Noodles Around the World

For some people, noodles are a comforting bowl of chicken noodle soup; for others, they're a crazy-exotic spice bomb. Whether they are long or short, loopy or straight, noodles may be one of the most common food items in the world. Nearly every culture has a celebrated homegrown noodle dish—from macaroni to lasagna and from udon to pho-meaning there's a very good chance that most of us have tucked into a heap of incredible noodles at some point. Here are some of our favorite noodle dishes from cultures across the world.

- MIKE AND STEPHANIE LE

Biang Biang Noodles SHAANJ PROVINCE, CHÍNA:

Lasagna alla Bolognese

BOLOGNA, ITALY

Lasagna is the ultimate noodle-big, wide, noodle heaven. And this is our ultimate lasagna. With layers of tender noodles, silky rich extra umami filled Bolognese sauce (thanks to our special secret ingredient, fish sauce), creamy besciamella and a generous amount of Parmigiano, this is baked noodle perfection.

Adapted from THAT NOODLE LIFE by Mike and Stephanie Le, published by Workman Publishing © 2022.

01 Southwest Ramen

TUCSON, ARIZONA

This meal in a bowl is inspired by carne adovada, an ever-present stew in Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. In this version, it's a soup flavored with a base of smoked chiles and served with chewy ramen noodles for a deeply savory noodle crossover. Roasted vegetables add extra comfort and baby arugula adds a peppery freshness.

02 Yakiudon Al Pastor

MEXICO CITY

The hardest part of making great tacos at home is finding high-quality tortillas like those made in Sonora, California or Mexico. This yakiudon al pastor does away with that problem entirely, combining chewy fried udon noodles with our smoky slow-roasted pork al pastor. It's a fairy-tale marriage for the ages.

03 Philly Cheesesteak Instant Mazemen

PHILADELPHIA

We paired two favorites, Philly cheesesteak and noodles, for this dish. We chose mazemen ramen-a "dry" (soupless) style popular in Japan-as the ideal base; we season the instant noodles with soy and oyster sauces and pair it with well-seared steak, green peppers, red onion and Cheez Whiz, which melts into the noodles perfectly.

04 Pumpkin Sage Mac and Cheese

ENGLAND