Wonton Soup

Wonton soup is made of dumplings filled with seasoned ground pork, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and ginger, gently simmered in ginger broth.

I’ve made wonton soup many times since I posted about it three years ago. It’s one of our favorite winter soups. The first time I made this soup, it was cold and snowy outside. It was and still is one of those soups that go down, soothe your soul, and melt away the chill in your bones. The perfect winter meal!

What Are Wontons?

If you wonder what the heck a wonton is, they are a type of Chinese dumpling, usually filled with a small amount of filling made of minced pork and spices wrapped in a fragile and delicate wrapper, most often served boiled in a rich, delicious broth. 

I guess you could say they are the Chinese version of ravioli or tortellini, but with entirely different flavors.

What is Wonton Soup?

The wontons for this soup are stuffed with a mixture of freshly ground pork seasoned with soy sauce, rice vinegar, and fresh ginger. The wontons are gently simmered in a rich flavorful broth made of chicken broth steeped with ginger, mushrooms, and fresh scallions.

Ingredients Needed To Make Wonton Soup

• Meat:  David and I grind our own fresh pork. Ground pork, shrimp, ground chicken or turkey, and even ground beef could be used in these wontons.
• Scallions: Trimmed and thinly sliced
• Seasonings: Rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, and freshly grated ginger.
• Cornstarch: Helps thicken and bind the filling inside the wonton.
• Wonton Wrappers: You should be able to find wonton wrappers in the produce section of your local grocery store.

Note: This recipe makes a double batch of wontons. One batch is for freezing, and the other batch is for making the soup. The wonton soup portion of the recipe is only one batch of soup. You will need to make another batch of the soup broth when you are ready to make wonton soup from the frozen wontons.

Unless you grind your own pork or you are fortunate to have a grocery store that grinds meat fresh, it is hard to find a package of ground pork that is less than 1 pound; that is why I make a large batch and freeze half of them for later use.

How To Make Wontons for Wonton Soup

When it comes to making wonton soup, David usually helps me make the wontons. It saves me some time in the kitchen. 

Don’t get me wrong; wontons are easy to make. However, I always make a double batch and freeze half for a quick and easy weeknight meal another time. It is more time-consuming when making so many at once, but making a double batch is two meal preps done at one time.

Combine the Filling:

Combine the pork, scallions, rice vinegar, cornstarch, sesame oil, soy sauce, and ginger in a medium bowl. Mix by hand, like you would a meatloaf. Combine well but try not to overwork the meat.

Make the Wontons:

Next, fill a small bowl with water. Place a wonton wrapper on a clean plate or work surface (cover remaining wrappers with a damp towel or cloth to keep them from drying out while working). 

Put a heaping teaspoon of the pork mixture onto the center of the Wonton. Dip your finger into the water and run it along the edges of a wonton wrapper.

Fold the wrapper diagonally over the filling, pressing out any air to make a triangle. Press the edges firmly together to seal.

With the point of the triangle facing you, use your index finger to push the folded side of the triangle down, bringing the two points together over the top. Dip your finger into the water once more to moisten the two points. Bring the two points together and pinch over the filling to seal.

Repeat with the remaining wrappers.

Tips For Making Wontons

• As you finish making the wontons, lay them on a large plate or platter (wontons not touching), until all of the pork mixture is gone or until you run out of wonton wrappers.
• Use only a heaping teaspoon inside of each wonton. This works really well and you should hardly have anything left over.
• If for some reason you do run out of wrappers, make small meatballs out of the leftover meat. If there are wonton wrappers, you can freeze them for another time.  

How To Make Wonton Soup

Bring the chicken broth, water, bouillon cubes, soy sauce, and sliced ginger to a boil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Reduce the heat to low; let the ginger steep for about 10 minutes. Remove the ginger from the broth using a slotted spoon or strain through a sieve.

Return the broth to a gentle simmer; gently add the prepared wontons one at a time into the simmering broth using a slotted spoon. Increase heat as needed to keep a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring gently every few minutes, until the pork is done and the wontons begin to float, 5 to 8 minutes.

Add the mushroom slices to the soup during the last minute of cooking to soften.

Serving Wonton Soup

To serve, divide the wontons and mushroom slices among serving bowls using a slotted spoon, then scoop some broth into each bowl. Sprinkle with scallions and shredded cabbage, and add a few drops of sriracha, if desired.

Serve hot!

How To Freeze Wontons

If you are making the Wonton Soup right away, reserve half of the wontons; set aside.

1. Place the plate or platter of wontons (wontons not touching) inside the freezer for about 30 minutes. This will allow them to set and not stick together when putting them into the bag inside the freezer.  (Set a timer so you won’t forget to package them up.)
2. After 30 minutes, they should be firm to touch. Transfer them to a freezer-safe bag, and place them in the freezer, for later use.

How To Make Wonton Soup With Frozen Wontons

The frozen wontons make for a great weeknight meal. Just take the bag of the prepared wontons out of the freezer and drop them into the steaming broth. Steep them until defrosted and warmed through, about 10 to 15 minutes.

The first time I made wontons, I made vegetable ones for Meatless Monday. That recipe is what lead me to this pork version.

Whether you use vegetables or pork, you can have a delicious sole warming soup in no time!

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Wonton Soup

Wonton soup is made of dumplings filled with seasoned ground pork, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and ginger, gently simmered in ginger broth.

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 297kcal

Author David & Debbie Spivey

Ingredients

The Double-Batch of Wontons

• ▢ 1 pound ground pork
• ▢ 2 large scallions trimmed and thinly sliced
• ▢ 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fresh ginger finely grated, or more
• ▢ 40 wonton wrappers or 12-ounce package wonton wrappers

The Single Batch of Wonton Soup

• ▢ 1 quart chicken broth
• ▢ 1 quart water
• ▢ 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• ▢ 2 tablespoons soy sauce divided
• ▢ ½ teaspoon fresh ginger thinly sliced
• ▢ 20 prepared wontons
• ▢ 4 ounces mushroom caps thinly sliced
• ▢ Garnish with sliced scallions optional, sriracha, shredded cabbage

Instructions

Make the Wontons

• Combine the pork, scallions, rice vinegar, cornstarch, sesame oil, soy sauce and ginger in a medium bowl. Mix by hand, like you would a meatloaf. Combine well but try not to overwork the meat.
• Next, fill a small bowl with water. Place a wonton wrapper on a clean plate or work surface (cover remaining wrappers with a damp towel or cloth, to keep them from drying out while working).
• Put a heaping teaspoon of the pork mixture onto the center of the Wonton. Dip your finger into the water and run it along the edges of a wonton wrapper.
• Fold the wrapper diagonally over the filling, pressing out any air to make a triangle. Press the edges firmly together to seal.
• With the point of the triangle facing you, use your index finger to push the folded side of the triangle down, bringing the two points together over the top. Dip your finger into the water once more to moisten the two points. Bring the two points together and pinch over the filling to seal. Repeat with the remaining wrappers.
• As you finish making the wontons, lay them onto a large plate or platter (wontons not touching), until all of the pork mixture is gone or until you run out of wonton wrappers. Using only a heaping teaspoon inside of each wonton works really well. You hardly have anything left over. If for some reason you do run out of wrappers, make small meatballs out of the leftover meat. If there are wonton wrappers, you can freeze them for another time.

Freezing The Wontons

• If you are making the Wonton Soup right away, reserve half of the wontons; set aside.
• To freeze the wontons, place the plate or platter of wontons (wontons not touching) inside the freezer for about 30 minutes. This will allow them to set and not stick together when putting them into the bag inside the freezer. (Set a timer so you won’t forget to package them up.)
• After 30 minutes, they should be firm to touch. Transfer them into a freezer safe bag, and place in the freezer, for later use.

Make the Wonton Soup

• In a large saucepan, bring the chicken broth, water, bouillon cubes, soy sauce and sliced ginger to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low; let the ginger steep for about 10 minutes. Remove the ginger from the broth using a slotted spoon or strain through a sieve.
• Return the broth to a gentle simmer; using a slotted spoon, gently add the prepared wontons one at a time, into the simmering broth. Increase heat as needed to keep a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring gently every few minutes, until the pork is done and the wontons begin to float, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add the mushroom slices to the soup during the last minute of cooking, to soften.
• To serve, divide the wontons and mushroom slices among serving bowls using a slotted spoon, then ladle some of the broth into each bowl. Sprinkle with scallions, and/or shredded cabbage and add a few drops of sriracha, if desired.
• Serve hot!

Notes

Recipe Yields: 40 Wontons With only 4 servings of soup. This recipe makes a double batch of wontons and one batch of soup. Make a batch of wonton soup with half of the wontons and freeze the other half. You will need to make another batch of broth when you are ready to make wonton soup from the frozen wontons.

Nutrition

Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 2233mg | Potassium: 488mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Vitamin C: 17.5mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 2.6mg

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