This vegan miso soup is healthy, delicious, and healing.
It’s a standout recipe for sure among the healthy eats I’ve been making lately! I’m excited to share this one with you. This miso soup is MAGIC. You guys are going to love it. It’s so good—light and savory with a tiny spicy kick, my favorite soup for lunch.
All credit for this recipe goes to Matt, my former husband and still-friend. He’s such an awesome vegan chef! He’s helped me create all the other plant-based recipes I’ve shared here on the blog, which I encourage you to check out. And don’t be scared off if you’re a meat-eater. All are welcome here, and you’re going to love this miso soup! It’s a hit with just about everybody.
This is a spin on traditional Japanese miso soup. We really amp up its already immunity-boosting powers. I always aim to make my meals as nutrient and plant-dense as possible, and this is no exception. We can use food (namely plants) to help nourish our bodies to the max!
I had surgery recently, and this meal really helped my recovery.
I shared all about my repair surgery here, and this recipe is one of the ways I helped myself heal. It is an immunity-boosting powerhouse meal, full of ingredients designed to fight inflammation and aid healing. I had it nearly every week.
Since as I write this we’re in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, I think we could all use this soup. Can’t hurt, right? And it’s definitely the perfect meal to make for a loved one who’s not feeling well. It’s light enough that you can eat it without a huge appetite, and nutritious enough to give your body a major health boost.
This meal is also really fast and easy to throw together, like all my recipes. Because wellness means not slaving away in the kitchen for hours, amiright? This one comes together in about 45 min.
What makes this miso soup so good for you?
The spices, including ginger and turmeric, have anti-inflammatory and immunity-boosting properties. The soup has fresh vegetables and a complete vegan source of protein in the tofu. (Try to find sprouted tofu, which is easier for your body to digest!) There are tons of antioxidants, which help fight disease. Also, I always recommend choosing organic when you can, for all ingredients, to minimize pesticide exposure.
Most importantly, miso itself is known to contain nutrients that help your immune system, including gut-strengthening probiotics, antioxidants, and E + several B vitamins. Miso is a fermented paste made from soybeans, sea salt, and a fungus called koji. The fermentation process is what creates those much-needed probiotics.
If you’re not vegan, you can use bone broth in place of vegetable broth for an extra collagen boost. This is really helpful for post-surgery recovery. As a vegan I obviously think the less animals we can eat, the better, but collagen can be incredibly helpful for injury healing, and there’s sadly currently no vegan source of it. (I trust science will get us there soon!) So that’s an option for meat-eaters.
Also—if you want to learn more about transitioning to a plant-based diet, read my Vegan 101 post.
Now to the best part—the recipe:
Immune-Boosting Miso Soup
Makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp Coconut oil
5-7 cloves Garlic, minced
2-3 inches Ginger root, minced
1-2 inches Turmeric root, minced (you can sub 1 Tbsp Ground turmeric if you can’t find the fresh root in the vegetable section)
Handful of Green onions, diced (separate the whites from the greens)
1 Jalapeño, minced
3 large Carrots, diced
1 medium Zucchini, diced
1 large or 2 small Bell peppers (any color—I like red), diced
2 Tbsp Tamari sauce (or more to taste)
1 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar or White wine vinegar (apple cider vinegar gives a sweet kick)
3 Tbsp White or Yellow miso
4-6 cups Vegetable broth (or optional Bone broth for non-vegans)
1 block of Tofu, extra firm, cut into dice sized cubes
Directions:
(Pro tip: Chop everything up beforehand.)
In a large pot, heat up your coconut oil until melted on medium heat.
In the oil, sauté your garlic, ginger, turmeric, the whites of your green onions, and the jalapeño. Cook until the onions soften.
After that, throw in your carrots, zucchini, and bell pepper. Cook until soft, mixing in your tamari sauce and vinegar.
Add the miso and briefly allow your veggies to cook into it before adding the broth. Lastly, add the tofu.
Slowly bring the soup to a boil. Then turn down your heat to bring to a simmer.
Let cook 20 minutes. Taste and add more tamari as needed.
Stir in the remainder of the green onions just prior to serving!
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Let me know when you try out this recipe! I’d love to hear what you think in the Comments section below.
xo,
Amy
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