Carina Finn Koeppicus

Sometimes, particularly when we’re feeling cold, tired, and totally #overit with winter, you need a recipe that doesn’t come with 10,000 insta-worthy photos or a complicated step by step. Sometimes you just need something comforting and cozy, that you can make with ingredients you most likely already have in your pantry.

Last week, when the polar vortex was in full force and I was stuck at home for five days straight recovering from a particularly complicated wisdom tooth extraction, this was the kind of recipe I needed. When I couldn’t bear the thought of another smoothie bowl, I rummaged around in my kitchen cabinets and found the makings of a promising soup.

I drink mugs of miso on the regular — I even keep packets of MSG-free miso soup at my desk at work. Yes, I mean the kind with little seaweed strips and styrofoam-y bits of tofu, the kind you find at a suburban sushi joint. Call me nostalgic, but there’s something incredibly comforting about the concept.

This is a serious upgrade to a mug of pre-mixed miso, and can be simplified or complicated to suit your own preferences. You could substitute the canned corn liquid for coconut milk or even coconut water, or any kind of stock. You can switch up the herbs, drizzle with olive oil and stir in yogurt (like I did) or coconut cream for a finishing touch. You could even add shredded chicken for a heartier version if you have some on hand.

The great thing about basic recipes is that they are often a base from which you can jump to your own often delicious conclusions. I recommend you take that approach when trying this dish! Let me know how you made it your own in the comments.

Ingredients 

• 1 can sweet corn in water (I love the whole foods brand)
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 3 tbsp miso paste
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 small yellow onion
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp garam masala
• Herbs to finish — I used basil, but cilantro or mint would work just as well!

Method

1. Small dice the onion, then smash and dice mince the garlic.
2. Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat, then cook onion and garlic until translucent.
3. Add the can of corn along with its water, along with miso paste, nutritional yeast, and garam masala. Simmer everything for at least 10 minutes.
4. At this point, you can either transfer the mixture to a blender, pulse until smooth, and return to heat for an additional five minutes or use an immersion blender to liquify the mixture directly in the saucepan over low heat. I prefer using an immersion blender, because it’s easier to set up and easier to clean!
5. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes and serve immediately. This soup keeps well in an airtight container for 2-3 days in the refrigerator, and freezes well too! When reheating, I recommend adding a few tablespoons of liquid to help re-constitute.