Feel Better Noodle Soup

When I became a vegetarian, there were very few foods I felt I'd be "missing out on." I simply didn't have a desire to eat meat anymore, so meat-based foods just didn't matter all that much. An exception to this was chicken noodle soup, not so much for the soup itself, but for the comforting sensation it always brought to me when I ate it. Nailing down a satisfactory imitation was therefore very important to me, but I think that with this recipe, I've done more than that. I think this recipe doesn't just stand up to most chicken noodle soups out there, I think it surpasses them. It's rich and full of flavor, and brings a sensation of warmth not just to your mouth but to your soul.

Feel Better Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
  • 8 oz linguine, broken into 1 1/2 inch pieces
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 3 cups hot water, divided
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
  • 2-3 stalks celery, diced small
  • 2 carrots, diced small
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh parsley, minced
  • 2 tbs vegetable oil
  • 2 tbs miso paste
  • 1 vegetable bouillon cube
  • 1/4 teas dried thyme
  • 1/8 teas dried basil
  • 1/8 teas ground white pepper
Directions:
  1. Cook broken linguine in boiling water in stock pot for 9 minutes. Drain and set aside.
  2. In the same (now empty) stock pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sauté onion, celery, and carrots in oil for approximately 4 minutes.
  3. Add garlic to veggies and sauté an additional minute. Add vegetable broth.
  4. Crumble vegetable bouillon into a bowl and add miso paste. Whisk in 1/2 cup hot water until paste is incorporated and bouillon is mostly dissolved. Add to stock pot and stir.
  5. Add pasta and remaining 2 1/2 cups water to stock pot. Add parsley, thyme, basil, and white pepper and stir.
  6. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.