Mushroom Miso Soup with Shrimp
January 8, 2018 by Nicole Collins
Is anyone else over the effects of this bomb cyclone yet, or what?
It is WAYYYYYYYYYYYY too cold for me. Like, “tears start rolling down face the moment I step outside” too cold for me.
And in a mean twist of fate, it's actually supposed to warm up in a couple of days to the 50's. But, it's supposed to be raining! In the words of Stephanie Tanner...how rude!
Regardless, after the past week and half that we've had, 50 degrees is gonna make me think it's time for shorts and flip flops. Who would've thought we'd ever call 50 degrees hot!
Thank goodness I'll be soaking up the sun in warmer climates in less than one month!
I've got a trip to Florida planned that's coming up really soon. But, they're struggling with the cold weather right now too. I know it's winter and all, but come on!
And to anyone that lives even farther north than me, I'm sorry I'm such a baby about the cold. I know you guys got it so much worse!
The only thing getting me through these icy cold days are the yummy things that warm me from the inside out...hot chocolate, warm tea, and this Mushroom Miso Soup with Shrimp!
This soup has all of the best stuff to get you out of icicle mode. It's got mushroom broth. It's got ramen noodles. It's got fresh spinach. And, it's got roasted shrimp nestled right on top. Can I get a YUM!
We start by soaking some dried shitake mushrooms in some boiling hot water. I like to buy a big bag of dried shitakes from the Asian market and keep them in a freezer safe bag in the freezer. That way, I can make mushroom broth whenever I want, and I get to preserve the shitakes pretty much indefinitely.
Once the shitakes have been rehydrated, we slice them up, and add them to the aromatics for our soup. Or, if you're like me and don't like the texture of mushrooms, you'll chop them up REALLY finely, so you can taste them but can't feel them.
The mushrooms get added to some garlic, ginger, and onions. We saute them for a few, add come chicken broth, the mushroom broth, and some soy sauce, and we let it simmer away.
When the broth is ready, we're going to use a little bit of it to thin out our miso. Miso is kinda gloppy (← official dictionary word?), and it needs some help breaking down so it can melt in to the soup. Whisking it with a little hot broth helps that happen. We want to add that in last, so we can work on smoothing that out while our ramen noodles and spinach cook in the broth.
The final gem to our soup is the roasted shrimp we sneak in right on top. You can roast the shrimp while the broth is simmering, so they're all ready to drop in when the soup is finished. Yay for multitasking!
Finish with some chopped green onions, grab a warm blanket, and snuggle up with your yummy bowl of soup!
This soup isn't really labor intensive, it just takes a little patience while you're waiting for all of the flavors to blend together. But, it's totally worth it!
Well, that's all for today. Stay warm, and let's eat!
Mushroom Miso Soup with Shrimp Serves: 4 Print
Ingredients:
For the Soup:
10 dried shitake mushrooms (about .5 oz)
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
½ onion, finely chopped
4 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp miso paste (I used red miso)
2 packs ramen noodles, seasoning packet removed
2 handfuls of fresh spinach, about 2 cups
2 green onions, dark and light green parts only, chopped
For the Shrimp:
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, thawed if frozen
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
olive oil cooking spray
Directions:
Make the Mushroom Broth: Place dried shitakes in a small saucepan. Top with 2 cups of boiling water. Allow mushrooms to soak for 30 minutes. Remove mushrooms from the broth, and chop in to bite sized pieces.
Make the Soup: In a large stockpot, heat coconut oil over medium high heat. Add onions and chopped mushrooms, and saute for 3-4 minutes until the onions start to soften. Add garlic and ginger, and saute for 1 more minute, until fragrant. Add chicken stock, mushroom broth, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, Roast the Shrimp: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil, and spray with cooking spray. Lay shrimp on prepared tray, and spritz with a thin layer of cooking spray. Season with salt and pepper. Use your hands to toss the seasonings around, and lay shrimp in a single layer on the tray. Roast for 8-10 minutes until the shrimp are fully cooked through.
After the soup has simmered for 20 minutes, add 3 tbsp of the broth to the miso paste in a small bowl. Use a small whisk or a fork to mix the two together and thin out the paste. Increase the heat back to medium high, and bring the soup back up to a boil. Add the ramen noodles and spinach, and boil for 3 mins. Remove from heat and stir in miso paste. Divide evenly between 4 bowls. Top with shrimp and green onions. Serve!
Recipe notes:
*I buy dried shitakes and miso paste from the Asian Market. The miso paste can be stored in the back of your fridge in it's packaging plus a sandwich baggie to keep the air out, for a pretty long time. Mine has been in there over a year, and it still tastes great. I store the mushrooms in a freezer bag in the freezer to keep them on hand indefinitely, as well.
*You could use whatever color miso paste you like. White or yellow is a tad sweeter, while red has a little more umph to it.
*If you're not a fan of shrimp, you could use roasted chicken to top this too. Or, you could even use tofu!
*If you want to add some spice to this soup, you could top it with a little drizzle of chili oil. I do that every now and then.
