Vegan Miso Couscous Soup Recipe

Posted on | November 1, 2008 | No Comments

I picked up some fresh country barley red miso at the market the other day and was really looking forward to some homemade miso soup. Cheese making got in the way (as if that’s a bad thing) so I thought about how I could quickly put together a quick, vegan soup that normal meat eaters would really enjoy. Miso is very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin K and Copper, and a very good source of Manganese. Studies have shown that vitamin K deficiencies may be related to osteoporosis. More info here from Oregon State University. We’ve also incorporated roasted zucchini in this recipe which is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Thiamin, Niacin and Pantothenic Acid, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Folate, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc, Copper and Manganese.

Vegan Miso Couscous Soup Recipe
This soup is meant to be something you can quickly throw together as soon as you walk in the door and have ready in 30 minutes. Most of that time is spent roasting vegetables, so the actual prep time is really quick. I’ve thrown in vegetables I happened to have on hand. You can substitute pretty much any root vegetable you have. Miso paste can be found in the Asian section of your store or if fresh, in the refrigerated section. I’ve had great success dividing the fresh miso paste into smaller batches and freezing them in ice cube trays for quick soups.

2 boxes vegetable broth, I prefer organic and low sodium
2 Zucchini, diced
2 Yellow Squash, diced
1 Turnip, diced
1 cup Celery, diced
1 cup Carrot, diced
1/2 cup Yellow Onion, diced
1/4 cup Miso paste
1/2 cup Couscous, small grain or Israeli
4 Cloves Garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 Avocado, ripe
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place all the vegetables, seeds, and garlic on a baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes. The smaller the dice on the vegetables, the quicker it will cook. Heat the vegetable stock to a near boil and stir in the miso paste. Once the miso is mixed into the broth, add all the roasted vegetables. Five minutes before serving, add the couscous and reduce heat to low. Garnish with avocado slices. This is a quick, hearty soup that also freezes well. Enjoy!

Serves 8