Millet Soup

Millet does something special in soup. It swells and softens during cooking, releasing starch that thickens the broth into something creamy without any actual cream. Add cauliflower, mushrooms, carrots, celery, and a finish of soy milk with tamari and nutritional yeast, and you’ve got a vegan soup with serious body and savory depth.

The vegetables go in stages, which is the smart way to handle ingredients with different cooking times. Millet first, then the harder vegetables, then the mushrooms and green onions last so nothing gets overcooked.

Nutritional yeast and tamari together create a rich umami backbone that makes this taste far more complex than its simple ingredient list suggests.

Kitchen Tips

• Cook the millet for the full 12 minutes before adding vegetables. Undercooked millet stays crunchy and doesn’t release the starch that thickens the soup.
• Bring just to a simmer after adding the soy milk. Boiling soy milk can cause it to curdle and separate.
• Serve immediately. The millet continues absorbing liquid as it sits, and leftovers will be much thicker.
• Add a splash of extra stock when reheating to bring back the brothy consistency.

Variations

• Use quinoa in place of millet for a different grain texture.
• Add a handful of baby spinach right before serving for color and extra nutrition.
• Stir in a spoonful of white miso paste instead of tamari for a deeper, more fermented flavor.