Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup

5 from 11 votes

This cozy vegan chicken noodle soup features savory baked tofu, lots of noodles, and tender veggies simmered in seasoned vegetable broth. Tastes just like the stuff mom used to make, without the meat!

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 301kcal

Author: Alissa

Ingredients

For the Savory Baked Tofu

½ cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 (14 ounce or 400 gram) package firm or extra firm tofu, drained, pressed at least 20 minutes, and diced into ¼ to ½ inch cubes

For the Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 leeks, white and pale green parts only, finely chopped
2 medium celery stalks, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dry white wine, optional, but really nice
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
8 cups vegetable broth
6 ounces rotini pasta
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh parsley, for serving

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Savory Baked Tofu

Stir together the broth, soy sauce, white wine vinegar, poultry seasoning, and olive oil in a small bowl or cup.
Place the tofu cubes in a shallow dish and pour the broth mixture on top. Gently stir to distribute the ingredients. Marinate the tofu for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Arrange the tofu cubes in an even layer on the baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned, about 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the tofu cool a bit.

Make the Soup

While the tofu bakes, coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and place it over medium heat.
When the oil is hot, add the leeks, celery, carrots and garlic. Sweat the veggies until they're slightly softened, 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
If you're using wine, stir it in now and bring it to a simmer. Allow the wine cook, uncovered, until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the broth, thyme and bay leaf. Raise the heat and bring the broth to a boil.
Lower the heat and allow the soup to simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the soup simmers, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it according to the package directions.
Drain the pasta into a colander when it's done cooking.
When the soup finishes simmering, remove the pot from heat and season it with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the pasta and tofu.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with a sprinkle of parsley. Serve.

Notes

Feel free to substitute seitan, soy curls, chickpeas, or your favorite savory marinated tofu. You can skip the marinating and baking steps if you do that.

Nutrition