Warming winter vegetable soup with soba noodles

It’s no surprise that I love soup. I eat it most days – whether it’s a creamy tomato soup and crusty bread in the winter, or a light miso soup with vegan potstickers on a warm summer evening. This is another one of those soups that I’ve come to adore, and eat at least once a week at the moment – it’s my warming winter veggie soup with soba noodles.

 

I know it may seem similar to the other Asian-inspired soups I’ve posted, but it’s actually quite a bit different. For a start, I don’t use miso as the base – only vegetable broth with ginger, garlic, onion and Asian spices. I also chuck every type of vegetable I can find into it and load it with soba noodles and chillies. It’s the perfect winter soup, particularly if you are suffering from a cold or have had one too many indulgent nights out (as many of us experience this time of year!).

This soup is also incredibly easy to make. The most time is spent on prepping the veggies. Once that’s out of the way, total cooking time is only around 20 minutes, so it’s an ideal meal when time is tight.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 sweet red onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 inch ginger, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1.25 liters vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 head of broccoli, cut into small florets
• 100 grams (about 2 medium carrots), sliced
• 200 grams mushrooms, sliced
• 4-5 leaves of cavolo nero*
• Juice of 1 lime
• 150 grams soba noodles**
• To top: sliced limes, diced red chillies (optional), sesame seeds, tamari

*You can also use kale or even savoy cabbage
**I’m really into sweet potato buckwheat noodles at the moment, but any type will do!

Directions

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat and add the coconut oil. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook until the onion starts to soften, around 4-5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for a further 1-2 minutes.
2. Add all the veggies to the pot along with the spices and tamari and stir well. Continue cooking and stirring until the veggies have started to soften slightly and the spices release their flavor – around 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook until all the veggies are soft, around 10-15 minutes.
4. While the soup is bubbling away, cook your soba noodles according to the instructions. Once cooked, rinse well with cold water and set aside.
5. Once the soup is done, add the lime juice and remove from the heat. Adjust seasoning to taste.
6. Divide the soba noodles among the bowls and top with the soup. Serve with a wedge of lime, chillies, sesame seeds, sriracha and tamari. Enjoy!