Vegetarian Sotanghon Soup Recipe

Have healthy comfort food during the cold or rainy season with this easy Vegetarian Sotanghon Soup Recipe! It's loaded with the delicious flavors of upo, vegan luncheon meat, sotanghon noodles, and spices that make a savory and hearty lunch or dinner for the whole family!

Looking for more soup dishes? Try my Easy Ginger Noodle Soup, Vegan Batchoy Soup (Filipino Noodle Soup), or my Sour Cabbage Soup!

Jump to:

• What is Sotanghon at Upo Soup?
• Health Benefits of Bottle Gourd (Upo)
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Storage
• Top Tips
• Ingredients
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Vegetarian Sotanghon Soup Recipe

What is Sotanghon at Upo Soup?

This Sotanghon at Upo Soup is a hearty and healthy Filipino dish made with sotanghon noodles, diced upo (bottle gourd), fried vegan luncheon meat, vegetarian oyster mushroom sauce, and spices. It is an easy vegetable noodle soup recipe that will keep you warm during the cold season or on rainy days.

It is comforting, inexpensive, and perfect for a vegan or vegetarian lunch or dinner. You can consume this as it is or serve it with a warm bowl of steamed rice. If you're in the mood for a hearty bowl of soup, keep reading for the recipe!

Health Benefits of Bottle Gourd (Upo)

• Aids in the treatment of sleep disorders
• Promotes heart, skin, and stomach health.
• It acts as a diuretic and aids in weight loss.
• Reduces liver inflammation and blood sugar levels.
• Helps in reducing stress because of its cooling effect.

Substitutions

• Feel free to use any plant-based protein of your choice for this vegetable noodle soup such as fried tofu or tempeh.
• You can use soy sauce instead of the vegetarian oyster sauce, but it will result in a thinner consistency.

Variations

• You may add veggies to this healthy recipe such as napa cabbage, bell pepper, mushrooms, carrot, and celery.
• Topping options: garnish with cilantro, crispy fried shallots, fried garlic bits, green onion slices, or a hard-boiled egg.

Storage

If you have leftovers, place them in a container with a lid and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat with more water and season with vegetarian oyster mushroom sauce or salt to taste.

Top Tips

• It is ideal to use a young bottle gourd or calabash for this recipe then peel the skin off the gourd lengthwise using a vegetable peeler.
• Dice the peeled gourd in uniform sizes to ensure even cooking. Remove the spongy flesh with a spoon and discard if the interior is too spongy and has large, hardened seeds.
• This sotanghon soup is best served immediately after cooking because the sotanghon absorbs a lot of the broth and the upo becomes mushy over time.

Ingredients

Listed below are all the ingredients you will need:

• vegetable oil 
• vegan luncheon meat
• sweet onions
• garlic cloves
• upo 
• vegetarian oyster mushroom sauce 
• vegetable broth 
• sotanghon (glass noodles)
• salt 
• ground black pepper 
• crispy fried garlic 

Instructions

In a large pan over medium heat, add the oil and fry the vegan luncheon until brown: 

Move the luncheon meat to the side and sauté the sweet onions on medium-low heat for 2 minutes. Add in minced garlic and mix well with the fried luncheon. Then, add in diced upo and vegetarian oyster mushroom sauce. Mix well and continue sautéing for another 2 minutes:

Pour the vegetable broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce to simmer for 4 minutes:

Add in the vermicelli noodles and continue simmering for another 4 minutes until the noodles are translucent. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste. Then, sprinkle with the crispy fried garlic and serve immediately:

Enjoy a healthy and savory noodle soup!

Frequently Asked Questions