What's better than a cozy bowl of Kabocha miso soup? This comforting soup is hearty, flavorful, and easy to make in under 15 minutes!
Kabocha is a sweet and starchy Japanese pumpkin. We can make various dishes from this orange vegetable,e such as deep fry, stir fry, simmer dishes, salad, dessert, and many more.
But this miso soup is one of the easiest and best ways to enjoy this kabocha as it blends into the broth and adds sweetness along with its natural flavor, which pairs well together!
- This recipe is for you if:
- You love kabocha.
- You love Japanese miso soup.
- You are looking for a kabocha miso soup recipe.
Let me walk you through the ingredients and the instructions. If you want to check the recipe, jump to the recipe. Let's get started!
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About This Recipe
- Kabocha squash (Japanese pumpkin)
- Use niboshi dashi
- Cooking time is in under 15 minutes
- Easy and simple recipe
📋 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients (amounts are in the recipe card below).
- Kabocha: We use ⅛ Kabocha squash. Find the one already cut into a quarter size. If whole kabocha squash is the only option, this post "How to cut Kabocha squash" would be helpful.
- Komatsuna: Komatsuna is a typical green leaf in Japan. You can substitute it with other green vegetables.
- Tofu: Tofu is a popular ingredient in miso soup. Both silky and firm work well.
- Niboshi for dashi: Niboshi is dried anchovy, and we use them for making dashi (soup stock) (See niboshi dashi recipe). I like to use niboshi dashi for miso soup as it brings an authentic flavor, but you can substitute it with 2-3 teaspoons of dashi granules to save time.
- Miso paste: Miso paste is the key ingredient in miso soup. It's made with soybeans, koji, and salt. Please pick an authentic miso paste that doesn't contain any additives.
🔪Instructions
Let me walk you through how to make it step by step. You can also watch this video.
- Prepare ingredients (Remove the head and guts of niboshi before using them.)
- Bring to a boil on medium heat.
- Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add komatsuna leaves. (The color of the leaves changes when simmering, so cook them lightly.).
- Turn off the heat and add miso paste.
- Dissolve miso paste.
Here you go, hearty Kabocha miso soup is ready!
The kabocha will melt into the soup, and you can enjoy its natural sweetness. It's so tasty!! Feel free to add as much or as little miso according to your tastes.
How to Cut Kabocha Squash
If you're unsure how to cut it, check this complete guide!
Vegan Adaptable
Is miso soup vegan? No, because miso soup's essential ingredient is dashi, usually made from fish.
But it's vegan and adaptable if you use Vegan dashi made from Shiitake mushroom and kombu (seaweed). Just replace regular dashi with vegan dashi, and you will have a vegan miso soup.
Variations
Ingredients for miso soup are limitless, so we don't get bored eating it every day. Here are other ingredients you can add to kabocha miso soup:
- Onion
- Daikon
- Bean sprout
- Mushrooms
- Koya dofu (freeze-dried tofu)
- Aburaage (fried tofu)
- Scallions
What to Serve With
You can serve your soup with Japanese rice and other traditional dishes to give it a more authentic feel. Here are some recipes you might want to try:
- Japanese Steamed Rice
- Vegan Vegetable Gyoza (dumplings)
- Cucumber Salad with Shiokombu
- Eggplant Teriyaki
How to Cook Kabocha Squash
If you are new to kabocha squash or looking for more recipes to spice up your fall menu, check out all of my Kabocha recipes in this post!
Thanks for Stopping By!
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog♡. If you've tried this recipe (or any other recipe on the blog), please give it a star rating below!
Also, feel free to leave comments if you have any questions. I love hearing from you!
Chef JA Cooks is a Japanese food blog sharing simple and healthy Japanese home cooking recipes, including vegan and vegetarian. From traditional Japanese recipes to modern recipes with step-by-step instructions.
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📖 Recipe
Easy Kabocha Miso Soup
Print Pin SaveEquipment
- Saucepan 18cm/7 inches
Ingredients
- ⅛ Kabocha, 180g
- 1 c Komatsuna, 70g
- ½ Tofu, 80g
- 6-7 Niboshi, 7g
- 2 tablespoon Miso paste
- 700 ml Water
Instructions
- Cut ingredients: Cut kabocha and tofu into bite-size pieces. Cut komatsuna into bite-size pieces and separate the leaf part and root part. Remove the head and guts of niboshi before using them.
- Bring to a boil: Put vegetables (except komatsuna's leaf part), niboshi, and water in a pot, and bring to a boil on medium heat.
- Simmer: lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes until kabocha gets tender.
- Komatsuna leaves: Add the leaves of komatsuna and simmer for another minute.
- Add miso paste: Turn off the heat, add miso paste, and stir gently until it dissolves.
Video
Notes
- Storage: 3 days in the fridge.
- Substitute: You can substitute niboshi dashi with dashi granules (2 tsp) or other dashi: vegan dashi (shiitake mushroom and kombu), awase dashi (bonito and kombu). You can substitute komatsuna with spinach or other green leaves.
- Links: Tofu, Niboshi, Miso paste
- If the taste of the soup is light to you, feel free to add more miso paste.
- When you warm the soup up, do not over boil miso soup because it loses nutrients and the aroma of miso.
- See the niboshi dashi recipe for more details about dealing with niboshi.
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