You know, sometimes I just have too much on my plate and find I don’t have as much time to cook as I’d like…
I bet that sounds familiar to a lot of you, doesn’t it? I can’t think that I would be the only one in that situation!
Well, when that happens to me, especially when you factor in the fact that I’m on a bit of a Asian kick lately, this is what you invariably get: Miso soup.
Seriously, this is one of my ultimate I-really-don’t-have-time-to-cook-dinner-tonight option.
I don’t think that there’s another meal out there that you can make quite as quickly as Miso soup, save for instant Ramen, but these hardly qualify as a meal, if you know what I mean…
And of course, there’s an entire array of microwavable instant meals, but they pretty much generate the same kind of reaction from me.
Hardly meals, really. Hardly food, even…
Miso soup, on the other hand, is packed with highly nutritional ingredients: Miso, for starters, which is excellent for you, tofu, mushrooms, green onions, rice noodles… it’s all good stuff, really!
It’s pretty much like Ramen, made healthy, as far as speed and convenience are concerned.
When it comes to taste, though, you get ten thousand times better with this gorgeous bowl of [almost] instant goodness.
Agreed, it does require a little bit more prep time and “cooking” than just plain opening up a bag of dry fried noodles, dumping them into some boiling water and adding a little packet of salty greasy powder. But not that much, trust me. And the result is really worth putting in the little bit of extra effort.
Plus, if you don’t have the exact ingredients that are on the list below, you can always improvise. This is one very forgiving soup. All that you really require is water and miso.
For the rest, you can use basically whatever you want. Shredded carrots, mushrooms, frozen peas, cooked chicken, tofu, shredded bokchoy, broccoli… You get the idea. Use whatever you have on hand!
Trust me, this IS one of those quick meals for those nights when you just don’t have time to cook.
One that will make you be happy you actually didn’t have time.
MISO SOUP
INGREDIENTS
(Serves 1)
- 3 cups water
- ¼ cup warm water
- 2 tbsp miso diluted
- 50g rice vermicelli
- 50g soft tofu, cut into ½” cubes
- 25g enoki mushrooms (or shiitake)
- 1 tsp dried wakame, flaked
- 1 green onion, sliced (though you might not use the whole thing)
- a handful bean sprouts
- sprinkle sesame seeds
- few drops sesame oil
INSTRUCTIONS
- Bring water to a boil
- Meanwhile, dilute miso in warm water
- Add rice vermicelli to boiling water and cook until tender.
- Remove from heat and add wakame flakes.
- Stir in miso then add mushrooms, and tofu. Let stand for a minute or two just to heat through.
- Transfer to serving bowl and add green onion, bean sprouts, sesame seeds and a few drops of sesame oil.
- Take the time to grab a seat and dig in!
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This looks so good! And I love that its quick. Simple yet nutritious meals and snacks are always my favorite because no matter how busy my schedule, I can easily fit them in.
I think the only valid excuse not to make this soup would be “I’m allergic to miso” or “I don’t care for it” because “I’m too busy and don’t have time to make this” would definitely not work
This is almost as fast as pouring a bowl of cereal. Almost! Glad you like, Kati, and hope you end up trying it!
That looks like the kind of meal I would love to have when too busy to cook. I hate microwave meals, I sometimes have one just because I really really cannot be bothered, but I always feel dissatisfied afterwards and think there must be a better way to spend time then putting some mediocre stuff into a microwave. Now this soup looks delicious and screams fresh! I’d have one now please!
Can we trade? A slice of your Persimmon Bundt cake for a bowl of my Miso soup?
Seriously, I’d gladly send you a bowl if I could, Simone. Save you from having one of those microwaved thingies…
Oooh, I’m super excited by this. I’ve wanted to try miso for so long now but I’m always intimidated. There seems like a million options for miso and I have no idea what anything means. What kind do you use? I remember hating miso soup as a kid, but it was basically broth, and had nothing good in it. This looks fantastic though, I would love to try it.
I like to use the dark, or red, variety, because it has a more intense flavor and I happen to LOVE miso. In fact, I am extremely suprised that I don’t use it more than I do, instead of salt. I just keep forgetting, I guess. I totally agree, most miso soups have absolutely nothing in them, they are basically broth with a few cubes of tofu, a mushroom or two and maybe a piece of wakame, if you’re lucky… Plus most are made with the light, or white variety. As you can see, I like my miso soup LOADED! You should definitely give it another try, Heidi. Just don’t be afraid to add tons of good stuff to your broth!
Oh, and I forgot. The key is to never cook your miso. Just dilute it in water (pretty much equal parts mioso to water) and add it when the soup is done cooking. Super easy!
This soup is GORGEOUS! I love the mushrooms in it – so pretty! Anything with tofu gets a thumbs up from me too!
Yummmmmmmm! Now I just need to buy some miso!
Thank you so much, Nora! I so agree on the tofu thing. And now you got me hooked even more with your baked tofu recipe. Maaaaan are these things good. But definitely, the soft tofu in a miso soup is my favorite part. I love how it just melts in your mouth. I usually tend to keep it for the end.
Sonia sometimes I think you are a super hero. that miso soup looks to. die. for.
A super hero!!!! LOL! Jaclyn, you’re just amazing. I mean, wow! What a super nice thing to say! Now I’m all flushed. Thank you so much for that. You so made my day!
This has to be the ultimate miso soup. Look at all that wonderful stuff in there! It seriously puts other miso soup to shame.
Oh, thank you so much Cara. That is so very nice of you to say! I guess a lot of people would argue that this is not miso soup, for there are way too many things in it, but that’s the way I like MY miso soup. Loaded!
Glad you agree with me!
This is beautiful! I love miso soup!
Yum! I’m always looking for new ways to make miso. It’s my favorite!
Now that is some really nice looking miso soup!
Aw, thanks so much Kevin! As always, an honor to have you comment on my blog! Thanks a bunch for dropping by. I always truly appreciate!
Just wanted to say thank you for this recipe! I am a student and try really hard to eat healthy and balanced. I have always loved miso soup, but was afraid to try it. This recipe gave me the courage and I LOVE IT!! I will definitely keep these ingredients on hand. Just a side note: I also love pho and am used to adding condiments so I added garlic chili paste, red pepper flakes, and hoisin sauce to this miso as well. Mmmm, mmmm, good
So happy to hear, Melissa! And Miso soup is just soooo easy to make. Bet you’ll be having it all the time now! I loooove your additions, too, although I would personally pass on the hoisin sauce…
I can’t wait to try this miso soup! What a great flavor combo – and textures!
Hi there! This looks delicious! I’ve only ever had Miso Soup in restaurants, so this will be a new adventure for me! What kind of Miso do you use, and where do you find it? I searched my grocery store today, but I had no idea what I was looking for!!
Thanks for the help and the yummy recipes!
Hey Staci, glad you like this soup! I have to admit that miso CAN be somewehat hard to find. If your grocery store has an refrigerated “Asian section” then you MIGHT be able to find miso there, but since it has to be kept in the refrigerator, I find that most grocery stores simply don’t stock it. You would have to go to an Asian food store, and there you would find all kinds of different varieties, such as white, red, which are the most popular (also known as light or dark, and I like to use the dark, by the way) but there are also different grain varieties, some including rice, barley or wheat, some with algea or other added ingredients, and of course, there also is a soy only variety, in case you’re looking for gluten or grain free. Good luck getting your hands on it and I truly hope you do find it!