Last weekend everyone in the house had a cold. Even the cat was sneezing. I had set aside most of Sunday for recipe testing, but as my sniffly self read through my list of recipes-in-progress, nothing really sounded good. What I needed, and what was missing from my list, was something that was nutritious, hydrating AND comforting. If only humans had invented such a food… oh wait, they have! It goes by the name of chicken noodle soup and it’s proffered by caring grandmas everywhere. In this vegan version, I’ve ditched the chicken in favor of chewy baked tofu pieces.
This tofu noodle soup is super easy. It’s almost a one pot meal, except for the whole pre-baking the tofu thing. The pasta cooks directly in the pot with the broth. We are eating gluten-free around here more often than not at the moment, so I tested this recipe with brown rice macaroni. Regular ole’ glutenous pasta, broken into bite size pieces if applicable, will also work.
A cool thing about cooking the pasta IN the soup is that the starches from the pasta thicken the soup a little bit. It’s still pleasantly brothy, but with a natural cornstarch-esque glossiness. This nicely makes up for the, erm, natural thickening properties of certain ingredients in a non vegan chicken noodle soup. No need to go into the macabre details 🙂
In creating this vegan tofu noodle soup, I used a mixture of olive oil with just a little bit of coconut oil to improve the mouthfeel. To the broth, I also added some soy sauce and nutritional yeast, to make up for the umami flavor lost to making this meatless. And finally, to give the tofu more of an irregular shape, I smashed it slightly before chopping it into chunks that I then roasted. We felt like this gave it a little more of a “classic” look, but it’s totally optional.
Aside from that, the ingredients probably look familiar to you. Just go into zen mode chopping a few veggies and your vegan chicken noodle soup alternative will be ready in no time. Packed with veggies, vitamins, fiber, and protein too, this is a comforting vegetarian soup for colds, or just for somebody who wants a tasty bowl of food 🙂
Tofu Noodle Soup (Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup)
A vegetarian spin on chicken noodle soup, this tofu noodle soup is warming, comforting, and flavorful. Plus, it can easily be made gluten-free!
Ingredients
- 1 14-oz. block extra-firm tofu drained and pressed
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup sliced carrot (peeled if desired)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground white pepper (or additional black pepper)
- 8 cups vegan chicken-style broth (or use any vegetable broth or stock)
- 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 8 oz. brown rice elbows (scant 2 cups) (or pasta of choice, broken into bite-sized pieces if applicable)
- salt to taste (I used 1/2 tsp; add it gradually)
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Open the tofu package, drain the excess liquid, and press the tofu while the oven reheats. (Either use a tofu press, or wrap the tofu in a clean towel and stack something heavy on top of it).
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Press down on the tofu to "squish" it up into more irregular shape, then roughly chop it. (Optional; feel free to just cube it if you prefer). Place the tofu pieces on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, then agitate and flip the tofu pieces. Bake for another 15-25 minutes, or until the tofu pieces have firmed up significantly, with a slightly crisped crust on the outside. Remove from the oven and set aside.
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(I start this step when the tofu has about 10 minutes left in the oven). In a large saucepan, heat the oils over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrot, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally. If the vegetables start to brown, turn down the heat to medium-low. Continue until the onions and celery are translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
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Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme, black pepper and white pepper and stir. Cook until fragrant, 60 to 90 seconds. Add the broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and stir in the soy sauce, nutritional yeast, pasta, and baked tofu pieces. Continue to cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, or until the pasta is tender.
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Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Serve topped with fresh thyme or parsley, if desired.
Recipe Notes
BROTH: The broth concentrate that I linked in the ingredients list is the main vegetarian broth that I keep around in my pantry. I like the flavor and ingredients, as compared to other brands. I generally focus on finding brands without added sugar.
Adapted from this non-vegan classic chicken noodle soup
More comforting and hydrating soups from the site:
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Abi says
So good! I add some lemon to this and use GF noodles. Thanks for the recipe!
Lauren says
This soup is amazing, so flavourful! For extra protein I doubled the amount of tofu, added chickpeas, and used chickpea noodles. It turned out great! Will definitely be making this again.
Sam says
The soup was great, but the plain tofu was really tasteless and my kid picked it out. I ended up doing the same. If I could get some flavor into the tofu, this would be a homerun. otherwise next time I’ll just leave it out.
Logan says
Here’s an idea— after pressing the tofu to extract the liquid, try deep frying it. This will give it some texture and then you would be able to add it to the soup because after frying, it will become more “spongy” and absorbent.
Annette says
I am right now making this soup probably for the 7th? time right now. I can’t wait for it to be done because it it’s perfect and delicious EVERYTIME! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! As I vegan I kind of missed chicken soup, especially on days like today- early snow in Colorado. But of course didn’t miss it enough to warrant taking a chickens life for it- I’d gladly resume living without it. Now I don’t have to! What a comfort this soup is! Hearty, and especially soul warming as it’s cruelty free! It really does taste exactly like chicken soup of childhood, even non vegan friends agree!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!!✌🏼❤️🌱
Natalia says
I don’t remember how many times I’ve done this recipe. It is really good!
Billie Ducati says
I have made this soup a handful of times now and it’s always a success. I add more veggies, and use chopped up rice noodles. Would recommend 10/10
Lynn says
I made this soup for my daughter for the first time. She loved it. She said it tasted just like chicken soup I have always made for her before she became a vegetarian, I used the airfryer to cook the tofu. I left out nutritional yeast because I didn’t have it. I will get the yeast for future soups, but leaving it out didn’t effect the flavor. Great recipe.
Kristy Edmunds says
I have made this soup twice in the past two weeks. My kids were begging for it again. Thank you!
Erin says
This has been our go-to soup for months! My kid started to get a sore throat and requested this immediately! Thanks for such a great recipe. My family says this is their very favorite soup that I make. I have started preparing the tofu in the air fryer instead of the oven and the crispyness is divine.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
That is a high honor that your kids are requesting this vegan chicken noodle soup! Thank you for the comment 🙂
Teresa says
Great recipe. I think next time I’ll marinate the tofu and probably cut down on the red chili peppers. Came out quite spicy. Thank you for the recipe!
Cyndi says
Best soup EVER!
Becca says
Really good recipe. Baking the tofu until it gets chewy is genius, it’s very reminiscent of chicken without being too chicken-y, if that makes sense. I will definitely be making this whenever we get sick from now on.
Kendra says
I made this today using vegetarian chicken bouillon for the broth and I added some chick peas, sage, and basil and I used whole wheat elbow macaroni for my pasta. So delicious! Thank you!
Kat Dhand says
I made this today and it was just what we needed on our sick day, I must say i never would’ve thought to roast the tofu and add the nooch and a little coconut oil. I think those things really took it to the next level of scrumptious. Thank you sooo much!
KT says
I’ve made this a few times now and it’s great. I never thought about using tofu as a substitute for the lecture of chicken in a soup. This one’s a keeper!
Mariam says
I just made this and it’s superb !! What a cozy treat !! I only made one change which is adding the juice from one lemon to give it extra tang. Thank you so much for this recipe wow ! One the best broths ever
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Lemon sounds like a great addition! Thanks for your comment!
Stephanie says
Love this soup! It has an amazing classic flavor especially with vegan no chicken broth. I make it for my family when anyone is sick.
Alicia says
This was so good. Easy to make and totally hit the spot. I just left the tofu in cubes because the appearance wasn’t important to me. I would think you could also crumble it with your hands, rather than slicing it.
Robyn says
You can use brown rice & millet ramen noodles. Also can add fresh dill for that old fashioned chix soup taste I also include parsnip & turnips
Aunt Lori says
Another good one!