• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
A Foodcentric Life
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Living Well
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Living Well
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Living Well
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Soups & Stews

    Vegetable Miso Soup with Tempeh

    Published: Jan 4, 2016 · Last Updated: Jun 11, 2022 · 2 Comments

    181 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    A warming, brothy soup filled with nutrition, this miso soup recipe is a twist on the miso soup at Japanese restaurants. Instead of a clear soup with a couple of tofu cubes, it's filled with tempeh, zucchini noodles, mushrooms and chicken broth. Use vegetable broth for a vegan soup. This vegetable miso soup is a nice, light addition to your soup recipes.

    Vegetable Miso Soup | AFoodCentricLife.com

    Miso Soup Ingredients: What is Miso

    Miso is a all purpose, traditional Japanese seasoning. It's a centuries-old nourishing, fermented food made with soybeans, cultured grain (rice or barley), and salt.

    While it is most known for making miso soup, it can be used as a flavoring in many other dishes. The lightest style is sweet white miso, with a gentle flavor and smooth, creamy texture. Miso provides that "umami" flavor that is rich and savory, like in soy sauce, mushrooms and Parmesan cheese.

    Vegetable Miso Soup with Tempeh

    For my miso soup recipe, I use tempeh instead of tofu. Tempeh is a terrific plant-based protein made from fermented whole soybeans. It has a meaty, chewy texture and a nutty flavor. As a fermented food, tempeh a good source of probiotics (good for your gut). Tempeh is a complete source of vegan protein providing approximately 16 grams of protein in just 3 ounces. Find it in the refrigerated dairy area.

    The Rest of The Soup

    Now that I've gotten carried away explaining miso and tempeh, what about the rest of the soup? I used homemade chicken broth but use vegetable broth for a vegan soup.

    For vegetables, I add zucchini noodles and mushrooms. Use a spiralizer to make zucchini noodles, or a hand julienne peeler. You don't even need to cook them, just add them to your bowl and pour the hot broth over the top.

    For mushrooms, I use the little beech mushrooms. They come in cello packages in the produce department and last forever in the refrigerator.

    Ingredient Tips

    • My favorite miso comes from South River Miso. A family owned, artisan company in Massachusetts. It's organic, unpasteurized miso. You have to order on line but this miso is really worth it.  Check out their other flavors as well. Miso lasts years when refrigerated.  
    • Another brand I've used is Miso Master. It is also organic and unpasteurized. Find it in the refrigerated dairy section.
    • Make homemade vegetable broth, It's far superior in flavor and nutrition than anything store bought, and it's easy to make
    • As both miso and tempeh are made from soybeans, buy organic products so you are not buying GMO (genetically modified) soy.
    • For gluten-free eaters, be sure to read the labels and buy products made only with brown rice and not barley.
    • Miso tends to be high in sodium so again, read labels and compare. Sweet white miso tends to be the lowest in sodium. The flavor of miso is concentrated, so a little goes a long ways. South River sweet white miso is lower in sodium than other brands I've tried.

    Try These Other Miso Recipes

    • Pan-seared Halibut with Miso Glaze
    • Seared scallops with orange-miso sauce. This sauce also works beautifully with boneless, skinless chicken breasts
    Vegetable miso soup|AFoodCentricLife.com

    Vegetable Miso Soup with Tempeh

    This brothy soup is a great recipe to add to your New Year healthy eating plan. Use chicken or vegetable broth, with browned tempeh cubes, mushrooms and zucchini noodles. If you want more liquid with your veggies, increase the broth to 8 cups total.
    Print Recipe Rate Recipe
    5 from 2 votes
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: Japanese
    Keyword: miso, Soup, tempeh
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 270kcal

    Equipment

    • a spiralizer or a julienne peeler to make the noodles

    Ingredients

    Soup

    • 6-8 cups low or no sodium chicken broth preferably homemade
    • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sweet white organic miso
    • 4 small zucchini about 1 pound
    • 2 teaspoons coconut oil
    • 2 packages beech mushroom
    • 12-16 ounces organic tempeh (no flavor) cut into small cubes
    • 4 scallions sliced

    Instructions

    • Add broth to a medium pan and bring to a simmer over medium low heat, covered. Whisk in the miso. When broth is hot, turn to low and keep hot for serving.
    • Cut ends off of the zucchini. Using a spiralizer or julienne peeler, slice zucchini into thin noodles.  Portion noodles between four bowls.
    • To prep beech mushrooms, just slice off the base. Add coconut oil to a non-stick pan and melt over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until golden brown at the edges, about 3 minutes. Place mushrooms in a small bowl to add to soup. Save the pan for cooking the tempeh.
    • Add more 1 teaspoon of coconut oil to the non-stick pan if dry and heat over medium heat. Add tempeh cubes and cook until browned, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. To serve, pour hot broth over the zucchini noodles, then top with the mushrooms, tempeh cubes and chopped scallions.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 270kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 284mg | Potassium: 1007mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 359IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 139mg | Iron: 4mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    « How To Slow Roast Beef Tenderloin
    High Protein Greek Yogurt Breakfast Bowl »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Stacey says

      January 05, 2016 at 10:45 am

      Yum. I could go for a bowl right now and I love mushrooms and zucchini noodles!! But my chicken soup I have simmering will have to do for today. It's super cold out today. Have you tried any other miso's from South River? There is a $30 min to order online. I haven't experimented too much with other miso's such as chickpea, akuzi, etc. (I'm gluten-free) and wondering if you have and the flavor differences and/or using it in different recipes. I usually just buy white miso or dark to make marinades. Happy New Year and always look forward to your posts!

      Reply
      • Sally Cameron says

        January 06, 2016 at 1:18 pm

        Hi Stacey. Yes, I have several of their other misos in my fridge. We are gluten-free too. The garlic red pepper is delicious. You can make instant soup by adding a bit to hot broth. Nice when you need warmed up on a cold day or for a snack. The Chickpea is also terrific. I have a small jar of the dandelion leek. It is also very good, deep dark brown color, rich, maybe a bit saltier. When you get your order the jars are large and you might think you will never use it all, but you will, as it keeps indefinitely when refrigerated. I think I'll make a cup for lunch right now :). Let me know what you do!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    chef sally cameron | afoodcentriclifecom.bigscoots-staging.com

    Hi!, I'm Sally, a professionally trained chef and health coach. Join me in living and cooking gluten-free for your best life ever!

    More about me →

    Popular Recipes

    • Spiced Apple Pecan Coffee Cake
    • Easy Gazpacho Andaluz | Sub-Zero Wolf
    • Roasted Tomato Marinara Sauce
    • Grilled Scallops with Prosciutto
    • 10 Tips for Using Dried Herbs and Spices
    • Grain and Gluten Free Almond Flour Tart Crust

    Gluten Free

    • Green Goddess Dressing and Dip (Dairy Free)
    • Fresh Strawberry Muffins (Gluten-free)
    • Creamy Spiced Pumpkin Smoothie
    • 12 Ways to Dress Up Green Beans
    • Colorful Hearty Vegan Chili
    • Easy Instant Pot Chicken Broth

    Footer

    as seen on

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Menu

    • Home
    • About
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.