Miso Ginger Winter Soup (Printable Version)

A light, restorative soup featuring warming ginger, nutrient-rich vegetables, and probiotic-rich miso for a nourishing winter meal.

# Needed Ingredients:

→ Broth

01 - 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
02 - 2-inch piece 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, optional
11 - 1 teaspoon chili oil or pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

# Steps:

01 - In a large saucepan, bring the vegetable broth to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
02 - Add the sliced ginger and garlic. Simmer for 10 minutes to infuse the broth with aromatic flavors.
03 - Add the mushrooms and carrot. Cook for 5 minutes until just tender.
04 - Remove a ladleful of hot broth and whisk with the miso paste in a small bowl until smooth and well combined.
05 - Reduce the soup heat to low. Stir the miso mixture back into the pot without boiling to preserve probiotic content.
06 - Add the spinach or bok choy and green onions. Stir until wilted, approximately 1 minute.
07 - Taste and adjust seasoning with additional miso paste or a splash of soy sauce if desired.
08 - Ladle into bowls and top with sesame seeds, cilantro, and chili oil or pepper flakes if using.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The combination of ginger and miso creates this incredible immune-boosting magic that feels like a gentle hug from the inside out when youre feeling under the weather.
  • Its one of those forgiving recipes where you can use whatever vegetables are hiding in your crisper drawer, making it perfect for those nights when you cant face another trip to the grocery store.
02 -
  • I once accidentally boiled the soup after adding the miso, and it completely changed the flavor profile, making it noticeably more bitter and losing those probiotic benefits.
  • Adding the greens at the very end rather than cooking them with everything else preserves their bright color and prevents them from becoming soggy or grey.
03 -
  • After years of making this soup, I discovered that slicing the ginger against the grain rather than with it releases significantly more flavor while reducing stringiness in the finished broth.
  • Store fresh ginger in the freezer wrapped in parchment paper rather than plastic for easy grating directly into soups without thawing first.
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