I created this recipe for a friend, Maggie (she’s a new Mommy, congrats!) who recently asked me for a vegan chicken noodle soup recipe for cozy winter nights. This was so fun to create and I’m really pleased with the results! Thanks for the suggestion, Maggie! In place of the chicken, I roasted tofu slices with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh thyme. The baked consistency of the tofu actually resembles chicken, it’s kind of crazy. I wanted to use the traditional noodle-type pasta in the soup, but the only whole wheat/organic pasta choice in the grocery store I was in was curly ziti, so I went with that, but you could use any kind you’d like! This makes a huge pot of soup. My husband and I happily ate this all week and never got sick of it. We topped it with some fresh parsley, vegan parmesan and red pepper flakes. Hope you give this a try!
2 TBS+ extra virgin olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, diced
4 cloves garlic; minced
4 medium carrots, diced
4 celery ribs, diced
10+ sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
18 cups vegetable broth
1 package of noodles/pasta
1 block of extra firm tofu
Salt & Pepper
Toppings: Fresh parsley, vegan parmesan, red pepper flakes
Drain the tofu and press out the moisture for at least an hour. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with EVOO spray, or line with foil and spray the foil. When the tofu is ready, slice into squares and place on the baking sheet. Sprinkle on some salt, pepper, fresh thyme and drizzle with olive oil. Flip over once, then twice to cover all sides.
Bake for 20 minutes, then flip each piece, and bake for another 20 minutes. Tofu should be hardened and have a chicken-like consistency! (but not rock hard)
While the tofu bakes, heat a large pot on medium heat and add the 2 TBS olive oil. Add in all the veggies and herbs, and saute until the veggies start to soften (7-10 minutes).
Add the broth and then bring the soup to a boil. Add some salt to the soup then drop the noodles and simmer for 8-10 minutes until the noodles are al dente.
Season with salt & pepper to taste. Last step is to chop the baked tofu into bite-size pieces, and add to the soup. Stir to combine well.
Serve the soup with fresh parsley, vegan parmesan and red pepper flakes if you’d like. Enjoy!
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Ingredients
- 2 TBS+ extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 medium carrots, diced
- 4 celery ribs, diced
- 10+ sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 18 cups vegetable broth
- 1 package noodles/pasta
- 1 block extra firm tofu
- Salt & pepper
- Optional toppings: fresh parsley, vegan parmesan, red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Drain the tofu and press out the moisture for at least an hour. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray, or line with foil and spray the foil.
- When the tofu is ready, slice into squares and place on the baking sheet. Sprinkle on some salt, pepper, fresh thyme and drizzle with olive oil. Flip over once, then twice to coat all sides with seasonings.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then flip each piece and bake for another 20 minutes. Tofu should be hardened and have a chicken-like consistency.
- While the tofu bakes, heat a large pot on medium heat and add the 2 TBS olive oil. Add in all the veggies and herbs, and saute until the veggies start to soften (7-10 minutes).
- Add the broth and then bring the soup to a boil. Add some salt to the soup then drop the noodles and simmer for 8-10 minutes until the noodles are al dente.
- Season with salt & pepper to taste.
- Last step is to chop the baked tofu into bite-size pieces and add to the soup pot. Mix well to combine.
- Serve the soup with fresh parsley, vegan parmesan and red pepper flakes if you'd like. Enjoy!
