Poor Kid Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup
This Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup is hearty and full of flavor. Tofu takes the place of chicken in this plant-based version of the beloved classic.
Servings: 6
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Ingredients
For the tofu:
- 1 15 oz block tofu, cubed (see photos here for my cubing method)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp sea salt
- Pinch of pepper
For the soup:
- 4 cups veg broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups almond milk
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 3 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1 ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 cup carrots, sliced to ⅓ - ½ inch rounds
- 1 cup celery, thinly sliced (about ⅓ inch)
- ½ onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups rotini
- 2-3 cups kale, roughly chopped or torn
- 1 15 oz can bean great northern, don’t drain the beans
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- Lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- For the mozzarella flatbread:
6 flatbreads or pitas
- 1 ½ - 2 cups mozzarella, freshly grated
- Italian seasoning
- Fleur de sel
- Olive oil
Instructions
Fry the tofu
- Cube the tofu into 36 cubes (see photos here for my cubing method).
- Add the tofu, salt, garlic powder, onion salt, and 1 Tbsp olive oil to a nonstick skillet.
- Cook/fry the tofu over medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes. Flip the tofu every 1-3 minutes to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- At the 12-15 minute mark, add the final 1 Tbsp of olive oil, and toss it into the tofu.
- The tofu is done when each cube has browned and is slightly crisp. The pan will be mostly dry.
Cook the onion and garlic
- While tofu cooks, add 2 Tbsp olive oil, the onion, garlic, and ½ tsp salt to large soup pot. Cook over medium-high for 4 minutes.
- Add 1 Tbsp water to deglaze the pot, cook one more minute, then turn heat down to medium. Now add the carrots, celery, an additional Tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp rosemary, ½ tsp Italian seasoning, ½ tsp salt, and ½ tsp garlic powder. Cook for 5 minutes.
Add the liquid
- Now add the vegetable broth, water, 1 cup almond milk,, ½ tsp Italian seasoning, ½ tsp rosemary, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp turmeric. Cook over medium heat for two minutes.
- While the soup cooks, add 2 Tbsp flour and 2 tsp of the soup to a small bowl with the remaining 1 cup almond milk. Whisk until everything is incorporated and there are very few lumps. Add the mixture to the soup pot, and stir until it’s incorporated.
Add the beans, rotini, tofu, and kale
- Turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, add the beans, rotini, tofu, and 2-3 cup kale. Lower the heat to medium-low. Let the soup simmer for 8 minutes, then turn off the heat.
- Let sit 10 min. Taste for salt and add 2 squeezes fresh lemon juice, or to taste.
Make the flatbreads
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Place the flatbreads on a standard-sized baking sheet. Sprinkle ⅓ cup-½ cup mozzarella over each flatbread.
- Next sprinkle a little Italian seasoning and fleur de sel over the flatbreads. Last, lightly drizzle some olive oil over each flatbread.
- Bake the flatbreads at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, until the mozzarella bubbles and is slightly browned.
Notes
This soup is vegan and vegetarian.
This soup is gluten-free if you use gluten-free pasta and substitute the flour with corn starch.
If the soup gets too thick as it sits, add an additional 1-2 cups water. Taste for salt, and add another scant 1/4 tsp sea salt, if needed.
This soup is gluten-free if you use gluten-free pasta and substitute the flour with corn starch.
If the soup gets too thick as it sits, add an additional 1-2 cups water. Taste for salt, and add another scant 1/4 tsp sea salt, if needed.