Ginger Miso Winter Soup (Printable)

Light, warming broth with fresh ginger and miso, packed with umami flavor and winter vegetables for cold days.

# What You Need:

→ Broth Base

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

→ Vegetables

05 - 1 cup napa cabbage, thinly sliced
06 - 1 medium carrot, julienned or thinly sliced
07 - 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
08 - 2 scallions, sliced

→ Garnishes

09 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
10 - 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
11 - 1 teaspoon chili oil or chili flakes

→ Optional Add-ins

12 - 7 ounces silken tofu, cubed
13 - 3.5 ounces soba or rice noodles, cooked per package instructions

# Directions:

01 - In a large pot, bring the water or vegetable broth to a gentle simmer.
02 - Add the sliced ginger and garlic. Simmer for 10 minutes to infuse the broth with aromatic flavors.
03 - Add the napa cabbage, carrot, and shiitake mushrooms. Simmer for 5-7 minutes until vegetables are tender.
04 - Remove the pot from heat. Place miso paste in a small bowl, add a ladle of hot broth, and whisk until smooth. Stir the miso mixture into the soup without boiling to preserve probiotics.
05 - If using tofu and noodles, add them now and let warm through for 2 minutes.
06 - Ladle soup into bowls and top with scallions, toasted sesame seeds, fresh herbs, and chili oil or flakes. Serve immediately.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than you'd think, leaving you with a nourishing bowl before your craving for comfort food becomes desperate.
  • The umami depth from miso makes you feel like you've been sipping this for hours, even though the actual cooking time is barely thirty minutes.
  • It's adaptable enough to use whatever vegetables are lingering in your crisper drawer, so there's no waste and no pressure.
02 -
  • Miso is a living ingredient with active cultures, so boiling it after you've added it kills everything that makes it nutritionally special—learn this once and you'll protect it forever after.
  • The ginger and garlic infusion time is not negotiable if you want the broth to taste intentional rather than like vegetables in hot water, so don't rush past those first ten minutes.
03 -
  • Toast your sesame seeds in a dry pan just before serving if you want them to taste like something more than just a garnish—that thirty seconds of heat unlocks a nuttiness that makes people ask what you did differently.
  • Keep your miso paste in the coldest part of your refrigerator and use it within a few months of opening, because it does degrade over time and loses some of that alive quality that makes it special.
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