Who doesn’t like instant noodles? From the famous instant ramen to instant fried noodles, you will always have that favorite instant noodle brand. And with the changing trends online, many recipes have emerged that make these cheap and easy-to-cook packs even more marketable.

Instant noodles are, well, instant. It’s affordable, widely available, tasty, and filling. Most importantly, it’s easy to cook. It’s almost like a gift to college students and people with no cooking skills or time.

Plus, who would want to whip up something hard for a midnight snack? However, because of its being instant and the fact that it has an unnaturally long shelf life, these packs are not very good for the body.

So the next time you plan to grab another pack in your storage, how about switching to something more healthy but just as delicious?

Here are some of the noodle alternatives that can satisfy your Filipino palate and are healthier than instant ones:

1. Pancit Canton

Just hearing the word pancit already rings an alarm in your head. There is no way a pancit can be an alternative to something as easy to cook as instant noodles.

Pancit or pansit is a generic term that refers to noodles in the Philippines. It’s arguably every Filipino’s comfort food. Pancit Canton is a variety of Pancit made from yellow wheat noodles, usually stir-fried and combined with your choice of meat and vegetables and a flavor mixture of oyster sauce and soy sauce. This noodle dish is widely available both in high-end restaurants and small carinderias.

Out of all the Filipino noodle dishes, Pancit canton resembles your favorite instant noodles the most. Most instant Filipino instant noodles are modeled and named after this dish. And contrary to popular belief, Pancit Canton is actually easy to make. If it’s for personal consumption, then you can skip all the fancy preparations and stick with the main course.

Grab whatever meat is available in your fridge, or you can also opt for shrimp. No meat? Don’t worry, pancit is still delicious without one as long as you have the sauce blend. Then prepare your vegetables like cabbage and carrots. Just sauté your meat in the pan and add chicken broth and the pancit. Add your vegetables when the noodles are almost cooked. Many recipes are available online, but you can always take some or have them delivered to you for convenience.

Pancit is packed with carbs and calories, which is good for those dieting. Its recipe can be tweaked to fit your diet, so you can enjoy it even if you’re losing some weight.

2. Misua Soup

Misua is a variety of salted noodles made from wheat flour. Compared to other noodles, their strands are extremely thin and delicate and require a very short cooking time. Misua, or known as cellophane noodles, is a common household food, and one pack is as affordable as instant noodles.

Misua is usually served with patola and ground pork or shrimp. However, misua’s fragility doesn’t stop it from being a versatile noodle that can go well with a couple of ingredient options.

One easy recipe that you can make easily for a midnight snack and only requires a few ingredients is misua with tuna and eggs. This delicious dish only needs a can of tuna in oil and an egg. Boil the noodles with the tuna and when it’s almost cooked, crack the egg. It’s filling and best eaten hot.

Misua is a low-calorie dish, and its nutritional content will depend on the ingredients you cook it with. Patola is rich in vitamins, while eggs are a good source of protein.

3. Mami Soup

If pancit canton is the model for the Philippines’ instant fried noodles, mami is its counterpart for soup noodles. Chicken mami is the Filipino version of thick chicken noodle soup and is perfect to eat during cold weather. There’s also beef mami, pork mami, and mami topped with wonton. This dish is usually served in noodle houses called “mamihan”.

Mami is a soup dish served with wheat flour noodles in broth, your choice of meat, and topped with green onions and fried garlic. It’s relatively easy to make and is more delicious than your instant noodle soup. If you’re pressed for time, you can opt for broth cubes as homemade broth requires a long time to make.

Mami is usually assembled with its ingredients cooked separately. Cook the chicken and boiled eggs first, then tenderize the vegetables. Cook the noodles and place them in a bowl, topped with the other ingredients. Lastly, pour in your hot broth, and you’re good to go. Mami can also be bought for take-out or delivered if you can’t cook but are craving some noodle soup.

There is a reason why mami is best eaten when you’re feeling under the weather. All those vegetables you include in your mami are packed with vitamins and nutrients that are good for you.

4, Spaghetti

Yes, spaghetti, but not the instant kind. I mean the pasta. Well, this isn’t noodles, but it still gives you the same feeling as when you’re eating one. There are cultural differences in such debates about whether spaghetti is both a noodle and pasta, or just pasta. Either way, it doesn’t matter when you need something to eat at night that resembles these noodles.

Spaghetti is easy to make and is healthy if you know the right toppings and sauce to pair it with. Like any other pasta, spaghetti is versatile enough to taste good with either cream or non-cream and red or white sauce.

Spaghetti pasta also comes in healthier alternatives like whole-wheat pasta.

Of course, if you don’t feel like cooking some noodles, there are other healthier alternatives you can easily munch on without cooking, like fruits and nuts.

While instant noodles offer convenience with taste, it’s essential to look after your health too. And you don’t really have to compromise anything. Healthy food can also be delicious.