Last week, I shared my recipe for chicken soup, my first choice for sick days. But, as these things go, I soon shared the love with my gentleman. A combination of guilt and a desire for more broth in my life led to this vegan-friendly soup.

According to the many articles I’ve read about this, while there’s no direct veggie response to the mysterious powers of chicken soup, miso is a healthy powerhouse and a flavorful alternative.

I think this would be pretty delicious as a more Asian-inspired soup with some different ingredients, but I wanted something that worked like chicken soup without the chicken. It certainly wouldn’t fool anyone in a taste test, but it’s delicious on its own, if I do say so myself!

The gentleman ended up getting over his cold quicker than I did – so maybe there is more to say about the healing power of miso.

Notes on miso: If you’re intent on a vegan/vegetarian soup, make sure to avoid anything with “dashi” in it, or anything with niboshi or bonito, as they’re both fish products. Also, for those on a gluten-free diet, unless you’re sure you have a soybean or rice-only miso, I would avoid it.

Serves: 4

On The Counter

6 cups vegetable stock
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium-sized parsnip, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced
2 teaspoons ginger, about 1 thumb, chopped finely or grated
2 scallions/green onions, sliced
5 tbsp (74 mL) yellow miso paste

What to Do

In soup pot, heat olive oil until shimmering. Sautee ginger, onion and garlic over low heat until onion is transparent. 

Bring vegetables and water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. 

In a small separate bowl, combine miso paste with 1/2 cup (120 mL) of broth. Swirl together with chopsticks or equivalent until combined. 

Mix miso liquid with soup and ladle into bowls. Garnish with green onions and serve! 

While not very traditional, I picked up a loaf of jalapeno bread as a side for this.