This healing, healthy, vegan miso soup is a comforting one pot meal sure to soothe body and soul.
My 8 year old frequently requests miso soup with noodles for lunch and dinner. Miso soup is a mild, broth based soup that's easy to customize. Miso broth is made from water and miso paste. You can find miso paste in tubs in the refrigerated section of many grocery stores. If your grocery store doesn't carry it, try a Japanese grocery store. Traditionally it has cubed tofu, green onions, and nori, but I like to add whatever veggies I have on hand. This week I made an ultra healing pot of vegetable miso soup. To make this miso soup more filling, I added carrot and Japanese sweet potato noodles, both of which are loaded with vitamins. To save time you could of course simply chop the veggies. To make this miso broth extra flavorful and healing, I added fresh garlic and ginger. Garlic is wonderful for immune support and ginger has long been used to aid digestion and soothe upset stomachs.
Fall is here. Tis the season for... for, colds? I am loving the routine now that school is back in session. It's busy, filled with early school days and weekend soccer games. But I love it. And I love fall and am thrilled to see pumpkins popping up in our farmers market. The downside to being back in school is that the kids are exposed to more germs. If you haven't noticed, six year olds aren't always the most hygienic people ever and pass those viruses around. I can usually stop colds in their tracks if I catch them early enough. Here's how I do that. This time, however, I didn't listen to the early signals. Instead, I kept going full force ahead until the cold stopped me in my tracks. Maybe it's my body's way of saying, "Hey lady, slow down. Be mindful. Take care of yourself for a moment." So I will listen. The past few days I've felt run down and in need of some nourishing, healing, comfort food. The weather cooperated and gave us a few nice cloudy days so soup was in order. 
I used Japanese sweet potato noodles this time, but zucchini noodles would be lovely in the spring and summer. Actress Olivia Munn says Japanese sweet potatoes are the fountain of youth. So there's that. If you decide to use zucchini noodles they will go into the pot later, as they cook quickly.
Though miso soup is most often served as a side dish in Japanese restaurants, I made this hearty miso soup as a complete meal.
Vegan Miso Soup Recipe
Published 09/13/2016
Nourishing miso soup with ginger, garlic, vegetables and tofu is a wonderful one pot meal.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon peeled fresh grated ginger, plus more for serving
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, chopped or spiralized
- 1 Japanese sweet potato, chopped or spiralized (or 1 zucchini)
- 6 cups water
- 5 tablespoons white miso paste
- 1 cup shelled edamame
- 7 oz. extra firm organic tofu, drained and cubed
- 4 large stalks kale, stem removed and thinly sliced
- sea salt to taste
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Add the oil to a large pot set over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and saute another minute. Add the celery, carrot, and sweet potato if using. Saute two minutes. Add the water and bring to a simmer. Simmer until veggies begin to soften.
- Carefully transfer one cup of the warm water a bowl and whisk in the the miso paste. This will help the paste mix into the water more easily. Pour the miso water into the pot and stir to combine. Gently simmer until vegetables are cooked through. Add edamame, tofu, and sliced kale and simmer until kale has wilted, about one minute. Remove from heat. Add salt to taste. Top with bean sprouts and green onions. I like to grate a pinch more fresh ginger over the top of my soup, but that's optional.
Prep Time: 10 mins.
Total time: 30 mins.
Tags: miso soup, vegetarian, vegan