Hey friends!! It’s been a minute, but I’m back with a vegan & gluten-free version of the ultimate comfort food: chicken noodle soup! I realize my last post was also a soup recipe, and I’m probably breaking some unwritten blogging rule. But am I going to let that get in between me and my love of soup? Absolutely not!
I haven’t had chicken noodle soup in almost three and a half years now, since I stopped eating meat. But after catching a cold last week, all I found myself craving was a warm bowl of this classic soup. I created a vegan version to satisfy that craving using tofu in place of the chicken, and I couldn’t be happier with the result!
It starts with making the tofu “chicken”. Small cubes of extra firm tofu get tossed with gluten-free tamari, thyme and oregano, and then popped in the oven to bake. The result is a more flavourful tofu with some extra chew thanks to the baking.
When the tofu is halfway through baking, it’s time to get started on the soup!
I’ve kept the ingredients simple to mimic a traditional chicken noodle soup. Carrots, celery, onion, noodles, and baked tofu add substance to the soup, while low sodium vegetable broth, thyme, parsley, oregano, garlic, tamari, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper bring the flavour.
The result? A delicious soup that tastes just like the real deal. It’s hearty, savoury, and super comforting. Oh, and guess what? It tastes even better leftover the next day. Try this plant-based alternative the next time you’re craving a warming bowl of chicken noodle soup, but aren’t feeling the whole ~chicken~ thing. It won’t disappoint!
CLASSIC TOFU 'CHICKEN' NOODLE SOUP
A vegan & gluten-free version of the ultimate comfort food: chicken noodle soup! It's hearty, savoury, super comforting, and tastes just like the real deal. Try this plant-based alternative the next time you're craving a warming bowl of chicken noodle soup, but aren't feeling the whole ~chicken~ thing!
Ingredients
Tofu "Chicken"
- 1 block extra firm tofu
- 1 Tbsp gluten-free low sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
Soup
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt (omit if using full sodium vegetable broth)
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2-3 cups brown rice rotini pasta, dry (or any other pasta of choice)
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- chili flakes (optional)
Method
Tofu "Chicken"
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Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a clean cloth or paper towel to press out any excess moisture from the block of tofu. Then, cut the tofu into small cubes.
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Add the tofu pieces to a bowl with tamari / soy sauce, thyme and oregano, and toss until tofu is evenly coated. Spread onto the lined baking sheet in one layer and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, toss, and bake for another 15 minutes. (While the tofu is in the oven for the first 15 minutes, I recommend prepping the vegetables and measuring spices. After placing the tofu back in the oven halfway through baking, it's time to get started on the soup!)
Soup
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To a large pot, add olive oil, carrots, celery and onion, and sauté over medium heat for approximately 8 minutes, or until soft but not brown. Add the minced garlic for the last minute of cooking. Stir frequently, and reduce heat if at any point the mixture starts to brown.
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Add vegetable broth, water, thyme, pepper and salt to the pot, and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes.
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Uncover and add nutritional yeast, rotini pasta, and baked tofu. Bring back to a gentle boil and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, or until pasta is tender.
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Remove from heat and stir in the finely chopped fresh parsley. Adjust salt and pepper, and add chilli flakes, if desired.
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate, and was calculated using 3 cups of brown rice pasta.
- Keeps really well in a covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days. If the pasta has soaked up too much liquid, add more water before reheating leftovers. Enjoy!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Leave a comment, share it with your friends, and don’t forget to snap a picture for Instagram and tag #plantifuleating so I can see your creations!
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I’m so cold right now, and this looks so good!!! I might make it in my instapot right now!
Thanks Robin! Yes do it, and let me know how it goes!! 🙂
This soup looks really tasty, even without the chicken, and would be a great vegetarian or vegan substitute to the traditional chicken soup. I like how you were able to substitute in the tofu in place of the chicken. I really like tofu too, even though I’m not vegan or vegetarian, so this is something I may try to make one day!
Thanks Patricia! So happy to hear this soup appeals to you even though you could eat traditional chicken noodle soup. I hope you love it!
it’s supposed to snow here in Philadelphia today… I should get myself to the store because this would be the absolute perfect thing to make for today if I’m stuck in the house!
Agreed!! Thanks Hal, hope it helps warm you up!
Oh wow…this looks and sounds delicious! I’m a big fan of chicken noodle soup, especially during the winter and flu season. I would love to try this. Thanks so much!
Thanks so much Christine! 🙂
So perfect for cold and flu season! Do you have any recommendations for something other than gluten or brown rice noodles? I learned last year that struggling with a gluten sensitivity, sadly I’ve discovered that myself (and others with GF needs) struggle with brown rice. I’d love to hear any suggestions!
Thanks Reese, and sorry to hear that. Have you tried chickpea, corn, or quinoa pasta? I’m not sure if you struggle with white rice as well, but adding rice instead of noodles would be just as delicious in this soup!!
Awesome idea for a delicious veggie twist on a classic. It’s just in time for soup season.
Thanks so much Jill, enjoy!
As the winter season sets in I love having soups. This one looks so yummy. And, healthy too.
Same here!! Thanks so much!
Excited to try this recipe! I’m curious to know if you’ve tried freezing this?
I hope you love it Melissa! I haven’t tried freezing this soup, but I’m sure it would be totally fine as long as you leave the noodles out and add cooked noodles in when you’re ready to eat it instead. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!
I made this soup for my fiance and she said it was the best soup she’s ever had! And the only reason that’s absolutely nuts that she liked it so much is because she’s a kitchen snob.
I am thrilled she loved it so much! x
What a gorgeous soup. It looks like molten gold and your photos of it are wonderful. I hope you have a great weekend. Blessings…
Would you know how long this will take to cook in an instantpot? Maybe the time it takes to cook the pasta? Thanks!
Sorry, I’ve never cooked with an instant pot. Please update if it works well for you!
I made this soup for dinner this evening and it has to be one of the best soups I have ever made! My husband has already asked when will I make again ♡ Thanks for sharing!
Wow thanks Maya, you’ve made my day!! So happy you’re both loving this soup x
This tastes amazing! Can we freeze this?
So happy you’re enjoying it! I’ve never tried freezing this soup, but I imagine it would not freeze well with the noodles.
Super yummy soup that makes the whole house smell warm and inviting. Also, taste great the next day.
However, I do have a question. How did you calculate a prep time of 5 minutes? It took me the better part of 20 minutes to skin and chop that amount of carrots, onion, celery, garlic and tofu into small pieces.
Not busting your chops, this is an ongoing question I have about the calculated prep time in every recipe I make.
Thanks so much for the feedback! I’m thrilled you loved this soup! To answer your question, I think many recipes creators, myself included, often calculate prep time by what is listed in the instructions (e.g. cut the tofu into small cubes), rather than what is listed in the ingredient list (e.g. garlic, minced). It’s also just a tricky thing to calculate as everyone chops and peels at different speeds. That being said, I’ve edited the prep time in this recipe to make it more realistic for everyone. Thanks again 🙂
So delicious! I had some fresh broccoli so I threw that in and I added some Trader Joe’s Vegan Chickenless.
Additions sound amazing! Enjoy!
I really love this soup! I made it for supper tonight, and it was outstanding. My husband and I eat a plant-based diet and eat a lot of soup with beans. It was really pleasant to have a plant-based chicken noodle soup. Total comfort food.
Thanks Jeannie, so happy to hear you’re enjoying it! It’s definitely nice to have a change from bean soups every once in a while.
Alyssa. OMG. This is the BEST “chicken” noodle soup I’ve ever made! I always always come back to this recipe on cold winter days. Thank you so much for this recipe! My favourite part of the recipe is definitely experimenting with different noodle shapes 🤣
Thank you so much Angie! Love to hear it!! Make sure to report back with the best noodle shape.
This was SO delicious!! I followed your exact recipe and I don’t think it was too thick at all. It was nice and creamy and the flavors were great! My husband ate two bowlfuls and wanted more. We had plenty for leftovers. Thanks–this is a keeper.
Very good soup! I used macaroni noodles and my instapot to make this.I sautéed the veggies on sauté mode for about 8 minutes as the recipe said.Then added all the other ingredients and set to pressure cook for 7 minutes.I did a quick release,the only downside was I added 3 cups of macaroni and I think it was too much pasta with very little liquid left.It still tastes great though! Will add less pasta next time.