Magical miso soup is easy to make, full of nutritional benefits and naturally immune-boosting, thanks to shiitake mushrooms, butternut squash, carrots, and leafy greens in a vegetable-seaweed broth.
First of all, this healthy and savory soup is one of my all-time favorite meals for natural immunity. Whenever my daughter or I feel a sniffle coming on, I always make a big batch of magical miso soup.
For starters, it's delicious on its own, with plenty of colorful vegetables. In addition, it's full of nourishing ingredients that boost the immune system naturally. Finally, this recipe is easy to mix and match with whatever veggies are in your fridge.
How to Make Magical Miso Soup
First of all, the key to this easy miso soup is all about the broth. Made from wakame, a type of seaweed, dried shiitake mushrooms, and vegetable broth, it's full of deep umami flavors.
And the good news is that this magical miso soup broth doesn't need to simmer for hours on your stove to reach its intense flavor. In fact, it's ready and flavored after just five minutes of simmering.
Next, simply add in your favorite vegetables--the more color, the better! I love carrots, butternut squash, radishes, and leafy greens. However, you can use your favorite veggies to make this plant-based miso soup. And there you have it: vitamin-packed, natural immune-boosting miso soup that tastes like pure comfort, even if you're under the weather.
What Is Wakame?
If you're not familiar with wakame, it's a type of seaweed that's often used in cooking. It's native to Japan. However, wakame is becoming more and more popular for its flavor and health benefits throughout the world.
If you've ever had a seaweed salad, you've enjoyed wakame. It's naturally sweet, bright green, and full of vitamins and minerals. In particular, wakame is an excellent source of vitamins A, C, E, K, B, as well as magnesium and calcium. Each of these nutrients has anti-inflammatory effects, which means they can help your body recover from illness, and reduce your risk for future sickness.
For this miso soup, use dried wakame, which is how the seaweed is most commonly found. After a simple 10 minute soak in room-temperature water, the seaweed will be vibrant, flexible, and ready to add serious flavor to your magical miso broth.
What are the Health Benefits of Miso?
Miso is another Japanese ingredient that carries some serious health benefits for this soup. Miso is made from fermented beans, often soybeans. And it's used to flavor all sorts of dishes, from soups like this Magical Miso Soup to sauces.
One of my favorite things about including miso in this plant-based soup recipe is the umami it brings. Known as the fifth taste, umami adds a deep, rich, savory flavor to any dish. Once you start using miso, I bet you'll find more and more delicious ways to add it to your diet!
So is miso healthy? Absolutely! Miso is fermented, which means that it's full of beneficial bacteria known as probiotics. Probiotics are important for a healthy gut, which means better digestion and nutrient absorption.
In addition, miso paste is also a good source of plant-based protein, as well as important nutrients like copper, zinc, and vitamin K. Ultimately, miso paste is a powerhouse of flavor and nutrition, and it's so easy to stir into this soup and other dishes.
More Immune-Boosting Recipes
Whether you're doing your best to keep yourself and your family in tip-top shape, or simply love the umami-rich flavors of seaweed, miso and vegetables, there are more recipes to make alongside Magical Miso Soup for natural immune-boosting.
- Creamy Carrot Soup for Immunity is a bright vegetable soup that's packed with vitamin C.
- Immunity Broth is my go-to immune-boosting recipe. Make a big batch and sip it all day long.
- Finally, this bright and fruity recipe for Immune-Boosting Very Berry Smoothie is a kid-friendly way to drink your vitamins.
Magical Miso Soup
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
Magical miso soup is easy to make, full of nutritional benefits and naturally immune-boosting, thanks to shiitake mushrooms, butternut squash, carrots, and leafy greens in a vegetable-seaweed broth.
Ingredients
- 2-inch piece wakame, soaked 10 minutes & drained
- 3 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in just enough cold water to cover, then drained (SAVE SOAK WATER)
- 3 cups vegetable broth or water
- ¼ cup thinly sliced radishes (half moons)
- ¼ cup diced butternut squash
- ¼ cup sliced carrots
- ½ cup leafy greens, finely sliced (choose from kale, arugula, watercress, etc.)
- 3 - 4 tablespoons sweet white miso (or chickpea miso for gluten-free)
- Garnish: 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions
Instructions
- Finely chop the wakame and shiitake mushrooms, reserving the shiitake soaking water. In a medium saucepan, bring the shiitake soaking water plus 3 cups vegetable broth or water to a boil uncovered over medium high heat. Add the wakame, shiitake mushrooms, radish and carrots. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Separately, in a small bowl, dilute the miso with a few spoonfuls of the hot broth and blend until smooth. Add the greens to broth. Simmer for a few more minutes. Serve soup in individual bowls garnished with scallions.
- Stir in about 1 tablespoon of miso per bowl before serving. Make sure it gets diluted. They make special strainers for this purpose or you could stir it in just a little of the soup broth and then add that to each bowl.
OPTIONS:
- Grate a 1” piece of fresh ginger root and squeeze a few drops of juice into soup at the end of cooking.
- Occasionally add small cubes of fresh tofu or pan toasted mochi.
- Occasionally add ½ cup of leftover beans, grains, or cooked noodles to soup.
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