Ever get ramen cravings? (I know I do.) Welcome to fast food, Japanese style! Perfect for your average college student or on-the-go mom.
Start to finish, this healthy and light Japanese Udon Noodle Soup with Miso takes less than 15 minutes, making it easily fit in with the rest of your go-to meals.
Why This Udon Noodle Soup Is So Good
- Adding miso makes the soup savory, and flavorful
- Using just a handful of ingredients, this 15 minute udon noodle soup recipe is super easy to make
- A quick dish that’s great for noodle lovers
- Packed with goodness from a variety of vegetables
Ingredients
- Udon noodles
- Vegetable or chicken stock
- Carrots, snow peas, mushrooms, green onions
- White miso paste
How To Make This Udon Noodle Soup – Step By Step
- Cook the udon noodles according to the package directions, drain and set aside.
- In the meantime, in a medium pot, bring the stock to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and add the carrots and cook until the carrots are crisp-tender, 1-2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and snow peas and cook until slightly tender but still bright green, about 1 minute.
- In a medium bowl, add the miso paste. Add a ladleful of hot broth. Whisk until the miso is completely dissolved, then pour the entire miso mixture into the pot with the soup. Do not boil the soup with the miso, as the miso will become gritty. Stir in the cooked noodles and the green onions.
Types Of Japanese Udon Noodles
Udon noodles are white, fat ‘n slightly chewy, wheat-based noodles from Japan. There are 3 different forms of noodles: dried, fresh-prepared, and make from scratch. (If you are eating low-carb or gluten free, try Shirataki Noodles)
Dried udon noodles
Dried udon noodles are easy to find – most grocery stores will carry it (look in the Asian section). When cooking udon noodles, there’s no need to salt the boiling water. Almost all Asian style noodles contain salt, so adding more is unnecessary. Hime is my favorite brand of dried udon noodles that are easy to find. You can even buy them on Amazon for less than $10.
Fresh, prepared udon noodles
Fat, chewy, delicious noodles!
Fresh udon noodles are already cooked, all you need to do is boil for a minute or so to warm up the noodles. Read the package instructions.
Can I Make Udon Noodles From Scratch?
If you’re interested in learning how to make udon noodles from scratch, Iron Chef Morimoto shared his recipe with us!
Miso Paste for Udon Noodle Soup
What makes this udon miso soup so flavorful is the addition of miso. Miso is fermented soybean paste, one of the main ingredients in Japanese miso soup. It’s a great staple to have in your refrigerator since there are so many recipes that use miso and the stuff lasts for about 6 months in the refrigerator.
The miso that I prefer to use for Udon Noodle Soup is Shiro Miso, or White Miso. It’s milder and less salty than red miso (aka) or yellow miso (shinsu).
Vegetables for Udon Noodle Soup
The type of mushrooms I used in the recipe is called shimeji mushrooms, or white beech mushrooms. They’re incredibly healthy and I love the slightly slippery texture.
You can use any type of vegetables you’d like, but make sure to slice them thinly. For example, the carrots are sliced as thin as possible, into coins, so that they will cook in just a few minutes.
- Snow peas
- Carrots (sliced thinly or use julienne carrots)
- Fresh mushrooms
- Corn kernels
- Hard boiled egg (already hard boiled, just cut in half)
- Thin, roasted seaweed slices (nori)
- Shiitake mushrooms
- Fresh bean sprouts
- Spinach
- Daikon sprouts
- Fresh tomato slices
Video: How to make Udon Noodle Soup
Top Tips For This Udon Noodle Soup
- If you don’t have udon noodles, you can use pasta noodles.
- Keep vegetables thinly sliced, so they all cook quickly.
- I used shiro miso, it is the least salty. If you go for a different – more salty – miso, reduce amount by a teaspoon or two.
- Do not boil the soup with miso, or it will become gritty.
- Get creative and throw in any protein of your choice, just be sure it’s thoroughly cooked through!
- Store any leftover miso udon noodle soup in an airtight container and use within 2-3 days.
Check Out These Other Recipes Using Miso Paste
- Miso Salmon
- Miso Almond Sauce (dressing, dipping sauce, toss with noodles)
- Chicken Salad with Sesame Miso Dressing
- Miso Butter Shrimp Appetizer
- Rachael’s Gyoza
- Japanese Noodles with Shimeji Mushroom
- Grilled Miso Tenderloin
- Sake Miso Marinated Butterfish
Have you tried this Udon Noodle Soup recipe? Feel free to leave a star rating and I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
Udon Noodle Soup Recipe with Miso
Ingredients
- 12 ounce udon noodles
- 6 cups prepared low sodium vegetable stock or chicken stock
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
- 1/2 cup snow peas sliced on the diagonal
- 1 cup fresh mushrooms sliced
- 2 tablespoons white miso paste
- 2 green onions chopped
Instructions
- Cook the udon noodles according to the package directions, drain and set aside.
- In the meantime, in a medium pot, bring the stock to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and add the carrots and cook until the carrots are crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and snow peas and cook until slightly tender but still bright green, about 1 minute.
- In a medium bowl, add the miso paste. Add a ladleful of hot broth. Whisk until the miso is completely dissolved, then pour the entire miso mixture into the pot with the soup. Do not boil the soup with the miso, as the miso will become gritty. Stir in the noodles and the green onions.
