This isn't the first time I have written about Udon noodles, and it won't be the last! My love for these thick, chewy noodles began a long time ago. Udon soup is my go to; my feel good. Now that the New Year is in full swing, and I, like many others, have decided to go meatless for awhile. I have begun to count on such old favorites as this quick and easy soup.

A good broth is needed; whether you make your own dashi broth using Kombu and bonito, or use store bought that you can enrich with some mushroom stock. I do a bit of both. With broth simmering away, noodles should be cooked and placed off to the side, then the secondary players in the soup get into the action. I like to add a handful of dried wakame, some shelled edamame, medium firm tofu and sweetened fried tofu too. Sliced shitake mushrooms, and handful of the cutesy enoki mushrooms and some seafood such as shrimp or scallops. All this goes into the stock, then the noodles go in to just heat through and you have what I like to call the perfect food.

This soup is great the next day too. Heated up, with the addition of a handful of fresh spinach, it makes a great breakfast or lunch. When in doubt, I like to get the noodles out and make a batch of my favorite rescue food.