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!
My favorite soup memory is the first time I had Pho. It was in 2002 at a restaurant called Saigon Cafe. I became an addict for life.
Chicken and corn soup. Smooth savory and sweet- the perfect soup when it’s cold out! :)
I love soup! My mom used to make mulligatawny soup as a kid, and Id fill my bowl with sour cream because the curry powder was too spicy. Now I love spicy.
My favorite soup memory was the first time that I made white chicken chili in the crockpot when I was living on my own. It’s nothing too sentimental, but I loved walking into my apartment after working and smelling how good it smelled! It was even better to eat. I’ve always loved soups, and being able to try out new recipes and figure out which ones are new favorites is always fun.
Thick and hearty minestrone on a cold winters day while watching the snow fall outside!
Silky smooth lobster bisque from Chanin’s restaurant in Aspen Colorado as part of their New Year’s Eve menu circa 1995, vacationing with my family as a 14 year old boy from the corn fields of Indiana
As a Kid my Mum made chicken noodle soup a lot on the weekends. The most classic of all soups. She would spend hours boiling the chicken usually while she had me doing Saturday chores like wiping all the house baseboards, a really exciting event let me tell you. As the chicken noodle soup boiled a rim of savory oily goodness gathered around the pot. She knew this was my favorite part and always made sure to have a big chunky sourdough loaf on hand. I’d take pieces off that loaf and skim the broth soaking up all the tasty juices filling my belly before dinner time and intentionally finding any excuse not to wipe baseboards. It was heaven…chewy savory soaked sourdough bites. As an adult cooking on my own I still find myself keeping a piece of bread close by for the inner child in me and to remember my Mum. I also still wipe my own baseboards. :)
I am also very fond of soups. When I was growing up my grandma would make soups every day as part of dinner. I think in hindsight I took this for granted. My favorite was and still is winter melon soup. Luckily, I have learned to make it. As for a Vitamix… I live in a small apartment and don’t have the space for a whole lot of appliances, but definitely can make room for this particularly versatile one.
My favorite soup is chicken pho! I can eat it twice a day, for several days straight :)
My first time eating pho. Seemed so weird to me at first Look but the broth, THE BROTH. I’ve been obsessed with Asian broths since. I love trying new soups (Asian or not) and cook quite a few of them during the winter. This one looks incredible- thanks for sharing.