Some version of this soup graces our table all year long. It’s a quick weeknight meal that satisfies everyone’s palate. We customize at the table with tamari, chili sauce, sesame seeds, lime juice, cilantro, a scoop of Crooked Carrot kimchi, and usually top it with a fried egg. It’s the first dish I turn to when someone has a cold.
We have a few versions of this soup on our site – a Fall Vegetable version, and a Summer Vegetable version. You don’t even really need a recipe for this, but when I put this together at the first sign of sniffles last week it was too good not to share. Any greens will work in this soup, I used mustard greens, but throw in spinach, arugula, or even kale. I always make a really big pot of this so we have it for a few weeknight dinners.
This starts with basic Roasted Delicata Squash that gets drizzled with toasted sesame oil out of the oven. It really brings out the nutty flavor of the squash! Mince as much garlic and ginger as you like for this soup, in my opinion the more the better! We have a big chunk of local ginger from Good Life Farm’s CSA+ that we keep in the freezer and grate as necessary. Since we usually make this soup in large batches I learned a tip from my old roommate who’s father is Japanese. Add the miso into each bowl separately, about a tablespoon per bowl, more or less if you like. Add a little bit of the cooking water and then mix the miso until well combined. Add the soup on top. This keeps you from having to reheat the miso over and over.
Miso Noodle Soup with Delicata Squash & Greens
2 delicata squash
olive oil
salt
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 or 2 bundles of greens like mustard greens, spinach, arugula, kale, chard, etc.
8 oz rice noodles
minced garlic & ginger – as much as you like, at least 1 tablespoon each
1 tablespoon cooking oil
miso paste (GF if necessary)
Optional – cilantro for garnish
To serve – Sriracha chile sauce, lime wedges, tamari soy sauce (gf if necessary), kimchi, etc.
Roast the delicata squash: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Remove the tops and bottoms of the squash, scoop out the seeds. Slice into 1/2 or so slices, then toss with olive oil and salt. Roast for 20 – 25 minutes until soft and starting to brown. Drizzle the cooked squash with toasted sesame oil.
Wash and chop the greens: some greens are grittier near the bottom so submerge the greens in water and swirl around, then lift the greens out of the water to drain off the dirt.
In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium high heat, sauté the ginger and garlic for a few minutes until it’s fragrant. Fill the pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and cook according to package directions. At the last minute of cooking add the chopped greens. Turn off the heat.
To serve: Place about 1 tablespoon miso paste in each bowl. Ladle some cooking water over the miso paste to dissolve. Once paste is dissolved ladle soup into each bowl. Top with cilantro if using. Bring a variety of condiments to the table for serving.
*This recipes serves a crowd or will leave you with leftovers. Make a smaller batch if necessary.
*Mustard greens sometimes have a purple hue which you may notice in your soup. Don’t be alarmed, it’s just from the purple in the greens.
