Whenever the weather goes back and forth between cooler days and warm ones, I find myself getting sick. I don’t know what it is about this kind of temperature fluctuation that makes me sick–I guess my body is just a big ol’ wuss about everything? We’ve been getting that kind of weather lately, and like clockwork, I’ve started getting pressure in my sinuses and a near-constant sore throat. Obviously, there’s only one solution for my health woes: ice cream chicken noodle soup.
So how does one go about making vegetarian chicken noodle soup? Well, in the past, I’ve avoided this question entirely by purchasing Amy’s canned no-chicken noodle soup. But I really felt like homecooked soup this time. I adapted my recipe from Tyler Florence’s Chicken Noodle Soup, mostly because it was the first result when I Googled. (I’m so lazy, right? Normally I don’t do this, but for something like chicken noodle soup, I figured there really couldn’t be too many variations, right?) I thought about using seitan in place of the chicken, but went with tofu instead. By freezing the tofu first, it gives it a nice chewy texture–don’t skip this step! I also reduced the amount of noodles to cut calories a little. To replace the chicken broth, I used a chickenless chicken broth–you can find these at most natural food stores. (Oh, and if you want to make vegan chicken noodle soup, use noodles that aren’t made with eggs.)
Clearly tofu is not chicken, but the texture comes pretty close to the chicken bits in canned soup. (I guess that’s not exactly a ringing endorsement?) This might not be chicken noodle soup like your grandma makes it, but it’s pretty darn close.
A vegetarian chicken noodle soup recipe adapted from a (non-vegetarian) recipe by Tyler Florence.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 medium carrots, sliced
- 4 celery ribs, sliced
- 8 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 bay leaves
- 1-14 oz. package extra-firm tofu, frozen overnight, thawed, pressed for 30 minutes (I use the Tofu Xpress), and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 4 quarts no-chicken broth
- 12 oz. dried wide egg noodles
- 1/2 c. fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Cook and stir for 3 minutes; add tofu. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened, but not browned.
- Add broth and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, add egg noodles and simmer for 8 minutes. (The noodles will be slightly undercooked, but don't worry--they'll continue cooking after removed from heat. This way, the noodles won't be mushy.)
- Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley before serving.
Notes
No-Chicken broth and bouillon cubes are sold at Whole Foods, natural grocery stores, and many supermarket chains. If you can't find either of these, you can use vegetable broth.
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I’m going to try it but without the tofu!
Ha! I knew that this recipe wouldn’t be popular with meat-eating readers, but these are the ones I always get search engine traffic for! It’s a trade-off.
Looks good, but when anyone in our family is sick we go by the Chinese restaurant and grab a quart of EGG DROP SOUP to go. It will cure nearly anything!
Ooh, I haven’t had that in a really long time! I should figure out a way to make it.
Looks delicious. Would love for you to share your pictures with us over at foodepix.com.
I am a meat eater but I do love me some tofu, the kids probably won’t eat it but I may have to make it for myself!
It’s funny, even though I’m a vegetarian, I’m not a big tofu eater. It’s really good in this soup though!
Yum, that looks so good! And that picture is beautiful!
We go to a chinese restaurant where we get soy beef and broccoli. It’s the best thing ever. When we have friends try it, they can’t believe it’s vegetarian.
Oh, I’m jealous! Back when we lived in Illinois, we moved to a town with a vegetarian Chinese restaurant & we were so psyched to try it and then we found out that it closed the week before we moved there. We still have yet to find another one.
Sounds perfect for a cold day!
There is just something about chicken noodle soup that makes you feel better when ill!
I’m sick too. I’m functioning on massive doses of Dayquil today! Its so annoying. I always get sick around this time of the year which causes the days before Christmas to be a mad rush! This soup looks wonderful! I’m sticking my husband on it to make for dinner tonight!
I hope it turned out well if you made it. I’m making more soup for myself this week. I am still sick–I don’t know if it’s a cold or some allergy/sinus deal. Ugh! I hope you feel better soon–at least in time for Christmas!
I am part of a cooking challenge and we had to find a chicken noodle soup, from a fellow blogger, and make it. I chose yours because I don’t eat meat.
This is really a wonderful recipe and I just wanted you to know my pictures of your creation will be up Noon today (EST).
Hope you have a great Saturday!
Thanks for letting me know! I will stop by to check it out.
I love tofu and have always wanted to make a veggie version of chicken noodle soup. This is right up my alley, perfect for the next time I get sick. Thank you!
Thank you! This is definitely good comfort food for when you’re under the weather. And it freezes pretty well, so you can keep it in your freezer just in case.
Am making veggie chikin noodle soup as I type! I have not done the frozen tofu trick for my version, rather I’ve been using Trader Joe’s vegan chicken strips, which are not too pricey if you have a TJ’s near you. I’ve also used homemade seitan chunks for soups and they work out dandy. However, frozen and thawed tofu is one of my favorite things for stir fries, and I think I just might try your version the next time I do chikin noodle soup!
I thought about using seitan too, but I can’t buy it locally (have to drive 40 minutes to get it!) and I’m too lazy to make it myself.
Try this instead of tofu.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51B75VF21HL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
A chicken substitute would definitely work too, but I don’t like meat subs which is why I used tofu.
I have my annual summer cold and wanted a “chikn noodle soup”. This did the trick! The only change I made was after I cubed my thawed/frozen tofu, I dry fried it with Cajun seasonings in a cast iron skillet. I’ve found that a dry fry before using in soup helps the tofu have more body and hold up better.
Thanks for the great recipe, I feel it’s curing me already
Oh, those annual summer colds are the best, aren’t they?! ;( I get them too. I’m glad the soup helped–thanks for the idea to fry the tofu too!
Do you think it would affect the tofu even more if I froze the soup? I’d be the only one eating it, lol. Thanks!
Nope, this soup freezes well! In fact, that’s what I had for lunch today.
Yay! Thanks! Off to grab some tofu!
What if you do not press the tofu ? I just nort wild about buying a tofu press for one reciepe. Also after you freeze the tofu then it is being boiled in the soup how does it stay firm ?
You don’t need a tofu press to press tofu–I use one, but it’s also possible to press it between two plates with the bottom plate lined with paper towels to absorb the liquid. You can put a few cans, bags of beans, or something else on the top plate to weigh it down a little. Pressing the tofu helps it to absorb the flavor of the broth. I make soup with tofu all the time and it always retains its texture.
am clearing a bunch of stuff with cold like symptoms …just made the soup it is delicious. I used what I had in the fridge. No celery or tofu so I added an extra onions and a red potato and extra parsley..it is wonderful…thanks..
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It’s definitely perfect for when you’ve got a cold.
I hope you feel better soon!
Made this for a Saturday lunch. It was great! I fried the tofu in canola oil first, & used a fresh fettuccine pasta, which I cut into bite-size peices for my children. Yummy!
I’m glad you and your family enjoyed it–thanks for letting me know!
Make sure you substitute no-egg noddles, otherwise this is NOT vegan.
That’s why this soup is called Vegetarian Chicken Noodle Soup–it’s not vegan.
Thank You so much for this recipe! I am Vegetarian but don’t eat alot of Tofu but this recipe is perfect! We have made this at least 4 times since discovering it a few months ago, SO Good! Even the Non-Vegetarians in the house eat it.
Thanks Again!
Yay, I’m glad to hear it’s a hit!
Thank you so much for this recipe. It looks delicious! My teen daughter is a vegetarian and says the only thing she misses is chicken noodle soup, especially when she is sick. I will make this tomorrow. I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes, too. Our whole family goes meatless at least a few times a week.
I hope your daughter likes it! It’s one of my favorite soups–I always make a big batch whenever I’m sick.
I just made this and it was wonderful. I adjusted it a little using what I had, including 1 quart of Veggie Broth, which added a wonderful flavor. I didn’t have tofu and wanted to make it right away so didn’t want to wait to freeze and thaw it (although I plan to try it in the future) so I used 1 cup of TVP instead and it was wonderful in the soup. Threw in some rice noodles (I’m vegan) and also some alphabet noodles. Was so yummy! Thank you for this recipe!
I’m glad you enjoyed it–thanks for your comment!