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Today it’s too early to think about health. It is Christmas morning, a time for leftover Santa cookies, flaky scones, smoked salmon, and maybe a fruit squeezed in there somewhere. Later there will be trays of turkey or prime rib, Brussels sprouts sprinkled with bacon, potatoes mashed and fluffy with butter, and apple pie upon pecan pie upon pumpkin pie for dessert.
But tomorrow you might start thinking about health. And a week from now, counting down to the New Year, perhaps with a champagne glass in hand, you might be starting to tally up those resolutions. More likely than not, some sort of healthy initiative is going to be on your list.
Whether the goal is to lose weight, eat better, or exercise more, health is a high priority on most people’s New Year’s To-Do List. And as far as I am concerned, come the day after Christmas, there is no need to waste any time working on the eating portion of resolution.
Eating better does not mean you have to lose flavor. It does not even mean you have to give up things like noodles. Take one of my favorite healthy foods: soba. Soba is a Japanese noodle dish eaten all times of year and pretty much everywhere in Japan, from upscale restaurants where the noodles are made by hand, to fast food stalls at train stations.
But soba--strands of thin, dark noodles made of buckwheat flour--is good for you. It's a rich source of fiber, with minerals such as iron and zinc, plus some protein from essential amino acids. For those resolving to cut back on gluten, buckwheat flour is gluten free. Just look for soba noodles that are gluten free certified, indicating they have not shared machinery with wheat products.
Soba is versatile. Eaten cold with a dipping sauce or hot in a soup base, the noodle is just the jumping off point for a full-bodied, healthful meal.
This time of year I like to eat soba in a soup base for a body-warming bowl of satisfaction. Traditional soup bases might use dashi and soy, but I find miso also does the trick and is much more widely available than dashi, a specialty Japanese product.
If wakame or other seaweed is not available, fill in the soup with any green that looks good; baby bok choy, kale, spinach are equally full of flavor and vitamins. To keep it vegetarian, diced tofu is a light and filling protein, or consider a poached egg, shredded chicken, or a couple of paper-thin slices of pork loin.
To really max out the flavor without fat or calories, it is all about the condiments. Kimchi, that pungent fermented cabbage form Korea, sliced green onions, chili sauce, and perhaps a drizzle of sesame oil round out the bowl.
There is nothing wrong with making resolutions. Unless you're Mary Poppins (“practically perfect in every way”), we all tend to have room for improvement in our relationships, career, or for many of us, food habits. But if you are going to make a healthy eating vow this year, you might as well make it easier to keep by making food that actually tastes good. A versatile, good-for-you, and delicious bowl of soba is just the ticket to get the year off to a healthy start.
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/amy-powell/1215-soba-soup/
Soba Soup For A Healthy New Year
But tomorrow you might start thinking about health. And a week from now, counting down to the New Year, perhaps with a champagne glass in hand, you might be starting to tally up those resolutions. More likely than not, some sort of healthy initiative is going to be on your list.
Whether the goal is to lose weight, eat better, or exercise more, health is a high priority on most people’s New Year’s To-Do List. And as far as I am concerned, come the day after Christmas, there is no need to waste any time working on the eating portion of resolution.
Eating better does not mean you have to lose flavor. It does not even mean you have to give up things like noodles. Take one of my favorite healthy foods: soba. Soba is a Japanese noodle dish eaten all times of year and pretty much everywhere in Japan, from upscale restaurants where the noodles are made by hand, to fast food stalls at train stations.
But soba--strands of thin, dark noodles made of buckwheat flour--is good for you. It's a rich source of fiber, with minerals such as iron and zinc, plus some protein from essential amino acids. For those resolving to cut back on gluten, buckwheat flour is gluten free. Just look for soba noodles that are gluten free certified, indicating they have not shared machinery with wheat products.
Soba is versatile. Eaten cold with a dipping sauce or hot in a soup base, the noodle is just the jumping off point for a full-bodied, healthful meal.
This time of year I like to eat soba in a soup base for a body-warming bowl of satisfaction. Traditional soup bases might use dashi and soy, but I find miso also does the trick and is much more widely available than dashi, a specialty Japanese product.
If wakame or other seaweed is not available, fill in the soup with any green that looks good; baby bok choy, kale, spinach are equally full of flavor and vitamins. To keep it vegetarian, diced tofu is a light and filling protein, or consider a poached egg, shredded chicken, or a couple of paper-thin slices of pork loin.
To really max out the flavor without fat or calories, it is all about the condiments. Kimchi, that pungent fermented cabbage form Korea, sliced green onions, chili sauce, and perhaps a drizzle of sesame oil round out the bowl.
There is nothing wrong with making resolutions. Unless you're Mary Poppins (“practically perfect in every way”), we all tend to have room for improvement in our relationships, career, or for many of us, food habits. But if you are going to make a healthy eating vow this year, you might as well make it easier to keep by making food that actually tastes good. A versatile, good-for-you, and delicious bowl of soba is just the ticket to get the year off to a healthy start.
Soba With Kimchi and Tofu
Made with kimchi, sesame oil, green onions, soba noodles, vegetable oil, shallot, baby bok choy, water, white miso paste, firm tofu
Made with kimchi, sesame oil, green onions, soba noodles, vegetable oil, shallot, baby bok choy, water, white miso paste, firm tofu
Serves/Makes: 6
- 3 bundles soba noodles
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 shallot
- 6 heads baby bok choy
- 8 cups water
- 1/2 cup white miso paste
- 12 ounces firm tofu
- 1 bunch green onions
- sesame oil (optional)
- kimchi (optional)
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the soba according to package directions. Drain and rinse soba in a colander under cold running water.
Meanwhile, in another pot, heat oil over a medium flame. Thinly slice shallot and add to oil. Saute for about 3 minutes until softened.
While shallot is cooking cut boy choy into 1 inch pieces. Add boy choy to shallot and saute for another 2-3 minutes until slightly wilted. Add water and bring to a boil. Whisk in miso paste. Reduce heat to a simmer.
While water is coming to a boil, cut tofu into small dice and slice green onion thinly. Add tofu to the miso and simmer just for 1-2 minutes until tofu is warm.
Divide soba between individual bowls. Ladle soup over the noodles. Top each bowl with green onion, an optional drizzle of sesame oil, and some kimchi.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/amy-powell/1215-soba-soup/