I stumbled upon the idea of a healthy instant soup one day while browsing Pinterest. (I you’re a Pinterest junkie like me, follow my account, to connect and check out my links to recipes, healthy living, crafts, organization, etc.). The post I found was a gluten-free vegan recipe, which was adapted from another omnivore version.

I adore soups and loved the concept of having something easily portable that only required the addition of hot water instead of needing to be warmed up or stored in a thermos. At work I have access to both a kettle and a hot water spout from the coffee machine.

My first experiment followed the recipe exactly, but I found the result was missing something, so I started tweaking it. I also began to adapt it to ingredients I had in my fridge or pantry.

You can use whatever jar you have, provided it has a wide opening,  holds about 500mL (2 cups) or more, and has a secure lid. I’ve got a large (my husband would say ‘excessive’) collection of mason jars and I prefer to use a 500 mL wide mouth straight-sided jar.

Veggies and protein

Noodles and ginger

Hydrating…

My favourite vegetable base is Better Than Bouillon. It’s vegan, organic, free of MSG and other nasties, and it tastes incredible. I’ve tried many other bouillons and broths, but this is far and away my favourite. One jar makes 41 servings, so don’t be afraid of the price. It doesn’t appear to contain gluten, but it doesn’t say “gluten free”. So if you are celiac, you can’t find BTB, or would prefer to be in control of all the ingredients, you can use the vegetable bouillon recipe from the inspiration post. I found it missed a little umami compared to BTB, so be sure to include the tamari or coconut aminos.

The original recipes called for 1 nest of rice vermicelli. I found that there wasn’t enough room for a whole nest on top of all my delicious veggies, so I broke a nest in half instead. You could also use 1/2 cup partially boiled gluten-free pasta of your choice, or even cooked rice or quinoa. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out!

You can make a bunch of these jars (e.g. 4-5 at a time) or just as needed. Once you’ve assembled this once or twice, you’ll get quick at it and can throw your instant soup together in about 5 minutes. Refrigerate it or bring it for lunch. When you’re ready to eat, fill the jar with boiling or very hot water and cover. Shake, wait, and enjoy!

I can see endless variations to this basic recipe using different herbs and spices to vary the flavours.

How have you customized this recipe? What are your favourite combos? Tell me below, I’d love to hear about your creations!