Name: Chinese Vegetable Soup With Pork
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 3 tablespoon sesame oil, separated; 1 lb pork chops, cut into thin strips (about 2 cups); salt and black pepper; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 3 tablespoon ginger root, minced; 5 cups bone broth or chicken broth; 2 large carrots, thinly sliced; 3 cups chinese broccoli (chopped in ½ inch pieces), bok choy (chopped in 1 inch pieces) or another green vegetable (any combination will do as well!); 2 tablespoon soy sauce; ¼ teaspoon seasoning salt (more to taste); 1 squirt sriracha sauce (optional, add more or other hot sauce as needed to achieve preferred spiciness)

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This chinese vegetable soup recipe is a quick and delicious lunch or dinner dish. It's flavorful, comforting and packed with healthy whole foods!

bowl of chinese veggie soup with crackers on the side — *This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full disclosure here.*

All the credit for this simple vegetable soup goes to my husband, who, upon arriving home from work and discovering I'd been feeling sick all day, started cooking and whipped this up for dinner (yes, his own recipe)! And I just lay on the couch, appreciating my good fortune in marrying someone that would do that for me!

That day, the soup warmed my body and my heart. (Too cheesy? Ah well, it's true!)

My husband has made me a big fan of asian soup. I was pretty stuck in the American food box and never even thought to try going to Chinese restaurants before him.

This one is definitely going into the regular dinner rotation! This delicious recipe will also be my #1 request whenever I feel a sore throat or nausea coming on.

Plus, if you've got leftover pork chops from last night's supper, this is an easy way to use them up.

This would also make a great appetizer or light lunch recipe and if you don't want it to be as filling, omit the meat!

bowl of soup on a plate with crackers and a spoon

Soups Are Great for Busy People

There are so many reasons to love soup, but I really appreciate that I can make a couple of meals worth of food at once and have barely any dishes to clean up afterwards! One pot meals are so great.

Why Soup Is Good When You Are Sick

I don't know about you, but hot soup is the only thing that I really want to eat when I'm sick. It feels the best. It's an easily digestible food that often contains a variety of nutrients. It's also a warm and cozy food, which means it's physiologically comforting. Perfect for getting through and combatting illness!

ladleful of soup with pork, chinese broccoli and carrots

Why Is Chinese Vegetable Soup Good for You?

This chinese vegetable soup recipe is made from whole food, simple ingredients that each have many health benefits! I will only mention a few for each but there are many more. If you can make your own bone broth instead of buying broth from the store, even better!

Garlic - Known for combatting illness, it can also reduce the risk of cancer, lower blood pressure and protect the heart.

Ginger - Can ease a cold/flu, relieve nausea, help with digestion, reduce inflammation and protect the heart.

Bone broth - Rich in many vitamins, minerals and collagen. May protect joints, reduce inflammation, and heal and soothe the gut. This is the best, foolproof method to make your own bone broth.

Carrots - Can help with the maintenance of good vision, prevent cancer, improve digestion, improve immune function and maintain healthy bones. Learn more about the health benefits of carrots.

Chinese broccoli/ Gai-lan - Can reduce the risk of cancer, benefit the cardiovascular system, prevent arthritis, maintain healthy bones, and reduce inflammation. Learn more about the health benefits of Chinese broccoli.

Bok choy/ Pak choi - Can prevent cancer, maintain bone health, reduce blood pressure, protect the heart, reduce inflammation and improve immune function. Learn more about the health benefits of bok choy.

Can Soup Be Frozen?

Once the soup has cooled, you can pour into a Ziploc freezer bag or a glass jar (leave about 2 inches at the top or the jar may break) and freeze. It's best to thaw in the fridge and then reheat on the stove or in the microwave. The vegetables will be much more tender, but the soup will be just as delicious!

Can Chinese Vegetable Soup Be Reheated?

This soup reheats well the day after or once it's thawed after being frozen. As mentioned before, the vegetables won't be as crisp, but I still thoroughly enjoy it.

What to Eat with Soup

I like to eat soup with a bread product of some kind, whether that's sprouted wheat crackers, homemade biscuits, or a slice of buttered sourdough bread. You could also eat it with a salad as a side. As this is a somewhat light meal, you could also serve the soup with sandwiches to make it more substantial!

Variations of Chinese Vegetable Soup

Omit the pork to make it a vegetarian recipe.
Omit the pork and use vegetable stock to make it a vegan recipe.
Use chicken instead of pork.
If you don't have chinese broccoli or bok choy on hand, you could replace these with any other veggies of your choice, such as snap peas, broccoli, green beans (cut into pieces), kale (chopped) or spinach (chopped) or any combination!
Add other asian-inspired ingredients such as snow peas, shiitake mushrooms, napa cabbage (aka Chinese cabbage, chopped), water chestnuts and spring onions (aka green onions or scallions). This soup is a great base that you can add to and get creative with!
Add a pinch of red pepper flakes if you prefer a spicy broth!

Tips for Making Chinese Vegetable Soup

Prepare everything before cooking. In the past, I chopped veggies as I went and I wasn't fast enough, so I ended up cooking everything for too long (vegetables became mush).
If you remember in time, brine the pork chops 2 hours before you want to make this soup. This makes the meat so much more flavorful. Here is the brine recipe I use, and I love it! And if you don't remember, don't stress, just salt the pork before cooking and your soup will still taste great.
If there is fat on your pork, cut it away from the meat and dice it into tiny pieces. Cook it first in your pot for about 5 minutes on medium heat, then add your meat and continue with the recipe. The fat will turn into deliciously crispy little bits!
Don't overcook the vegetables! It won't be the end of the world if you do, but it's much better when they have a little bit of crunch. Try to stay within that 3-5 minute cooking range as instructed in the recipe.
You can use store-bought broth, but I really recommend making your own bone broth. The flavor and nutritional value just do not compare! If you have an Instant pot, it is SUPER easy, and if you don't, well, it's still really easy! With the method I use, it turns out amazing every single time. You can collect bones by buying bone-in meats and saving the bones after eating the meat, or you can usually purchase bones at your local butcher.

pot of soup with ladle scooping some out

Tools You May Need

Large pot or dutch oven

Knife

Cutting board

Grater (I'll often grate ginger instead of mincing it)

Liquid measuring cup

Chinese Vegetable Soup Ingredients

3 tablespoon sesame oil, separated

1 lb pork chops, cut into thin strips (about 2 cups)

salt and black pepper

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoon fresh ginger root, minced

5 cups bone broth or chicken broth

2 large carrots, thinly sliced

3 cups chinese broccoli (chopped in ½ inch pieces), bok choy (chopped in 1 inch pieces) or other green vegetable (any combination will do as well!)

2 tablespoon coconut aminos or soy sauce

¼ teaspoon seasoning salt (more to taste)

1 squirt sriracha sauce (optional, add more or other hot sauce as needed to achieve preferred spiciness)

Chinese Vegetable Soup Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in your soup pot over medium heat. Add pork to the hot oil. If pork was not brined, sprinkle with salt and pepper. If pork was brined, sprinkle with pepper only. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring once or twice. The goal is to brown the meat and just cook it through. Remove pork from the pot and set aside.

Add another tablespoon of sesame oil to the pot, heat oil for a minute, then add garlic and ginger. Saute for 1 minute, then add broth and bring to a boil. Then put carrots and green vegetables in and keep at a gentle simmer for 3-5 minutes. Add pork back in, along with soy sauce, seasoning salt, sriracha (if using) and the final tablespoon of sesame oil. Add more salt to taste, if needed. Serve immediately.

How to Store Chinese Vegetable Soup

Once cooled, store soup in an airtight container or jar in the fridge for up to 4 days.

How to Reheat Chinese Vegetable Soup

Heat over medium heat on the stovetop until warmed through or microwave for 2-3 minutes, stopping every 60 seconds to stir and test warmth.

What did you think? If you loved this easy chinese vegetable soup recipe, please come back, comment and give it a 5 star rating! Thanks!

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