What could be more comforting than a big, piping hot bowl of vegan chicken noodle soup? Not much, as I can confirm firsthand after creating and testing this version! This recipe has been a long time coming. It was before I even started blogging that my husband asked if I could create a vegan chicken noodle soup recipe.
What You’ll Need
Vegetable broth. I used Better Than Bouillon in roasted vegetable flavor.Soy sauce. You can also use gluten-free tamari.White wine vinegar. Regular white vinegar can be subbed if that’s what you’ve got.Poultry seasoning. This is a blend of herbs normally used to season poultry. Look for it in the spice aisle of your supermarket. I use McCormick brand.Olive oil. Or whatever high-heat oil you’ve got.Tofu. Use firm or extra firm.Leeks. You’ll only need the white and pale green parts for this recipe.Celery.Carrots.Garlic.Dry white wine. This ingredient is optional, but adds a nice flavor to the soup. Make sure to check with Barnivore to ensure the brand you buy is vegan if you decide to use it.Dried thyme.Bay leaf.Turmeric. This is optional, but great for adding a golden color to make the broth look chickeny.Rotini pasta. Feel free to substitute another type of pasta. Shells, bow-ties, or ditalini would work well.Salt and pepper.Fresh parsley.
How to Make Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll down if you’d prefer to skip right to the recipe.
Bake the Tofu
We’re using baked tofu as the “chicken” in this recipe. Feel free to substitute seitan or soy curls — either can be pan-fried instead of baked. You can even use a can of chickpeas, which can just be drained, rinsed, and thrown in the soup!
Make sure your tofu has been pressed, to remove as much moisture as possible. Then dice it up.Now mix up your marinade: broth, soy sauce, white wine vinegar, poultry seasoning, and a bit of olive oil.Pour the marinade over the tofu and let it soak for about 30 minutes.
After the tofu has marinated, arrange the pieces on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake them for about 30 minutes, until they darken and shrink a bit.
Make the Soup
Heat up some olive oil in a large pot, then add diced leeks, celery, carrots, and minced garlic. Sweat the veggies until they soften up a bit.If you’re using wine, add it now. Stir it in and let it simmer until it reduces by about half.Stir in the broth, dried thyme, bay leaf and turmeric. Raise the heat and let your soup simmer for 20 minutes or so, until the veggies are soft. You can cook your pasta according to the package directions while the soup simmers.
When the soup is done, take it off the burner and season it with salt and pepper. Now stir in your baked tofu and noodles before ladling it into bowls. Top each one with some fresh parsley.
Can this recipe be made gluten-free? Yup! Just use gluten-free pasta and gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce.Shelf-life & storage: If you think you’ll have leftovers, I recommend storing the soup, tofu, and noodles separate, if possible. Keep each in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.Wait, poultry seasoning…doesn’t that contain poultry? The only poultry seasoning I’ve ever come across is just a blend of herbs, but check the ingredients just to be safe. I used McCormick brand, and I can confirm that that it’s vegan.What about the pasta. Doesn’t that contain egg? Dried pasta is generally vegan! There are a few exceptions, like egg noodles, so check the ingredients before buying.Not into tofu? Try subbing seitan, soy curls, or chickpeas for the baked tofu.Looking for more vegan “chicken” soup recipes? Try my vegan chicken and rice soup, or vegan cream of chicken soup!
More Vegan Soups
Vegan Chicken & Rice SoupClassic Vegan Potato SoupEasy Summer Vegetable SoupSpicy Vegan Tortilla SoupVegan Beef Barley Soup
Video
Need some guidance on how to make my vegan chicken noodle soup? Check out my video!
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