10 Minute Vegetable Noodle Soup

Why this soup is great

This vegetable noodle soup has everything you could want in a soup and the huge bonus that comes with this recipe, is that you get it all in under 10 minutes. 

We get: 

• Nutrients and fibre from the array of veggies we use.
• Delicious rice noodles (our favourite carb), infused in the aromatics.
• Minimal mess – this vegetarian noodle soup is all made in one pot. 
• An umami packed dish, thanks to the two soy sauces and mushrooms that we use. 
• It also happens to be a vegan noodle soup, which happened by accident, but I’m super pleased that anyone can make this!

I wanted to create a really quick lunch/dinner recipe that although it takes so little time to prep, you still get a lot of flavour and comfort. It’s ideal for a cheap weeknight dinner or a speedy lunch working from home.

Ingredients

Rice noodles 

I love how quickly rice noodles cook, making it an amazing ingredient for this quick vegetarian noodle soup. They absorb the aromatics of the soup really well and they’re also a ‘lighter’ noodle choice, making this dish still light and refreshing to have at lunch time. 

Pak choi 

Whenever I think of a ‘soup with noodles’, the first vegetable that springs to mind is pak choi. It’s vibrant, delicious and cooks perfectly in broth. 

Chestnut Mushrooms 

I find that chestnut mushrooms have slightly more flavour than your average white/button mushroom. They also have more nutrients. If you can only find standard mushrooms though, they will still be delicious. 

Garlic & Shallot

The quick aromatics to our vegetable noodle soup. As this recipe is a single serve recipe, shallots work amazingly, as we can use one whole one, whereas we’d only use ½ of a standard onion, leaving room for accidental waste. 

Carrot 

For sweetness, crunch and nutrients. I like the way that thin carrot strips mimic the noodles which work nicely in this soup. 

Soy sauce & Sweet Soy Sauce 

The umami backbone of flavour to this noodle soup. I use a combo of regular (dark) soy sauce and sweet soy sauce to add a hint of sweetness and richness to the soup. If you can’t find sweet soy sauce, use 2 tbsp regular soy sauce and half a tbsp of honey. 

Spring onion 

For flavour, crunch and added brightness to top the veggie noodle soup with. 

Vegetable broth/stock 

I use a standard knorr stock cube to make this broth, as I don’t think you need to buy  super high quality stock as we are adding in a lot of the flavour ourselves. Having said that though, if you have high quality stock, it’ll only add to the flavour of this recipe. 

Vegetable Variations 

This vegetable noodle soup is versatile, meaning you can add probably any of the veggies laying in your fridge into the pot. 

Honourable mentions that I didn’t include in the recipe:

• Beansprouts 
• Mangetout
• Peas 
• Sweetcorn 
• Kale 
• Broccoli
• Celery
  

Just think about the cooking time of the vegetable that you want to add, and add it into the pot either in step 1 or step 3, depending on how long it takes to cook.

Tips to make this recipe the best

Use a high heat initially:

We want to scorch the mushrooms, carrot and shallots to get more flavour. Any brown bits that form on the pan will add richness and flavour to the soup.

Season after frying for a couple of minutes:

If we season the veggies before they start to fry, the salt will draw out the moisture of the veg, causing them to steam rather than fry. Once we get some colour, then it’s time to add salt.

Prep the ingredients before you start cooking:

As this vegetarian rice noodle soup recipe comes together so quickly, and as we are using a high heat in step 1, it’s a good idea to get everything ready around you so that you can keep an eye on your mushrooms/carrot and shallots whilst they fry.

How to make this vegetable noodle soup

Start by chopping the mushrooms and spring onions into thin slices.

Then slice the pak choi into quarters and the carrot into thin slices/spirals.

Next, add the minced garlic, sweet soy sauce, soy sauce and vegetable stock.

And the pak choi and noodles.  Stir to submerge the rice noodles and pop on a lid. Reduce the heat to low/medium and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the noodles have cooked.

Season with salt if necessary and top with thinly sliced spring onion. Enjoy!

FAQ

What kind of noodles are the best for soup?

Most noodles work well in broth based soups, as their cook time is limited. I love the rice noodles for this vegetable noodle soup as they’re light and lower in calories, which makes this ideal for a quick lunch.

The type of noodle/pasta that works best for soup will depend on the flavour of each soup. This is an asian noodle soup, so rice or egg noodles are the best to compliment the flavours.

Can I use egg noodles in this vegetable noodle soup?

Yes you can! They’ll take a minute or two longer to cook, so make sure that you taste test them to ensure they’re cooked. They’ll be slightly higher in calories, but as this veggie noodle soup is already super low cal, it’ll still be fairly light.

Is it fine to cook the noodles in the broth?

Yes! It’s actually better to cook them within the broth as the seasoning and aromatics infuse into the noodles, making the dish far more flavourful.

Storage

Can I prep this recipe ahead of time?

If you wanted to save even more time when cooking, you could slice and prep your veggies the morning of the day you’re going to cook the recipe, then the recipe would be even speedier.

Can I freeze this recipe?

I wouldn’t freeze this recipe, as the rice noodles might not thaw and defrost very well.

Can I refrigerate this recipe?

You could definitely multiply the portions of this recipe (just increase the servings in the recipe card) and refrigerate a few portions for meal prep throughout the week. Reheat in the microwave or over the hob for 2 minutes and top with spring onion.

Other noodle recipes…

Spicy Chili Oil Ramen Noodles

Peanut Noodles with Roasted Soy Vegetables

Slow Cooker Vegetable Thai Ramen