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A quick lunch is often required if you’re working, whether it’s at home or in the office. This lunch of a simple vegetable udon soup fits the bill: it was prepared out of what happened to be in the fridge at the time: random vegetables (asian greens, mushrooms, and onions), vegetable broth that is always on hand (either homemade, or low-sodium from a paste), and some spice for punch. And naturally, a bit of lime. Depending on the type of noodles you find and broth you use, this can be an incredibly healthy lunch that is whole food, nutritious, and low sodium/no oil.
This soup could be prepared in advance and heated at work in the microwave for a quick, healthy lunch. Even healthier? Make your own vegetable broth for a no-sodium option.
I recommend garnishing this soup with a squeeze of lime, too.
Spicy vegetable udon soup
You can make this soup with what you have in the fridge at the time: random vegetables (asian greens, mushrooms, and onions), vegetable broth, and common spices and citrus.
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Course: Main Course, Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine: Asian, Comfort Food, Fusion
Keyword: asian greens, bok choy, kale, mushrooms, spicy food, udon noodles, vegetable broth
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
Servings: 2 Servings
Calories: 253kcal
Author: Jen deHaan
Ingredients
- 4 oz udon noodles cooked
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or no sodium
- 1 cup asian greens kale, bok choy, tatsoi, cabbage, or similar
- 1/3 cup mushrooms sliced
- 1/4 cup green onion sliced
- 1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce See notes
Toppings
- Wedge of lime
Instructions
Cook and rinse the udon noodles according to package directions, if necessary.
Bring the vegetable broth and chili sauce to a boil on the stove top, and reduce to a simmer.
Add the cooked noodles, mushrooms and green onion and allow to simmer until heated through.
Add the greens and simmer for another 2-3 minutes until greens reach desired softness (this will depend on the type of greens you use).
Notes
Please note nutritional values depend on the type of noodles and broth you use or make.
Sodium: Udon noodles can have a lot of sodium in them (over half of the sodium in this dish is from standard udon noodle nutritional values). Make your own vegetable broth or sub alternative thick rice noodles for a lower or no sodium option!
Chili Garlic Sauce: is a standard sauce that can be found in any asian market, and most other grocery stores in the asian foods section. Make sure that you check the ingredients list for oil or any animal products (both unlikely).
Nutrition Facts
Spicy vegetable udon soup
Amount per Serving
Calories
253
% Daily Value*
Fat
2
g
Saturated Fat
g
%
Trans Fat
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
g
Monounsaturated Fat
g
Cholesterol
mg
%
Sodium
1338
mg
58
%
Potassium
422
mg
12
%
Carbohydrates
50
g
17
%
Fiber
4
g
17
%
Sugar
9
g
10
%
Protein
11
g
22
%
Vitamin A
14720
IU
294
%
Vitamin C
49.5
mg
60
%
Calcium
77
mg
8
%
Iron
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe? Customized it?Let us know how it was in the comments!
Udon noodles
Udon noodles are Japanese noodles that are thick and chewy. They are usually made from wheat flour, starch and water, either processed flour or whole-grain. Try to find the whole-grain version of udon noodles if you can, or even make your own, which are a bit more healthful than the processed flour noodles.
You can get udon noodles dry, or pre-cooked. The pre-cooked noodles are typically found refrigerated or frozen. These pre-cooked products are often sold with a soup base, which I tend to avoid. I try to buy dry whole wheat noodles and cook them myself, which have a bit more protein, fiber and nutrients. However in a pinch I will get the packaged pre-cooked noodles to heat up (but still avoid that soup base!).
Alternatives and swaps
To modify this lunch? Easy. Simply swap out the vegetables that you happen to have on hand. Yellow onions instead of green? No problem. Carrots instead? It will work. You could even drop in a tomato. The main thing is to add them at the right time, cooking. For example if you are adding a tomato, you probably want to drop it in after cooking the soup, and let the hot broth warm it up.
This soup would go really well with cubes of firm tofu tossed in. Marinate them in advance (ginger, soy, and/or garlic work well) or use smoked tofu for some additional flavor.
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Jen deHaan
Owner at Plant Based Recipe
Jen is a plant-based nutrition enthusiast and vegan living in British Columbia, Canada. She has over 20 years experience in software, graphics, and art, including many years in Silicon Valley corporations. Jen completed the Developing Healthy Communities graduate program at Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. Jen really likes dogs and dancing too.
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About Post Author
Jen deHaan
Jen is a plant-based nutrition enthusiast and vegan living in British Columbia, Canada. She has over 20 years experience in software, graphics, and art, including many years in Silicon Valley corporations. Jen completed the Developing Healthy Communities graduate program at Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. Jen really likes dogs and dancing too.
See author's posts
About Jen deHaan
Jen is a plant-based nutrition enthusiast and vegan living in British Columbia, Canada. She has over 20 years experience in software, graphics, and art, including many years in Silicon Valley corporations. Jen completed the Developing Healthy Communities graduate program at Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. Jen really likes dogs and dancing too.
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