Miso Soup with Tofu and Kale – Healthy and Easy Weeknight Soup

With a large tub of low-sodium white miso paste in my fridge, a result of the Miso, Polenta and Kale soup , I have been thinking of more ways to use miso.  While I hope for more innovative miso experiments in the future (e.g., salad dressing, glazes for tofu or vegetables, or even miso cookies), my latest miso attempt was…miso soup.  With kale.  And tofu.  So basically the Miso, Polenta and Kale soup without the polenta.

While completely uninteresting from the innovation agenda, the resulting soup is actually quite good and easy to make during a weeknight.  In addition to using the Serious Eats polenta soup recipe as a guide, I also took inspiration from Martha Stewart and the Minimalist Baker and improvised the soup.  

The only change I will make to the below recipe in the future is to omit some of the salty inputs to create a more balanced output.  So that could mean removing the bouillon or reducing the sea salt.

Miso Soup with Tofu and Kale

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 tbsp. diced onion (optional)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. minced ginger
• 2 tsp. Better than Bouillon
• 1 package silken firm tofu, cubed into 1/2 inch pieces
• 4 tbsp. reduced sodium white miso paste
• 2 cups ripped / coarsely chopped kale
• 2 scallions, diced
• 6 cups water
• 1 – 2 tsp. soy sauce (to taste)
• crushed red pepper (to taste)

Directions

• Heat oil in a medium soup pot on medium-high heat, and when warm, stir in onion
• When onion becomes translucent (3 – 5 minutes), add the ginger and garlic and saute for approx. 45 seconds – 1 minute or until fragrant
• Add water and bring to a boil.  When boiling, add bouillon, tofu, miso, kale and scallions.
• Cook until kale is to your preferred consistency, and add soy sauce / red pepper to taste.