I’m a huge soup fan. Chunky, smooth, creamy, or noodle-y, come wintertime, I want all the soups, all the time. Thankfully, not all soups take hours to make. This corn soup, thickened with a bit of tofu and seasoned with sweet and mellow white miso, is a fast favorite once the temperature starts to dip.
my superpowerful, tiny vitamix s30. i love this guy!
I love this soup mostly because of the pairing between sweet corn and miso, but also because of the textural contrast added by the crunchy tofu, and, of course, the tofu itself! Oh, how I love tofu in soup.
It’s one of my favorite tricks, using tofu to thicken soup. Silken tofu adds body and creaminess without cream. It’s funny because I’m not remotely vegetarian or vegan, but after the fact, I figured out this soup was a bunch of those catchphrase foods trends that are so hot right now: vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free.
Mike: That was pretty tasty.
Me: Right!? And so easy! Only corn, onions, tofu and miso!
Mike: Wait – what? I ate vegan food and liked it?!
Me: Huh, it is vegan. Funny!
I may not be on the up and up with healthy food trends, but I do love something that seems to be quite popular in the kitchen: blenders. I use mine mainly for soups, dressings, and smoothies. My tiny (compared to the behemoths that are the regular Vitamixes) S30 personal-sized Vitamix is perfect for making soup for two. It’s super powerful and even heats soups up while you blend. It’s truly one of my favorite kitchen appliances and in the spirit of the holiday season I’m giving one away!
Miso Corn Soup Recipe
serves 2-3Soup
- oil
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 cups corn (I used frozen corn)
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/4 package silken tofu, about 1/4 – 1/3 cup
- 1 1/2 tablespoon white miso paste, or to taste
- freshly ground pepper, to taste
Crispy Tofu Croutons
- tofu, as needed
- oil, preferably safflower, sunflower, or grapeseed
- salt, if desired
Garnish
- sliced green onions
- crispy tofu croutons (recipe below)
- flaky sea salt
- red pepper flakes
In a skillet, heat up a small bit of oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring, until soft and translucent. Add the corn and warm through briefly. Remove the onion and corn from the heat and place in a blender with the chicken broth, tofu, and miso paste. Blend until smooth and hot if using a Vitamix. Taste and adjust the thickness of your soup based on preference. If you like a thicker soup, add more tofu, if you like a thin soup, use some broth to thin it out. If needed, return the soup from the blender to the skillet and heat up until steaming.
Make the tofu croutons: Cut the remaining tofu up into 2 cm cubes. Set on paper towels, flipping so all sides drain. In a skillet, heat up a generous amount of oil over medium high heat. Fry the tofu, flipping as needed, until golden brown and crisp, 5-7 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels and season with salt, if needed.
Taste and adjust seasoning with miso and freshly ground pepper. Serve hot with sliced green onions, crispy tofu, sea salt and red pepper flakes. Enjoy!
WIN ME!!!
Giveaway: I paired up with Vitamix to give away one Vitamix S30! I absolutely love mine and know you will love yours too!
Enter: To enter, leave a comment below with your favorite soup memory. I want to hear ALL the details! I’ll randomly choose a winner and contact them by email. Open to Canadian and US Residents only. (Sorry international friends!) Contest ends December 20th at 12AM PST. Good luck!
Update: Congrats Jenna @ Just J.Faye, you’ve won yourself a brand new Vitamix! Happy Christmas! Keep an eye out for an email from me!
I love the memory of making homemade chicken soup with my mom. Now I make it with my son too
My favorite soup memory was the time I had french onion soup in france, honestly I love french onion soup but never realized how special and magically it is till you have it in Paris.
When I went to Italy they served us a bean and pasta soup, and it was one of the best things I have ever eaten. I wish I could recreate it!
My favourite soup is a variation of Martha Stewart’s Butternut Bisque that I made vegan. The heavy cream that was called for in the soup made me feel sick and when i subbed regular coconut milk it was a bit thin. Coconut cream was the key! I have changed most things about the recipe but I still give her credit or else I would never have concocted my magic soup. I can NEVER get sick of this soup even if I have it every week.
Ever since I started cooking and eating healthier I discovered how great soups are! The only soup I liked growing up was Lipton chicken noodle. Soups have been the perfect way for me to rediscover veggies that I used to abhor (ahem, cauliflower). Now I can just throw veggies in a pot of stock with some spices, whiz it up, and drink up my veggies! Still as warm and comforting as the box soups from my childhood, but without the useless, empty calories
My favorite soup memory is the first time I learned that you could dunk grilled cheese into tomato soup. We didn’t eat much soup as Californians, and it was on my first wintry trip to the East Coast. We hustled into a little cafe and my mom ordered a grilled cheese and a tomato soup. The rest is gooey, tomatoey history.
My favorite soup memory comes from my mom packing my lunch during the winter with her vegetable soup with pasta stars. I would bring the soup in a thermos to school and all of my classmates would be super jealous that I had hot delicious soup for lunch.
My favorite soup memory is of the homemade chicken noodle soup my friend’s mom made for us one bitter cold winter day when I was young. We spent hours outside in the snow, tumbling around making snow angels and building snowmen, until there was so much snow that had snuck its way into our coats that we were nearly frozen. As soon as I walked in the door I could smell the warmth of the broth, and the big bowl she gave me warmed me as it filled my stomach. It was so delicious, and to this day when I want chicken noodle soup, that’s the soup I dream of.
my favorite soup memories involve chinese new year and grandma’s homemade shark fin soup. mmmm (:
My favorite soup memory is when my Dad made kabocha squash soup when I was little. He still makes it now from time to time!
Ramen noodles…every day after school…sometimes I wouldn’t even make the soup. I’d just eat it raw and dunk it in salsa (seems weird in retrospect).