Had one the time or inclination (and a time machine), an examination of young Jeff Ferketic’s pantry of a few years ago would have yielded ramen, ramen and more ramen. As a college freshman and sophomore at the University of Connecticut, Ferketic’s taste ran decidedly to the cheap and salty noodles.

You know ramen, those noodles threaded into an interesting pattern in an airtight pack 10 for $1 or thereabouts? Known as fodder for the gods, the breakfast of champions and the boon of students everywhere, ramen is as ubiquitous among the young broke set as are furtive glances at Facebook.

These days, Ferketic, formerly of West Hartford, Conn., is a part of Teach for America in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

“I had a great public school education, a really great experience, and I wanted to be part of an organization that makes sure everyone has that experience,” he says.

He’s teaching chemistry and coaching football, and his diet has definitely improved.

But back in the day, like most college students, he was not opposed to ramen.

“I was not a fan of them, but they were good when I just didn’t feel like cooking anything else,” Ferketic said. “It’s laziness. They’re pretty horrible for you.”

As a chemistry teacher, he knows what he’s talking about. Now, he says, “there’s no reason to destroy your system like that.”

He keeps his ramen intake to a minimum.

Lori Reardon, dietitian at the Charter Oak Health Center, says there’s scant nutritional value in a package of ramen. The shocker, she says, is the salt content. In her brand, it was 910 milligrams, when the standard recommendation for daily intake is 2,400 milligrams. The salt is contained mostly in the soup that’s created when the noodles are boiled.

“You have a lot of people with hypertension supposed to be practicing a low-salt diet, and they should be taking in foods with less than 400 milligrams a serving,” she said. “Other than that, the carbohydrates are up to 27 grams. There’s nothing else there. I looked diligently to try to find some goodness in it, but I can’t.”

So why does something so bad for you sell so well, according to one market estimate, in the tens of billions?

First off, it’s cheap. The average packet of ramen noodles costs just cents. Do the math. It’s one reason the food is called “student cuisine” in Japan.

Second, it’s everywhere. Local groceries generally devote at least a little shelf space to Maruchan or Nissin ramen. Some supermarketdevote an entire section to instant noodles, in a bowl or in an envelope, with brand names such as Nissin, Vina Acecook and Koka.

And third, it’s easy to prepare. It’s hard to improve on boiling two cups of water, emptying the noodles into it for three minutes, adding the spice packet and eating.

Originally, ramen came from China, which seems to be the birthplace of most noodles. There the dish is called “lo-mein.”

It was introduced in Japan in the mid-1880s. Ramen as we know it — that delightful little packet with the squiggly, in-line noodles — first came to the U.S. as Top Ramen in the early 1970s, from Nissin Foods, a Japanese company.

Although other companies — among them Lipton and Campbell’s — have tried, Top Ramen still controls the bulk of the American market, where the noodles are usually flavored with meat or mild spices.

Ramen noodles can be made tastier and better, so here are some ways to dress up this popular instant noodle dish. The Tomato Ramen Soup is from budget101.com, and the Ramen Pizza is from nissinfoods.com.

Tomato Ramen Soup

1 package ramen noodles, any flavor

2 cups water

1 can tomato soup concentrate

Cook the noodles according to package directions. Do not drain. Add tomato soup concentrate. Simmer 5 minutes.

Ramen Pizza

2 packages beef flavor Top Ramen

• Salt

3 cups water

1/2 pounds ground beef

1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 jar spaghetti sauce (15 1/2 ounces)

3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated

1 pizza pan

• Aluminum foil

Cover pizza pan with aluminum foil. Build up foil edges to form a rim about 1/2-inch high around the pan. Lightly grease the aluminum surface. Cook both packages of Top Ramen noodles in water with a pinch of salt. Set aside flavor packets. Drain noodles and set aside.

Brown beef, onions and mushrooms together. Drain excess fat. Stir both flavor packets into meat mixture. Set aside. Beat together egg, milk and Parmesan cheese. Stir this mixture into the noodles. Evenly spread noodle-egg mixture onto pizza pan. Pour spaghetti sauce over noodles. Sprinkle meat mixture over sauce. Top with mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until pizza is bubbly and brown. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Ramen Dessert Cakes

1 package crushed ramen noodles

1 cup cherries

1 cup chocolate dessert fondue (chocolate pudding works, too)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 dessert cakes (such as those used for strawberry shortcakes)

Heat vegetable oil in a pan. Break noodles while they’re still in the package, then remove from package and place them in the heated oil. Gently shake the pan to avoid burning the noodles. Heat until noodles are brown. Remove from heat and place noodles in a bowl. Put three dessert cakes on a plate. Add cherries, chocolate fondue and noodles.