Miso Veggie Soup in a Jar

This Miso Veggie Soup is the DIY instant soup recipe you've been waiting for! Just stuff shredded veggies into a jar with miso paste and seasonings, add boiling water, and wait 10 minutes. That's it! You've got delicious vegan miso soup! Perfect for meal prep, packed lunches, and make-ahead meals. 

You'd think that working from home, being on kinda-sorta maternity leave, and being a food blogger would mean that I eat delicious, elaborate lunches on the reg. My reality looks pa-retty different most days.

In Swedish they have a word "tidsoptimist" which translates to "time optimist" and I think it describes me pretty well. Most days I have a fairly ambitious to-do list, and if I'm shooting recipes for the blog I always figure I'll just eat whatever it is I'm photographing for lunch that day.

But you know what? Taking these photos takes a butt-load of time. You see five or six of the best photos, but the reality is usually up to 200 photos per post, including process shots, and often by the time I'm finished and cleaning up I'm racing out the door to pick up my big kid from daycare. There are So. Many. Days. where I don't get to eating my lunch at all.

And I wonder why I'm so dang cranky all the time. 

So I'm trying to be better at meal prep. I've been doing some batch cooking at the start of the week so that I've got grains, veggies, and proteins ready to grab on a moment's notice. (Related: Batch Cooking for a Healthy Week)

I've also been reminding myself to eat before I start working, and have been leaning in on some quick and easy meals. It dawned on me that I hadn't made this Miso Veggie Soup in a Jar recipe in ages, and I thought it was high time we rectified the situation!

Did you say Miso Veggie Soup in a Jar?

You bet I did! It's miso veggie soup.... (stay with me here)... in a jar! Picture this: a veggie loaded vegan miso soup that's prepped and ready to go.

It's just as fast and easy as those salt-laden styrofoam cup-a-soups, but with the benefit of being sooooo much more nutritious, and I tell ya, infinitely more delicious.

What goes into this Miso Veggie Soup?

• Vegetables! You saw that one coming, right?
• Miso paste --> we'll get to that below.
• Tofu --> or another protein of your choice.
• Aromatics --> garlic, onions, and chili pepper, yo!
• Flavorings --> I'm going in with a squeeze of lime and some liquid aminos.
• Hot water. That is it!

How do you make soup in a jar?

The trick here is that you've got to have all of your veggies sliced or shredded finely enough that they'll soften in the heat of boiling water. I just a julienne shredder for the carrots (I have this one and I love it) and finely slice napa cabbage, green onions, and snow peas.

You can mix up the vegetables depending on what you like and what's in season, just make sure they're finely diced, sliced, or shredded.

Once you've got your veggies prepped, you want to layer everything into a jar. I love these Weck jars and I find that the half liter size is perfect. You can definitely also use a wide-mouth Mason jar.

Start by adding your miso paste and aromatics, then layer in the vegetables, and finish with the tofu on top. From here you can just throw your DIY instant soup jars into the fridge, where they'll be ready and waiting for you when you need them. When you're hungry, all you need to do is add boiling water, wait 10 minutes, and *boom* your lunch is ready.

Is miso soup vegetarian?

Good question! Miso paste is made from fermented soybeans, and is totally vegan. However, traditional miso soup that you get in a Japanese restaurant is made with dashi (broth) made with bonito or tuna fish flakes. So while most restaurant miso soup is not vegetarian, it's easy to make vegan miso soup at home.

Can I make miso veggie soup in advance?

I would be mad if you didn't! This miso veggie soup in a jar can be prepped and kept in the fridge for up to three days. I don't recommend that you freeze these soups, however.

Where can I buy miso paste?

These days you can usually find miso paste in the international section of your regular grocery store, but if not, check out an Asian market.

What's the best miso for soup?

It's totally a matter of personal preference! You could use, red, white, or brown miso. In general lighter misos have lighter flavour, and darker misos are stronger and more pungent. The miso in these photos is a brown rice miso.

Hey Nutrition Lady, what's the deal with miso?

Miso is a pungent, aromatic paste made from fermented soybeans. Miso is a good source of manganese, vitamin K, protein, dietary fiber, copper, omega-3 fatty acids, and zinc.

Additionally, miso is a good source of phytonutrient antioxidants, which are related to it’s fermentation. Try to source out organic miso if you can, since miso is made from soybeans, and most non-organic soybeans are genetically modified.

Related: Is Soy Healthy?

Do you have any other miso paste recipes?

Yes! If you're worried you won't use up a jar of miso paste, worry not! First of all, miso lasts for ages in your fridge. Secondly, it's a fantastic ingredient to use in sauces, dressings, and more! For example:

Miso Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut, Miso, and Lime
Orange Carrot Ginger Miso Sunshine Sauce
Homemade Ramen Noodle Bowls
Miso Almond Power Salad with Baked Tofu

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4.5 from 4 votes

Miso Veggie Soup in a Jar

This Miso Veggie Soup is the DIY instant soup recipe you've been waiting for! Just stuff shredded veggies into a jar with miso paste and seasonings, add boiling water, and wait 10 minutes. That's it!

Course Soup

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword vegan miso soup

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 1

Calories 109kcal

Author Katie Trant

Ingredients

• 1-2 teaspoon miso paste I used brown rice miso here
• ½ clove garlic grated
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• ½ medium carrot shredded or julienned
• ½ cup napa cabbage or other green, torn or shredded
• ½ green onion thinly sliced
• ¼ hot red pepper thinly sliced
• ⅛ red bell pepper thinly sliced
• ¼ cup tofu cubed
• a wedge of lime
• soy sauce to taste (I use Braggs liquid aminos)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Starting with the miso, ginger, garlic, and hot pepper, and ending with the veggies and tofu, layer everything into a large (2 cup capacity or more) heat-proof jar, except for the lime and soy sauce,
• At this point, you can simply add the lid and stash your soup jars in the fridge. 
• When you're ready for soup, boil the kettle. Fill the jar to the top with boiling water and replace the lid.
• Wait 10 minutes, then remove the lid and give the soup a good stir.
• Season with soy sauce and a squeeze of lime juice, and serve.

Notes

• Nutrition values are an estimate only.
• Prepared soup jars will last about 3 days kept sealed in the fridge.
• No kettle? Add the water and microwave the soup for 2 minutes until hot. 

Nutrition

Calories: 109kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 264mg | Potassium: 677mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 7335IU | Vitamin C: 284.4mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1.9mg

This recipe was originally published March 27, 2014. It was retested, rephotographed, and updated March 7, 2019.

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