For many people pho is a comfort food unlike anything else. The rich broth is usually made from bones cooked down until they release the marrow. In this vegetarian version if the famous Vietnamese dish we’re skipping the meat and bones, yet the final result is intensely flavored with the deep umami flavor of mushrooms and spices.

You might be skeptical that we can make a soup that rivals bone broth, but the tasting is the true test and this one passed all the taste tests for me!

We’re using ground, dried porcini mushrooms as a base for the broth. If you can’t find porcini you can use dried oyster mushrooms instead- or really any dried mushroom you like. If you don’t want to bother with bones but aren’t in need of a strictly vegetarian dish you can add a splash of oyster sauce to deepen the flavor even more.

To get the spices to open up all you need to do is add them to the stockpot first while the heat is on. When they become a little bit more fragrant you can add your vegetable broth, ground mushrooms, and other soup ingredients.

Once you have a nice dark color strain to the broth the mixture and return it to the pot. After that it’s simply a matter of assembling your ingredients. In large bowls add your silky broth first, followed by some sautéed shiitake mushrooms, rice noodles, green onions, sliced jalapeños, fresh mint and basil, and some bean sprouts. If you like it hot some Sriracha sauce is a must! And, some lime wedges complete this flavorful dish.

This spiced, smokey broth is a wonderful base for this pho, but it can also be a good base for other soups as well and you can adjust the spices to meet different recipe requirements. I love having a really tasty alternative to meat broth in my arsenal of recipes and this one does not dissappoint!