I love soup. Love, love, LOVE soup.
My family, on the other hand… not so much.
To them, there’s no difference between Potato & Corn Chowder and Minestrone. Other than the noodles, of course.
“It’s just soup,” they tell me. Bleh.
And they much prefer to have the same soup over and over again. They’ll take Tomato Basil Soup ANY day of the week. In fact, I was sick earlier this year and Mr. Crumbs and the kids made dinner for me.
We had Tomato Basil Soup and grilled cheese (made with Man Bread, of course) for a whole week! I’m still not sure if I’m ready to have tomato soup again…
Personally, I like variety. My inner adventurous eater NEEDS variety.
I’m talking about BOLD flavors so it doesn’t feel like I’m eating a bowl of boring vegetables in chicken stock.
Which is fine every now and then, but not every week.
Tortilla Soup is a good example of what I’m talking about. It’s spicy and filling all on its own, but when you add sour cream, cheese, crushed tortilla chips and cilantro (which, you really should add ALL of them), it’s a big bowl of hearty deliciousness that I can’t help but have seconds of.
That’s what Kung Fu Panda Soup is. Something bold, different and definitely not like most other soups on our menu.
Even the name is different. “Kung Fu Panda Soup”… I mean, how fun does THAT sound?!
High five if you just said the name of the soup out loud!
I do have a confession though – I tend to do something sneaky with soup.
I add ingredients that I know my family doesn’t like.
I know, bad mom, but I do it for good reason: THEY EAT THEM ANYWAY.
Like beans. Put a bowl of them at the table and they’ll be untouched. But make a pot of Northern Beans & Ham Soup or Red Lentil Vegetable Soup and no one says a thing while they scarf down dinner.
I’ve done the same thing with all sorts of ingredients, and I did it again with mushroom and cabbage in Kung Fu Panda Soup and you know what?
They.Ate.It.
For me, Kung Fu Panda Soup is a little bit like Tortilla Soup in that I like to add all the optional toppings… cilantro, green onion AND a squeeze of lime wedges.
My kids like it plain, and Mr. Crumbs likes it with extra salt and pepper.
What matters in the end is that they’re eating wholesome foods and being exposed to foods they supposedly don’t like.
I say supposedly because even though they “don’t like mushrooms,” they still eat the soup!
Hey, if making Kung Fu Panda Soup is the only way my kids will eat mushrooms and cabbage for a season in life, I’ll just keep on making soup!
- 8 cups water
- 4 Tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- ⅛ - ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1" fresh ginger, minced
- ½ onion, any color, sliced thin
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 large carrot, sliced thinly
- 1 rib celery, sliced thinly
- 4 oz fettuccine or spaghetti noodles, broken into 2" pieces
- ¼ head green cabbage, shredded
- 2 oz mushrooms, sliced thinly
- 1 lime, cut into wedges (optional)
- 4 green onions, green parts sliced (optional)
- ½ bunch cilantro, chopped (optional)
- salt & pepper, to taste (optional)
- In a large pot, bring water, soy sauce, sesame oil, ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper flakes, sugar and ginger to a boil. (If your family likes it spicy, add the remaining ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper flakes.)
- Meanwhile, start preparing the vegetables and add them to the soup in the order listed. (Tip: I slice/shred as the broth comes to a boil and just add each ingredient in as it's ready.)
- The soup is done when the noodles are cooked through, about 10-15 minutes.
- Serve with optional lime wedge, green onion, cilantro, salt and pepper.
Additional Recipe Tips
I first made this recipe with homemade chicken stock and then tried it again with water. I thought the flavor of the stock was overpowering in the soup, so I preferred the water instead. A mild vegetable stock might work okay, but I recommend trying it with just water the first time so you can gauge the intended flavor of the soup.
Fresh ginger really shines in this recipe, but dried can work if you’re absolutely in a pinch. Use 1-2 teaspoons, to taste. (One trick to keep fresh ginger readily available is to freeze it! Find out how in this tutorial.)
I’ve made this recipe with both sugar and honey and didn’t have a preference either way. Feel free to use either one!
One last tip – since you probably can’t get jut 2 ounces of mushrooms, I recommend pairing this soup with Autumn Rice Pilaf on your weekly meal plan. If you still have some left, make risotto or caramelize them with onions for a simple chicken cheesesteak sandwich!
Cost Breakdown
- soy sauce: 0.28
- sesame oil: 0.06
- crushed red pepper flakes: 0.02
- sugar: 0.04
- ginger: 0.25
- onion: 0.13
- garlic: 0.10
- carrot: 0.10
- celery: 0.10
- noodles: 0.25
- cabbage: 0.25
- mushrooms: 0.50
Total cost for Kung Fu Panda Soup (which makes enough for a meal, and likely a bowl for lunch too) is $2.08!
Are you wondering why this recipe is so cheap? The answer is easy: because we’re using seasonal produce. Cabbage is super cheap in the winter, and staple veggies like onions, carrots, celery and mushrooms are affordable year-round. As you can see, eating seasonal really does save money!
I really like the fact that you try things with honey. I can no longer eat refined sugar without it making me deathly ill. Somehow honey does not effect me the same way.
Thanks Shannon! I try to use honey as often as I can, and find that I tend to feel better when I use it too. Sometimes I admit though that the sugar is just easier for me to reach… maybe I should just move the honey pot, lol!
The 1/2 onion–is that just to flavor the broth? Should it be put in whole or sliced, diced…? I am making this right now! It is like lo mein in soup form.
Jodi – I like it sliced thin. I’ll clarify the instructions!
This sounds really good, I think I’ll try it on our Asian night later this week. Thanks for the simple recipe!
You’re welcome Lisa!
Yum – I’m definitely making this!
Let me know how it turns out Amy!
My favorite soup is “must go” minnestrone. I use leftover spaghetti sauce (with or without meat, depending on what “must go” ) and homemade stock, usually chicken bone broth but beef or vegetable are good too. Then I add whatever vegetables I have on hand. Always celery, onion, carrot but after that it depends. I’ve used both summer and winter squash, sweet pepper, cabbage, cauliflower, corn, beans, peas, whatever is in the fridge. I’ve even used frozen mixed vegetables when I’m desperate. Cooked or canned white beans are an option, as is pasta of some kind and rice. Sometimes extra Italian spices help to add flavor. A little garlic never hurts either.
Sandy – I like how you start with leftover spaghetti sauce in the soup rather than adding tomatoes to stock. It’s essentially the same thing anyway, right? Your mix/match recipe sounds a lot like mine. Thank you for the tip on the spaghetti sauce!!
Made this tonight. I used brown rice noodles instead of the fettuccine. YUMMY! My “mushroom hater” ate it up. Thanks for the recipe! I will make this again.
In the ingredient list you said 1/8 – 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes but in directions you said to put in 1/4 tsp of the flakes and to add the other 1/4 tsp if your family likes it spicy. 1/4 + 1/4 = 1/2. Did you mean to say we should start with 1/8 tsp and add the other 1/8 tsp for a total of 1/4 tsp? I just don’t want to make the end result too spicy for my kids.
You are correct Heather, start with 1/8 tsp. I’ll go fix the recipe now – thanks for catching this!
This looks tasty, but I’m trying to wrap my mind around this as a main course dish for dinner for 4-6 people. One carrot, one celery stick, 4 ounces of noodles, 2 ounces of mushrooms, and a quarter head of cabbage… and lots of water? We have vegetarian meals around here, but they are much more substantial.