Japanese-Inspired Soba Noodle Soup

Name: Japanese-Inspired Soba Noodle Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: Soba noodle soup:; 1 tablespoons sesame oil; 8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced; 6 cups water; 2 tablespoons dashi powder; 1/3 cups low sodium soy sauce; 1/3 cups mirin; 1 tablespoons sake, optional; 5 ounces baby spinach, (bok choy or chopped mustard greens); 9 ounces dried soba noodles; Garnishes:; 1 large carrot, julienned or ribboned; 4 large eggs, soft-boiled (or cooked to your liking); 4 scallions, thinly sliced; 2 sheets nori, shredded or thinly sliced

Guest Author: Linda

Written on

October 14, 2026

Recipes

Somewhere between a very long flight to Japan and a mountain-side hike near Lake Kawaguchi, I had one of those bowls that just fills you with contentment. Thin buckwheat noodles, a broth you could see straight through to the bottom of the bowl, and on top: a glossy, almost jiggly mound of grated mountain yam, a raw egg yolk sitting pretty in the middle, and a little scatter of nori and scallion. You crack the yolk right into the broth and stir it all together, and suddenly soup has a silky, savory richness that is just so comforting.

I came home determined to recreate it, and then promptly ran into reality: that mountain yam is slippery, a little polarizing texture-wise, and not exactly sitting next to the russets at your regular grocery store. So consider this recipe inspired by that bowl rather than a carbon copy of it. We’re building big, cozy umami flavor a different way –– a shiitake-loaded broth, a loaded-up veggie garnish situation, and a soft-boiled egg instead of a raw yolk, because I’d rather you actually make this on a Tuesday than track down specialty ingredients.

Before You Start

It’s vegetarian, with one small catch. This soup is vegetarian-friendly as written, but most dashi powder on grocery store shelves is made with bonito (dried fish) flakes, so check your label. If you want this fully vegetarian, look for a kombu-only (konbu) dashi powder, usually sold at Japanese or Asian grocery stores or online.

Prep your garnishes before you turn on the stove. The actual cooking here moves fast — the broth and noodles all come together in about 15 minutes if you have both pots going at the same time — so have your eggs, carrots, scallions, and nori ready to go before you start. You’ll be glad you did.

Swap the spinach if you’d like. Baby spinach wilts down beautifully here, but bok choy or chopped mustard greens work just as well if that’s what you have on hand or prefer.

On the eggs: soft-boiled is my pick here — that just-set white and still-runny yolk mimics the richness of the raw egg in the original dish, minus any hesitation about raw eggs in hot broth. I use the steaming method (not boiling) from my Pickled Jalapeño Bacon Deviled Eggs post — for this soup, steam for just 6 minutes to get a soft-set white and a yolk that’s still soft and glossy in the center. Of course, if you prefer your eggs cooked further, that’s entirely your call.

Make It a Meal

Make it meal-prep friendly. If you’d like to get ahead on this one, you can store the broth, cooked noodles, and prepped garnishes in separate containers in the fridge for a few days. Just hold off on adding the spinach until you reheat the broth — it loses its vibrant green color if it sits in the broth too long, so it’s best added fresh right before serving.

This soup is substantial enough to stand on its own, but if you’re feeding really hungry family or just want a little more on the table, it pairs beautifully with something simple and crisp alongside — a cucumber salad or a bowl of edamame does the trick without competing with all that umami going on in the bowl.

Linda Feller has been a Plan to Eat superfan since 2013 and will gush about the app with anyone who expresses the least bit of interest. She is a recipe developer, food photographer and the gal behind Sip + Sanity, recipes for celebrating every. little. thing!

www.sipandsanity.com

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Print Recipe

Japanese-Inspired Soba Noodle Soup

The prep time includes slicing the vegetables and garnishes. I highly recommend prepping those garnishes before you begin cooking since this soup comes together quickly!

Source: Sip + Sanity | Linda Feller for Plan to Eat

Course: Soup

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 15 min

Total Time: 35 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Soba noodle soup:
1 tablespoons sesame oil
8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms stemmed and sliced
6 cups water
2 tablespoons dashi powder
¹⁄₃ cups low sodium soy sauce
¹⁄₃ cups mirin
1 tablespoons sake optional
5 ounces baby spinach (bok choy or chopped mustard greens)
9 ounces dried soba noodles
Garnishes:
1 large carrot julienned or ribboned
4 large eggs soft-boiled (or cooked to your liking)
4 scallions thinly sliced
2 sheets nori shredded or thinly sliced

Directions

Heat the sesame oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the shiitake mushrooms and sauté until browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
To the pot with the mushrooms, add the water, dashi powder, soy sauce, mirin, and sake (if using). Stir to dissolve the dashi powder and bring the broth to a simmer for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low to keep it warm. (Taste for seasoning and add additional soy sauce, dashi powder, or salt if you prefer.)
Meanwhile, bring a separate pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the soba noodles according to package directions, then drain and rinse briefly under warm water to remove excess starch.
Just before serving, add baby spinach to the low simmering broth and stir just until wilted, about 30 seconds. (If preparing the broth ahead, it’s important to WAIT to wilt the spinach until serving time. As it sits in the broth, it will lose it’s vibrant green color.)
Divide the soba noodles among bowls. Ladle the hot broth over top. Arrange julienned carrots and one halved egg per bowl. Finish with scallions and nori.

Amount Per Serving (4)