The era: Freshman year of college, circa 2005. The scene: The college town grocery store.

I vividly remember strolling through the aisles on a mission to snag as many budget-friendly and easy-to-prep snacks as I could fit in a couple of bags—a reasonable amount to carry across campus and back to my dorm room. In addition to the microwave popcorn, fruit leather, jerky, and granola bars, you better believe that I stocked up when a promotion sign boasted that 10 packages of ramen were just $1.

For years, I linked instant ramen with that time of life, viewing it as a cheap and efficient—yet far-from-remarkable—meal. That is, until I tried my first spoonful of handcrafted ramen at a Japanese restaurant. Featuring a complex and creamy broth, delightfully bouncy noodles, a jammy egg marinated in soy sauce, tender pork belly, and earthy mushrooms, it was as close to a food hug as I could imagine.

Ever since, I’ve been on a quest to master how to make the ramen bowls I build at home taste a little more like that restaurant version—and a little less like the lackluster packs I squirreled away next to my microwave and mini fridge.

I was relieved to learn from George Formaro, chef-partner of Orchestrate Hospitality restaurants in Des Moines, Iowa, that I don't need to start entirely from scratch. “With just a few thoughtful bonus ingredients, you can transform instant ramen into something that feels like your own and a little bit special, without ever losing its core identity as comforting, no-fuss food,” says Formaro, who just launched pop-up restaurant Kaiju Ramen. “It’s a reminder that even the simplest things can be exactly what you need.”