This easy udon in beet broth is a delicious and nutritious noodle bowl recipe that your whole family will love, even the unbeetlievers!
I was never a fan of beets growing up because I always thought like they tasted like dirt. I’ve come to appreciate the earthy flavor and have used them in tons of things–from a creamy puree to pasta sauce. Tonight, I made a simple udon broth by pureeing beets in water with a few additional seasonings. I was truly amazed by the depth of flavor in this unassuming little bowl of noodles. Keep reading to learn how to make these beautiful beets and noodles!
For the beet broth, use fresh beets or pre-cooked beets, like LoveBeets. If you use fresh beets, be sure to increase the cooking time so they have enough time to soften.
How to make the beet broth:
This udon in beet broth is relatively easy to make, but you want to make sure your ingredients are prepared before beginning.
First, sauté a quartered onion. Add garlic and ginger to it and sauté an additional minute or two.
Next, add the beets and allow them to sizzle in the pot for a few minutes. Pour in water or stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add the broth seasonings: soy sauce, mirin, and dashi. Simmer until the beets are tender, 30–45 minutes.
Once the beets are tender, use an immersion blender to blend until mostly smooth. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve and discard the solids. Optionally, you can small-dice the beets and leave them as-is in the broth! Keep the broth warm as you finish the rest of the meal.
Rinse out the sieve and the pot and fill the pot back up with water and return it to the stovetop. Alternatively, you could just use another pot but I’m all about saving time with dishes!
Bring the water to a boil and add 4 eggs. Cook for 7 minutes and scoop them out of the broth and transfer them to an ice bath. Keep the water boiling and drop in the noodles and cook according to package instructions. Strain and divide between four bowls.
How to serve this soup:
Peel the eggs and cut them in half. Ladle the warm beet broth over the noodles. Garnish with scallions or microgreens.
Looking for more vegetarian recipes? Check my archives!
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Easy Udon in Beet Broth
Equipment
- Large pot
- Immersion blender
- Fine mesh sieve
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 yellow onion peeled and quartered
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
- 1- inch piece of ginger peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 pound beets peeled and roughly diced; or small-diced if you don’t want to blend them later
- 6 cups water or stock
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dashi granules optional
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 16 ounces udon fresh frozen, or dried or use soba, ramen, somen, or your favorite soup noodle.
- Minced scallions or microgreens for serving
- 4 soft-boiled eggs optional for serving
Instructions
Prepare the broth aromatics:
- Heat neutral oil and sesame oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Cook the beets:
- Add the chopped beets and cook 3–4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Simmer the broth:
- Pour in stock or water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add soy sauce, dashi, and mirin and simmer for 30–40 minutes until the beets are soft. Note: If using small-diced beets, skip the next two steps.
Blend the beets (optional):
- Use an immersion blender to blend until mostly smooth. You can skip this, but I like to get out as much beet flavor as possible. You can also blend until completely smooth and skip the straining step below.
Strain the broth (optional):
- Place a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl and pour the broth through the sieve. Discard solids and rinse out the sieve (you’ll need it for the noodles). Keep warm.
Cook the eggs and noodles:
- Wipe out the pot used to make the beet broth and fill it with water. Bring to a boil. Add the eggs and boil for 7 minutes. Use a ladle to remove them and transfer to an ice bath. Keep the water boiling.
- Add the noodles to the water and cook according to package instructions. Drain and set divide between 4 bowls.
To serve:
- Pour the warm beet broth over each bowl of noodles. Cut the eggs in half and place on each bowl. Garnish with scallions or microgreens and a sprinkle of salt. Enjoy!
