Miso Soba Noodle Soup with Crispy Tofu

Slurpable noodles, hearty tofu, and vibrant veggies go into this cozy soba noodle soup. Super cozy, absolutely meal-worthy, and ready to serve in under 30 minutes!

When I was eight years old my family moved to southern California, where I spent the next six years of my life, before returning to the east coast. I attribute those six years of sunshine to my current fondness for winter. I missed the snow!

The winter of 1993/1994, immediately following my family’s return from California, was one roughest winters on record. We seemed to get buried in snow at least once a week. My fellow Mid-Atlanticers might recall this as the year we got hit with a blizzard every Wednesday. I couldn’t for the life of me understand why everyone was so miserable about it. The snow was beautiful and cool as hell and I got to stay home from school a lot.

Now that I’m all grown up and have to do grown up stuff like drive in the snow and shovel and pay utility bills, I understand a little better why that winter got so many folks down. I still think it’s pretty cool though.

Cozy meals and hot soups I suppose are a mitigating factor for lots of winter haters. (Although I consider them to be icing on the cake.) And I’m thinking this one might be what lots of folks need to get through those incredibly cold and dark days of winter.

This soup is incredibly easy to make and comes together in about 25 minutes, so you can save your energy for playing in the snow.

First off, tofu! I’ve made this soup with tofu straight from the package (a great option if you’re feeling lazy), but I love it way more when the tofu is pan-fried. Press it, dice it, and cook it up in a bit of oil. Check out this guide if you struggle with getting crispy pan-fried tofu right.

To make the soup, start by sautéing some aromatics in a bit of oil: garlic, ginger, and the white parts from a couple of scallions. Add some water, bring it to a boil, and simmer some julienne cut carrots for just a couple of minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, ladle out a bit of water, and whisk it together with some miso paste. Add it back to the pot with some spinach, and give everything a few stirs. Season the soup with some soy sauce.

Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with scallions and sesame seeds.

Put on a cozy sweater, grab a spoon and dig in!

FAQ & Tips for Making Delicious Soba Noodle Soup

• You can save time while making this by cooking the tofu and the soup at the same time. And if you’re a real pro, you can even cook the noodles at the same time.
• For a lazy version of this soup, skip the step of pan-frying the tofu — just cube it up straight from the package and toss it in your soup.
• Use 100% buckwheat soba noodles and gluten-free tamari if you’d like to keep this recipe gluten-free.
• You can absolutely switch things up and use your favorite veggies in place of the carrots and/or spinach. Just be sure to adjust the cook time: you’ll need more cook time for harder veggies, less for more delicate ones. The veggies in this soup are meant to be lightly cooked, so between zero and 2 minutes of cook time will be sufficient for most.

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Miso Soba Noodle Soup with Crispy Tofu

Slurpable noodles, hearty tofu, and vibrant veggies go into this cozy soba noodle soup. Super cozy, absolutely meal-worthy, and ready to serve in under 30 minutes!

Course Soup

Cuisine American, Asian-Inspired

Keyword miso, noodles, tofu

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 244 kcal

Author Alissa

Ingredients

• 3 ounces dried soba noodles
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, or neutral oil of choice, divided
• 1/2 pound extra firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 scallions, chopped, white and green parts separated
• 6 cups water
• 2 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks
• 1/4 cup white miso paste
• 2-4 tablespoons soy sauce, to taste
• 4 cups sliced fresh spinach or baby spinach
• Sesame seeds, for serving

Instructions

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the soba noodles and cook them according to the package directions.

2. Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse them well with cool water.

3. Return the noodles to the pot and toss them with the sesame oil.

4. Coat the bottom of a medium skillet with 1 tablespoon of canola oil and place it over medium heat.

5. When the oil is hot, add the tofu in an even layer and cook it for 10 minutes, flipping once or twice to achieve browning on multiple sides.

6. Remove the tofu from the skillet and transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate.

7. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in large pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, ginger, and white parts of the scallions. 

8. Sauté the mixture for about 1 minute, or until very fragrant.

9. Add the water to the pot. Raise the heat and bring it to a boil.

10. Add the carrots and simmer it for about two minutes, until the carrots become bright orange and slightly tender.

11. Remove the pot from heat. 

12. Place the miso into a small bowl and ladle in a bit of the hot liquid from the pot. Whisk until the mixture is smooth.

13. Stir the miso mixture into the pot, along with the spinach. Stir until the spinach is wilted. Season the soup with soy sauce to taste.

14. Divide the noodles and tofu among four bowls, then ladle the soup overtop. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and the green parts of the scallions. Serve.

Nutrition Facts

Miso Soba Noodle Soup with Crispy Tofu

Amount Per Serving (1.5 g)

Calories 244 Calories from Fat 102

% Daily Value*

Fat 11.3g17%

Saturated Fat 1.4g7%

Sodium 1549mg65%

Potassium 501mg14%

Carbohydrates 27.7g9%

Fiber 3.2g13%

Sugar 3.5g4%

Protein 11.9g24%

Calcium 150mg15%

Iron 3.2mg18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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