordering just before I leave work times it perfectly so my groceries are delivered shortly after I get home. I've never paid the $3.99 delivery fee, but the service helps me save money in a couple of ways so I'd be glad to pay it anytime they aren't offering a special.

Here's how Instacart helps me save on groceries:

1. I can order from Market Basket. This store is ridiculously cheap and where I grew up buying groceries (it's much more popular in NH and North of Boston). The closest one to South Boston is Somerville, and I've heard horror stories about how busy it gets. To me it's not worth making the drive over, but I'll gladly pay someone else $3.99 to do it for me! One week's worth of groceries including fresh meat, cheese, produce and some pantry items was only $55 - about 1/2 of what I would have paid most other places. 
2. The app keeps a running tally of what you've selected so far, which makes me think twice about some of the extras I'd normally throw in like a gourmet $7 chocolate bar I wouldn't really want to eat after looking at the calories. 
3. You can search for items and compare them all side by side, you see brand price, and whether it's organic or not. 

This is not a sponsored post, and I was not approached or compensated by Instacart in any way - I'm just that excited about the service and think everyone should try it (if only for the $10 in free groceries!)

Now for the Ramen Recipe!

Ingredients (4 servings):

• 4 cups of reduced sodium chicken broth
• 2 servings of ramen noodles (I used rice noodles which worked out well, and this makes the dish gluten free)
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1/2 small onion minced
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons miso
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste
• Your favorite veggies (I just used spinach)

1. Toast  the onion, garlic, and ginger in 1/2 the sesame oil for about 5 minutes then add the ground pork. Season with salt and red pepper to taste.

2. Bring chicken broth to a boil and add the rest of the sesame oil, plus salt and pepper to taste

3. Reduce heat to low and add miso (this is very important, boiling miso will ruin the delicate flavor)

4. Cook noodles according to directions

5. Add noodles, pork, and veggies to the broth and serve