One-Pot Wonders

Green Vegetable Soup with Miso

December 27, 2015
5
1 Ratings
Photo by Bobbi Lin
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

One day, I needed to use up the remnants of a CSA delivery—kale, broccoli, carrots, and lemons. I browsed over to Food In Jars, and there was a recipe for something called "hippie soup," which called for exactly those ingredients! I tinkered with the recipe to use stuff I already had on hand, and came up with a soup that tastes like a green smoothie, except way better. This recipe is adaptable to whatever's in your fridge: About half the bulk of the soup should be leafy greens and soft herbs, and the other half should be broccoli, carrots, and something oniony. —ieatthepeach

Test Kitchen Notes

This is a simple yet nutritious soup! I used vegetable broth as the liquid and an immersion blender to purée, leaving it a little thick, as that's how I like my winter soups. I thought 1 bunch of scallions was a little too many, so I used half the bunch. The flavors from the vegetables and garlic, combined with the lemon, were wonderful! The lemon gave it just a hint of zip.

Editors' note: Add the miso slowly, about 2 tablespoons at a time, and taste between additions. We found that 1/4 cup was a bit too much for our taste! —Heidi Campagna

Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
  • 3 cups vegetable broth or water, plus more as needed
  • 1 bunch curly or lacinato (dinosaur) kale, stemmed and roughly chopped
  • 1 bunch (or most of a bunch) parsley, leaves only
  • 1 head/bunch broccoli florets, cut or broken into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 large carrot, coarsely grated
  • 1 bunch (or most of a bunch) scallions, chopped
  • 2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) white miso, or to taste
  • Juice of half a lemon, or to taste
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions
  1. In a large heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid, bring broth or water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add kale and parsley leaves, stirring until they wilt. Add broccoli, scallions, carrot, and garlic, and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to keep the soup at a steady simmer. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are completely tender but not mushy.
  2. Remove the soup from the heat and purée with an immersion blender, or in batches in a stand blender. (Let it blend for a while—you want the soup to be as smooth as possible.) Add broth or water as needed to thin the soup to a consistency you like. Cover and let the soup stand for 10 to 15 minutes to let the flavors meld. If needed, reheat the soup until it steams.
  3. Place miso in a small heatproof bowl. Add a ladleful of the hot soup and whisk until smooth, then stir the mixture back into the soup. (Once the miso goes in, don't let the soup boil.) Taste and add lemon juice, salt, and pepper as needed. If you think the soup needs more miso, ladle off a bit more hot soup and whisk it in as before. Serve warm.
  4. Leftover soup will keep, tightly covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days. The color will turn drab over time, but the flavor will actually improve a bit. You'll probably want to add another squeeze of lemon when reheating.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

6 Reviews

SophieL May 8, 2021
Really enjoyed this soup. Used up lots of greens from my farm box and instead of vegetable broth I used chicken broth. This was my first time using miso and was very pleased with the flavor (thanks to the comment about not needing 1/4 cup). There's enough leftover for easy lunches this week.
arbequina December 5, 2019
This soup is one of my go-tos when I'm starting to feel under the weather. It's super easy, tastes great, and feels like it has enough vitamins and other unidentifiable good for you stuff that it will battle off all the germs. I usually add the lemon serving by serving rather than all at once to maintain some of the green color, but other than that I make the recipe as-is. It's the best.
Melanie January 6, 2018
Made this wonderful soup again, adding more vegetable stock and a large bunch of spinach. Also added 2 teaspoons of chili garlic sauce which gave it some kick.
AntoniaJames November 8, 2017
Made this and love it. Here's a tip: if you have more than you'll be eating right after making it, only add lemon juice to that which you eat right away. If wait to add the lemon juice to the rest of it until right before you eat it, the soup will retain its vibrant green color. I've been slurping the leftovers warmed in the microwave in a big mug. Perfect for these dreary, chilly November days! A keeper. ;o)
Melanie November 4, 2017
This was so delicious and fresh tasting! Love the lemon.
marija May 6, 2016
I made this today, but added onion and carrot first, then about 5 minutes later, kale and broccoli. Also I try to avoid soy stuff so no miso instead a tiny splash of fish sauce and no additional salt. Had some fresh cilantro so that went in too. It turned out very nice, takes 15min to make. I might just add a little less lemon next time.