Miso Ginger Winter Soup (Printable)

Warming soup with ginger, vegetables, and miso for cold days

# What You Need:

→ Broth

01 - 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
02 - 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
04 - 2 tablespoons white or yellow miso paste

→ Vegetables

05 - 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
06 - 1 cup baby spinach or bok choy, roughly chopped
07 - 1 medium carrot, julienned or thinly sliced
08 - 2 green onions, sliced

→ Garnish

09 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
10 - 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
11 - 1 teaspoon chili oil or pinch of red pepper flakes

# How to Make It:

01 - In a large saucepan, bring the vegetable broth to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Add the sliced ginger and garlic. Simmer for 10 minutes to infuse the broth.
02 - Add the mushrooms and carrot to the broth. Cook for 5 minutes until just tender.
03 - Remove a ladleful of hot broth and whisk with the miso paste in a small bowl until smooth.
04 - Reduce the soup heat to low. Stir the miso mixture back into the pot. Do not boil after adding miso to preserve probiotics.
05 - Add the spinach or bok choy and green onions. Stir until wilted, about 1 minute.
06 - Taste and adjust seasoning with more miso or a splash of soy sauce if desired.
07 - Ladle into bowls and top with sesame seeds, cilantro, and chili oil or flakes if using.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than you'd expect, which means weeknight dinners don't have to be complicated or exhausting.
  • The miso adds this umami depth that makes you feel like you're eating something far more sophisticated than the ingredient list suggests.
  • It's genuinely nourishing without any of the heaviness that can bog you down on cold days.
02 -
  • The miso paste must never boil once it's in the pot, or you'll destroy the living probiotics that make this soup genuinely nourishing rather than just tasty.
  • Tempering the miso in hot broth first prevents it from clumping and seizing up, which I learned the hard way the first time I tried to add it straight to the pot.
03 -
  • Toast your sesame seeds in a dry pan for just two minutes before serving—the smell alone will convince anyone at your table that you know what you're doing.
  • If you're serving this to someone who's sick or exhausted, leave the chili oil on the side and let them decide whether they want heat, because sometimes gentle is exactly what's needed.
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