Super Easy, Brothy Mushroom & Onion Soup

Even though it’s officially spring, the still-cold and often rainy weather we’ve been having in NYC has had me in the mood for soup. I was especially craving hibachi style clear broth soup with onion and mushrooms…a very nostalgic aroma and taste that has me reminiscing on Benihana dinners with friends and fam back in the day. 

With simple ingredients and even simpler instructions, this might be the quickest and easiest soup you’ll ever make. Surprisingly filling, this makes for a full meal but can also be served as a starter. I can see this pairing nicely with a miso black cod. 

I decided to use a short-cut and cook the mushrooms in the bone broth I had on hand (instead of making my own). Any mushroom variety will do. I suggest mixing it up but if all you’ve got are button mushrooms those will work just as well. Most importantly, make sure not to wash your mushrooms in water. Mushrooms act like a sponge and retain water, leaving them chewy and with very little flavor. When cleaning shrooms, use a clean bristle brush or damp paper towel to wipe off any dirt. 

And that’s pretty much the extent of the “work” that goes into the soup. The rest is pure cooking. I will admit that watching soup simmer has been almost therapeutic — it’s so relaxing it can be considered a form of meditation in and of itself. So with that in mind, let yourself become completely consumed in the aromas, bubbling noises and culinary sights as you cook yourself a nourishing bowl of glistening shroom and noodle soup. 

Ingredients

4 cups mixed mushrooms (shiitake, baby bella, enoki, button, basically whatever shrooms you can find)

2 tbsp ghee (I use Fourth and Heart’s turmeric ghee)

1 package bone broth (I used Bonafied Provisions frontier blend)

2 large green onions, diced

1 yellow onion, sliced

1 garlic clove

1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce

3 tbsp Japanese sake (or replace with mirin or rice wine vinegar)

Instant rice vermicelli noodles 

Sea salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Clean mushrooms by rubbing dirt off with a paper towel. Chop the hard stems off shiitake mushrooms and remove. Slice the larger mushrooms into thirds. If you’re using enoki’s or similar mushrooms, you can leave those whole.

2. Heat ghee in a large soup pot over medium-high heat and sauté mushrooms until they begin to release some liquid. The mushrooms should be golden-brown and fragrant. 

3. In the meantime, bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a tea kettle or small pot. Place the noodles in a large heat-resistant bowl. Once the water is at a boil, add the water to the noodles and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain the cooked noodles and set aside. 

4. Add the broth to the mushroom mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let the soup simmer. 

5. Add the onions, garlic, tamari and sake. Season with salt and pepper to taste, stir and continue to simmer on low. 

6. Add the noodles to the mushroom soup. Stir and serve immediately. Enjoy!