10-Minute Tomato Egg Drop Noodle Soup (2024)

What a wonderful time of the year it is! There are so many comings and goings—holiday parties, happy hours, family meals, Christmas shopping, and gift wrapping. I love this time of year. But how exactly does this Tomato Egg Drop Noodle Soup fit into a season of prime rib roasts and glasses of champagne? Hear me out.

A Go-to Emergency Meal

As we busy ourselves preparing for our holiday and New Year’s celebrations, our regular routines like food shopping and meal planning can fall by the wayside. So what do you do when your stomach is growling, and your mind is realizing that there’s nothing in the refrigerator but a few eggs and old tomatoes? What is there to eat?

This nagging question is on everyone’s mind at least once, twice or even three times a day, and us food bloggers don’t always dodge the same dilemma.

For years now, this 10-Minute Tomato Egg Drop Noodle Soup has been my go-to emergency meal. It’s quick, easy, nourishing, and it hits the spot like a good bowl of noodle soup always does.

A List of Our Easiest, Fastest Recipes

In addition to today’s recipe, I’ve also compiled a list of some of our easiest, fastest recipes. They’re perfect fits for those last minute, back-up plan meals to have in between all the parties and the errands.

These recipes require very few ingredients, and I’ve grouped them by the number of main ingredients they require. So cancel that pizza order and put away the cold cuts. This post is a testament to the fact that you can still have a tasty meal with the bare minimum in your refrigerator.

Note: For this tomato egg drop noodle soup recipe, it’s best to use vine ripened tomatoes, which will create a rich, red soup base.

Recipe Instructions

Boil a pot of water to cook the noodlesaccording to the package instructions. Drain and transfer to a large soup bowl. Toss with a few drops of oil to keep the noodles from sticking to each other.

At the same time, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in wok or pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and the scallion whites, and cook for 30 seconds. Then add the tomatoes and stir-fry for a couple minutes, until the oil starts to turn red and the tomatoes soften.

Add the stock, soy sauce, white pepper, sesame oil, and salt to taste. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes, still using medium heat. Now is a good time to beat the egg in a small bowl and have it ready.

Uncover the wok/pot, turn up the heat slightly, and slowly stir in the beaten egg. Turn off the heat and pour the soup onto the cooked noodles. Top with the chopped scallion greens (you can also add chopped cilantro if you want). Serve your tomato egg drop noodle soup hot!

Easy, right?!

Now, here’s that compilation of quick-and-easy recipes, to have and to hold!

More Quick and Easy Emergency Meals:

Recipes with One main ingredient:

• Egg Drop Soup (Need I say more? It’s a no-brainer.)
• Steamed Egg (All you really need is a couple of eggs, and you have the comfort you crave in a bowl.)
• Egg Over Easy with Soy Sauce (One of my favorites.)
• Simple, Spicy Pan-Fried Noodles (Fun fact: this is the first recipe we ever posted on The Woks of Life. No Hong Kong-style egg noodles? Boil a pack of instant noodles until al-dente, drain, and pan-fry!)
• Supreme Soy Sauce Fried Rice (You won’t regret giving this one a go––and many additional go’s after that.)
• Campfire Curry Ramen (Curry + Ramen = a winning combo. A stove makes things easier.)
• “Spicy Numbing” Cacio E Pepe (A quick pasta with an Asian twist.)
• Soy Scallion Shanghai Noodles (An absolute Must-Try.)
• Egg Fried Rice (Another fried rice. Because everybody loves fried rice.)
• Smashed Cucumber Salad (Our chili oil is all you need to elevate this salad to the next level.)
• Garlicky Broccoli (Even your kids will thank you for it!)

Two main ingredients:

• (A must-order when The Woks of Life eats at any Cantonese restaurant.)
• Shrimp with Lobster Sauce (At a fraction of take-out’s cost.)
• (How can you not love that combo?)
• Chinese Spaghetti Bolognese (We make it all the time.)
• 15-Minute Lazy Noodles (Sarah’s creation––it’s been getting high praise from readers.)
• Pan-Fried Tofu with Dipping Sauce (A scrumptious meatless choice.)
• 15-Minute Chinese Hot Oil Noodles (One of my absolute favorites.)
• 10-Minute Broccoli Tofu Bowls(Who needs to take meat out of the freezer when you have this?)

Three main ingredients:

• 15-Minute Coconut Curry Noodle Soup (One of our all-time top 10 recipes––enough said.)
• 20-Minute Congee (Always keep washed rice in your freezer!)
• Everyday Vegetable Stir-Fry (A quick stir-fry to clean out the fridge.)
• Scallion Ginger Shrimp (Soak frozen shrimp in water for a few minutes to thaw, and a meal will appear in no time.)
• Vegetable Fried Rice (Keep cooked rice in the freezer to make fried rice any time.)