Home » Bacon and Corn Miso Soup ベーコンとコーンの味噌汁
5(1)
Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
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With the perfect balance of umami and natural sweetness, my versatile Bacon and Corn Miso Soup pairs well with Western or Japanese meals. This satisfying soup is easy and quick to make in just 10 minutes. {Vegan/Vegetarian Adaptable}
Fresh sweet corn is absolutely one of the star vegetables that summer brings forth. There are literally endless ways to enjoy it—they are good raw or grilled, in stir-fries or in rice dishes, and in sweet desserts. They are even amazing in a creamy and velvety soup like Corn Potage , or in a light soup like Bacon and Corn Miso Soup that I’m sharing today.
If you manage to buy a dozen ears of corn from the farmers market, you need to reserve one or two just to make this soup!
Table of Contents
- A Must-Make Soup for Summer
- Ingredients for Bacon and Corn Miso Soup
- Substitution Tips
- How to Make Bacon and Corn Miso Soup
- Recipe Tips
- How to Store
A Must-Make Soup for Summer
- A super tasty soup with minimal ingredients! The intense sweetness of corn kernels contrasts with salty bacon and crunchy cabbage in umami miso soup—it hits all the right notes.
- This versatile soup can be served with Japanese, Asian, or even Western-style meals! I think it makes a beautiful entree soup for any BBQ.
- Perfect summer soup as it is light yet substantial (with the addition of protein) and takes minutes to make.
Ingredients for Bacon and Corn Miso Soup
- Dashi packets– If you enjoy drinking miso soup regularly, I recommend keeping a bag of dashi packets in the pantry as it is the easiest way to makedashi (Japanese soup stock). I use the Kayanoya brand, which you can get onAmazonor from Japanese grocery stores.
- Water
- Sweet corn
- Bacon – Skip for veganand use smoked tofu or shiitake mushrooms.
- Green cabbage
- Miso – Feel free to use any type of miso, except for Hatcho or Saikyo miso.
- Yuzu kosho — Optional, but a little dollop of this Japanese citrus chili paste) adds an incredible umami depth and a spicy kick to the overall flavor of the soup.
Jump to Recipe
Substitution Tips
- For vegetarian/vegan, use vegan dashi for the soup stock.
- Skip the bacon or use smoked tofu or shiitake mushrooms. If you happen to have leftover grilled tofu, grilled tempeh, and mushrooms, this is the best soup to make!
- No green cabbage? Napa cabbage is the closest substitute, but feel free to use other leafy greens, such as spinach or bok choy. If using leafy greens, add them only toward the end of cooking as they cook a lot faster than cabbages.
- No fresh sweet corn but really want to make the soup?You can use frozen corn kernels.
How to Make Bacon and Corn Miso Soup
- Make the dashi (Japanese soup stock):Add water and dashi packets to a medium saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook, covered, for 2-3 minutes. Then, discard the dashi packets and transfer the dashi to a measuring cup or another container.
- Prep the ingredients
- Cook the soup: Heat the same saucepan until it’s hot. Cook the bacon until slightly charred. Add the cabbage and stir to coat in the rendered fat. Add the dashi. Then, add the corn kernels. Cover and cook until the cabbage is tender.Turn off the heat.
- Add the miso and serve:Stir inthe miso paste until dissolved. Taste and adjust. Ladle the miso soup into individual bowls.
- Serve hot with optionalyuzu kosho. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- If you don’t plan on making the soup right away with the fresh sweet corn you buy, you can shave the kernels off the cob and freeze them. When you’re ready to make the soup, you can use the kernels directly from the freezer.
- Just like with all miso soups, always add the miso paste right before serving to enjoy its best flavor and aroma!
How to Store
I personally recommend consuming miso soup immediately because it will lose its aroma and taste over time.
However, if you have leftovers, cool the soup to room temperature (no longer than 4 hours), store in an airtight container, and keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. When ready to use, reheat in a pot over medium heat, but do not boil.
What to Serve with This Miso Soup
I love making this soup especially when I plan on making recipes with green cabbages on the same week, For examples, I would need cabbage for Okonomiyaki, Asian Coleslaw, or Yaki Udon, and I can toss in bacon and sweet corn to any of the recipes, so I get to stretch my ingredients out.
For the summer, I like to keep my meals relatively simple, so I’ll serve this Bacon and Corn Miso Soup to go with my light lunch or as an entree to any BBQ meal.
- Main – Fried Rice, Onigiri or Yaki Onigiri, Yakitori, Soba Noodle Salad
Celebrate Miso Day Every Month
This recipe is part of myMiso Soup Day (味噌の日)series, where I share a new miso soup on the 30th of every month. There are many different flavors that highlight seasonal and year-round ingredients, so you can enjoy the soup anytime!
Check outmy collection of miso soup recipes!
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Bacon and Corn Miso Soup
5 from 1 vote
With the perfect balance of umami and natural sweetness, my versatile Bacon and Corn Miso Soup pairs well with Western or Japanese meals. This satisfying soup is easy and quick to make in just 10 minutes. {Vegan/Vegetarian Adaptable}
Print RecipePin Recipe
Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Cook Time: 5 minutes mins
Total Time: 10 minutes mins
Servings: 4
Ingredients
For the Dashi (Japanese Soup Stock)
- 4 cups water (or substitute3½cups (840ml)Awase DashiorVegan Dashi)
- 2 dashi packets (skip if using dashi stock instead of water;skip for veganand useVegan Dashi)
For the Miso Soup
- 1 ear sweet corn (medium, with husks; about 10 oz, 283 g each)
- 2 slices bacon (skip for veganand use smoked tofu or shiitake mushrooms; see the blog post for more ideas)
- 2 leaves green cabbage
- 3 Tbsp miso (plus more, to taste; any type works except for Hatcho or Saikyo miso)
For Serving
- yuzu kosho (Japanese citrus chili paste) (optional)
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
Instructions
Gather all the ingredients. Keep the bacon in the refrigerator or freezer so it‘ll be easier to cut.
To Make the Dashi
To a medium saucepan, add4 cups waterand2 dashi packets. Cover the saucepan with a lid and bring it to a boil on medium heat.
Once the water is boiling, shake the dashi packets with cooking chopsticks to release more flavor. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, covered, for2–3 minutes. Discard the packets. Then, transfer the dashi to a measuring cup or another container. Set aside the saucepan to cook the miso soup later.
To Prepare the Ingredients
Wrap a wet paper towel around1 ear sweet cornwith the husks on. Cook in the microwave for 2 minutes (1000W).
Carefully remove the paper towel, husks, and silk from the hot corn. With a knife, cut off the corn kernels from the cob.
Remove the tough core of2 leaves green cabbageand cut the leaves into 1-inch-square pieces.
To Cook the Soup
Remove2 slices baconfrom the refrigerator. Cut crosswise into ½-inch (1.3-cm) pieces. I removed the extra fat from the ends. Heat the medium saucepan on medium heat. When it‘s hot, add the bacon; you do not need to add oil to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally.
Cook until nicely brown on both sides. When the bacon‘s edges are slightly charred, wipe off the rendered fat from the saucepan with a paper towel. The bacon will continue to release more fat as it cooks, so don‘t worry about losing flavor.
Add the cabbage and stir to coat in the rendered fat.
Add the dashi. Then, add the corn kernels.
Cover with a lid and cook until the cabbage is tender, about 1–2 minutes. Turn off the heat. Tip: In the next step, we'll add the miso off the heat to keep it from boiling and losing its flavor and aroma.
To Add the Miso
Right before serving, put 3 Tbsp misoin a ladle, add some hot stock to the ladle, and stir with chopsticks to dissolve completely. Then add to the soup. Alternatively, you can use afine-mesh miso strainerand/oramiso muddlerto dissolve it faster. Now, taste the soup and add more miso, if needed. If it‘s too salty, dilute with more water or dashi (if you have any). Serve immediately in individual bowls.
To Serve
Serve hot with optional yuzu kosho (Japanese citrus chili paste). Enjoy!
To Store
It‘s best to consume all the miso soup right away because it loses aroma and taste over time. If you‘d like to keep leftovers, cool the soup to room temperature (no longer than 4 hours), store in an airtight container, and keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator or 2 weeks in the freezer. When ready to use, reheat in a pot over medium heat until it‘s just hot; do not boil.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Bacon and Corn Miso Soup
Amount per Serving
Calories
125
% Daily Value*
Fat
6
g
9
%
Saturated Fat
2
g
13
%
Trans Fat
0.02
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
1
g
Cholesterol
7
mg
2
%
Sodium
409
mg
18
%
Potassium
240
mg
7
%
Carbohydrates
16
g
5
%
Fiber
2
g
8
%
Sugar
5
g
6
%
Protein
5
g
10
%
Vitamin A
144
IU
3
%
Vitamin C
5
mg
6
%
Calcium
9
mg
1
%
Iron
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Author: Namiko Chen
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: bacon, cabbage, corn, miso
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Meet the Author
Namiko Chen
I'm Namiko Hirasawa Chen (Nami), the recipe developer and founder of Just One Cookbook. I was born and raised in Yokohama, Japan, and now live in San Francisco with my family. Here, you will find easy and authentic Japanese recipes you'll love and enjoy!
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