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))
Categories
Main Course
Soup
Cuisine
American
dairy-free
gluten-free
refined sugar-free
vegan
vegetarian
Steps
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).
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.
(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.
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.
Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Serve topped with fresh thyme or parsley, if desired.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 bowl
Calories: 404 kcal
Carbohydrates: 55 g
Protein: 17 g
Fat: 13 g
Saturated Fat: 3 g
Sugar: 4 g
Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
Reviews
Erin on 2022-08-31 (5 stars): I just want to thank you for this recipe. I have been making it for years for my family- it is one of the only soups they like! Every time someone is under the weather, or just when we want to feel cozy, we make this soup. Delicious!
wme on 2022-04-23 (5 stars): Thank you for the excellent simple recipe. I marinated/seasoned the tofu before roasting it which I imagine added to the overall flavor.
Jo on 2021-09-29 (5 stars): I made this for myself and my husband, while we were both having a cold. I also added ginger to the spice mix and that gave the broth more flavor. I'm a big fan of those tofu bits. Yum!
Abi on 2020-12-06 (5 stars): So good! I add some lemon to this and use GF noodles. Thanks for the recipe!
Lauren on 2020-11-22 (5 stars): 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 on 2020-09-15 (4 stars): 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.
Annette on 2020-09-09 (5 stars): 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!!!✌🏼❤️🌱
Billie Ducati on 2020-06-13 (5 stars): 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 on 2020-01-03 (5 stars): 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 on 2019-09-30 (5 stars): I have made this soup twice in the past two weeks. My kids were begging for it again. Thank you!
Erin on 2019-08-25 (5 stars): 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.
Teresa on 2019-07-01 (5 stars): 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 on 2019-06-16 (5 stars): Best soup EVER!
Becca on 2019-03-27 (5 stars): 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 on 2019-02-22 (5 stars): 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 on 2019-01-28 (5 stars): 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!
