This Miso Bok Choy Soup is bursting with umami flavor and makes for the perfect, satisfying and cozy dinner! It’s filled with Asian-inspired ingredients including ground pork, shiitake mushrooms, baby bok choy and rice noodles. All you need is one pot and 30 minutes to get this delicious and nourishing meal on the table!
Back in October, we honeymooned in Japan and I have truly been thinking about their food ever since. We ate a ton of ramen and gyoza while we were there. And while this recipe is technically neither of those things…it IS inspired by both, lol! It’s helping me satisfy the cravings until the next time I’m able to go back to Japan and enjoy the real thing.
This recipe is coming just in time for the gloomy, cold winter months….AKA soup season. I feel like I’ve made just about every soup recipe under the sun, so it’s been a challenge to come up with new and unique combos. That’s why I’m really proud of this Miso Bok Choy Soup! It really strikes the perfect balance of comforting yet nourishing, with plenty of salty, umami flavor.
I actually tested this out a few weeks ago and posted it on my Instagram stories. I wasn’t expecting so many people to respond saying they wanted the recipe! So thanks for convincing me to make it again and get a polished version of it on the blog 🙂 Hope you love it!
Why You’ll Love this Miso Bok Choy Soup
- It’s a one-pot dinner recipe that’s super satisfying.
- This Miso Bok Choy Soup is filled with protein, veggies and rich, umami flavor.
- This soup recipe is gluten free and dairy free.
- It’s filled with Asian-inspired flavors and ingredients.
- It’s a unique soup recipe to try when you’re craving something different.
What You Need to Make this Miso Bok Choy Soup
- Ground Pork: Ground pork is our protein source in this soup…which is very common in Asian-inspired dishes!
- Green Onion: Rather than using yellow onion as our aromatic in this soup, we’re using green onion (both the white & green parts).
- Garlic: To add flavor to the ground pork.
- Ginger: Fresh minced ginger pairs so well with the miso.
- Salt & Pepper: Season to taste, throughout the recipe.
- Shiitake Mushrooms: This mushroom variety is preferred, but if you can’t find it, you can just substitute an equal amount of baby bella mushrooms.
- Shredded Carrots: I shredded large carrots myself, but to save time you could also buy matchstick carrots.
- Broth: For the best flavor, I highly recommend using some sort of Asian-inspired broth such as this Miso Broth or Ramen Broth from the Ocean’s Halo brand. Trader Joe’s also sells a Miso Ginger Broth which works perfectly in this recipe too!
- Rice Noodles: I chose thick, pad-thai rice noodles for this recipe because they’re gluten free but feel free to substitute another noodle variety such as udon, soba or ramen.
- Tamari: This is a gluten free soy sauce alternative that we will finish the soup off with. You can substitute soy sauce if you’re not gluten free.
- Rice Vinegar: A touch of acidity to balance out this soup!
- Sriracha: If you’re a spice lover, add a hefty squirt of sriracha.
- Miso Paste: We’re using mellow white miso paste in this recipe and adding it at the very end to ensure that the healthy probiotics don’t die off. Add it to the soup properly otherwise it will remain chunky and not dissolve!
- Baby Bok Choy: This soup already has plenty of veggies, but I love to finish it off with some bright green, crisp baby Bok Choy. You can omit this if you want.
How To Make this Miso Bok Choy Soup
Brown the Ground Pork with Green Onion, Garlic & Ginger:
First, bring a large pot or dutch oven to medium-high heat. Once hot, add pork and season with salt & pepper. Then, add green onion, garlic and ginger. Allow the pork to cook until browned, using a spatula to crumble it into small pieces. Remove pork from the pot, leaving behind the excess grease.
Sauté the Mushrooms:
If there’s excess pork grease still remaining in the pot, use that to sauté the mushrooms. If not, add a splash of olive oil. Then, add the sliced mushrooms and season with salt & pepper. Let them cook, undisturbed, for several minutes and then stir and cook for a few more minutes, until golden & tender.
Add Back in the Pork, Carrots and Broth:
Next, add back in the ground pork, shredded carrots and broth. Stir. Increase heat and bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, add the rice noodles and continue cooking until they are al-dente (check the package directions as each brand requires different cooking times)
Turn off Heat, Add Tamari, Rice Vinegar & Sriracha:
Then, turn the heat off. Add in the tamari, rice vinegar and sriracha, if using. Stir.
Now, it’s time to add in the miso paste. Place the miso paste in your small sieve and lower it into the soup until it’s slightly submerged. Push the miso through the sieve with the back of a spoon, allowing the hot broth to dissolve it. OR – add miso paste to a small bowl, add a bit of the hot broth and whisk until dissolve and smooth. Then, pour it back into the soup pot.
Taste the soup and adjust seasonings as needed. Maybe you want to add a splash more tamari, rice vinegar or sriracha…it’s up to you!
Add in the Bok Choy and Let it Wilt:
Finally, add in the Bok Choy, stir, and allow the residual heat to cook it for several minutes. Once the Bok Choy is tender and wilted, serve your soup with more green onion and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
What is Miso?
Miso is a Japanese ingredient made from fermented rice and soybeans. It’s a thick paste and can vary in color based on the variety. The length of time that it’s fermented for determines what variety it is.
For this recipe, we’re using white miso which is fermented for the least amount of time and therefore has the most mild flavor. The taste is salty and earthy, but don’t be scared away by it! It’s sold at most grocery stores (usually in the produce area where tofu is) and I believe Trader Joe’s recently started carrying it as well.
What is Bok Choy?
Bok Choy is a type of Chinese cabbage with dark green leaves and thick, white-ish green stalks. Baby Bok Choy is of course, just a smaller version of Bok Choy. The flavor is a bit milder also. They can be tricky to find so you can omit them in this recipe if necessary, but the added texture and brightness is really lovely!
You will often find a lot of soil/sand in Bok Choy heads so be sure to thoroughly rinse it with water before using!
For this recipe, you can either chop off the end of the stalks and then keep the leaves whole (half them lengthwise if they’re really large) OR chop up the Bok Choy. The first option is a little prettier but the second option makes for easier eating.
What Type of Broth Should I use in this Miso Bok Choy Soup?
The answer to this ultimately comes down to what you can find / what is most accessible to you. For the best flavor, I highly recommend using some sort of Asian-inspired broth such as this Miso Broth or Ramen Broth from the Ocean’s Halo brand. Trader Joe’s also sells a Miso Ginger Broth which works perfectly in this recipe too!
If you’re in a pinch, you can just try using some chicken, beef or veggie broth. It will still taste delicious but you may want to add more flavor by increasing the amount of miso paste, tamari, rice vinegar, etc. Let me know how it goes if you try it with a “normal” broth.
Is This Miso Bok Choy Soup Gluten Free?
Yes! As long as you use tamari, a gluten-free miso brand (such as Miso Master) and gluten-free broth, this Miso Bok Choy Soup is suitable for those following a gluten free diet.
Please note, the Ocean’s Halo brand of miso & ramen broths say that they are made with gluten free ingredients, but do not appear to be certified gluten free.
Are there any Substitutes for the Ground Pork?
Ground pork is certainly the most delicious protein option for this Miso Bok Choy Soup but that doesn’t mean you can’t make it with other options. I would recommend trying ground chicken or ground turkey if you’d like a leaner option. Honestly, it would probably even work with some crumbled tofu if you need a plant-based option!
Expert Tips:
- Use an Asian flavored broth: A store-bought miso or ramen broth will add extra flavor compared to traditional broth!
- Chop up the Bok Choy for easier eating: You’ll notice that in the photos and videos, I kept the Bok Choy leaves whole because it’s prettier that way…BUT it’s easier to eat if you chop it up.
- Leave out the rice noodles if you want to meal prep this: Since the noodles will absorb the broth and get soggy as they sit, I’d recommend leaving them out if you want to meal prep this.
- Add the miso at the very end: To keep the healthy probiotics alive and to retain the best flavor, make sure to add the miso at the very end once the heat is turned off.
- Dissolve the miso prior to adding it to the soup: If you don’t dissolve it and instead just add it directly to the pot of soup, it will remain clumpy!
How Do the Leftovers Store?
As the leftover Miso Bok Choy Soup sits, the noodles will absorb more of the broth and get a little bit soggier. Honestly, it doesn’t bother me too much but they definitely have a different texture than when you eat this soup fresh.
With that said, if you anticipate meal prepping this and saving the leftovers, I’d recommend preparing the soup WITHOUT the noodles and just cooking them on the side separately as needed.
Make sure to let the soup cool down completely before storing it in an airtight container in the fridge. You may notice that some fat will solidify at the top. You can either skim that off the top if it bothers you, or just reheat it and it will return back to liquid state and mix right into the soup.
I have not tried freezing this Miso Bok Choy Soup but I don’t think it would fare super well!
Find the full recipe below. As always, please let me know if you tried it by commenting below or tagging me on Instagram, @munchinwithmaddie_.
Looking for more Soup Recipes?
- Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
- Creamy Chicken, Mushroom & Wild Rice Soup
- Buffalo Chicken Chili
- Broccoli Stalk, Potato & Leek Soup
Miso Bok Choy Soup
Equipment
- garlic/ginger grater
- large pot or dutch oven
- spatula
- small sieve
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork
- ½ cup chopped green onion (both white & green parts)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tbsp minced ginger
- salt & pepper to taste
- 8 oz shiitake mushrooms stems removed & sliced
- ¾ cup shredded carrots
- 6 cups broth SEE NOTE*
- 4 oz pad thai rice noodles **
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce if you're not gluten free)
- sriracha optional, to taste
- 2 tbsp white miso paste
- 1 large head baby Bok Choy or 2 small ones, ends trimmed & either cut into strips or chopped***
Instructions
- Bring a large pot or dutch oven to medium-high heat. Once hot, add pork and season with salt & pepper. Then, add green onion, garlic and ginger. Allow the pork to cook until browned, using a spatula to crumble it into small pieces. Remove pork from the pot.
- If there's excess pork grease still remaining in the pot, use that to sauté the mushrooms. If not, add a splash of olive oil. Then, add the sliced mushrooms and season with salt & pepper. Let them cook, undisturbed, for several minutes and then stir and cook for a few more minutes, until golden & tender.
- Add back in the ground pork, shredded carrots and broth. Stir. Increase heat and bring the soup to a boil.
- Once boiling, add the rice noodles and continue cooking until they are al-dente (check the package directions as each brand requires different cooking times).
- Turn the heat off. Add in the tamari, rice vinegar and sriracha, if using. Stir.
- Then, add the miso paste to your small sieve and lower it into the soup until it's slightly submerged. Push the miso through the sieve with the back of a spoon, allowing the hot broth to dissolve it. OR – add miso paste to a small bowl, add a bit of the hot broth and whisk until dissolve and smooth. Then, pour it back into the soup pot.
- Taste the soup and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Add in the Bok Choy, stir, and allow the residual heat to cook it for several minutes. Once the Bok Choy is tender and wilted, serve your soup with more green onion and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @munchinwithmaddie_ on Instagram and/or hashtag it #munchinwithmaddie.