Vegan “Chicken” Noodle Soup
June 19th, 2008 by housewife
If you're new to this blog, you may want to subscribe.
Thanks for reading Vegetarian Frugal Housewife!
“Soup puts the heart at ease, calms down the violence of hunger, eliminates the tension of the day, and awakens and refines the appetite.”
~Georges Auguste Escoffier, French Chef
This recipe is just what it says!
Got a cold? This stuff has as much (actually more) protein in it as Mom’s Homemade Chicken Soup, minus the chicken!
And, with the antibiotic properties in the onions, you’ll be right as rain in no time.
It tastes so close to the real deal, folks would have a hard time telling the difference. :)
- Vegan “Chicken” Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
4-6 cups of water
1-2 celery stalks, slivered
3 medium mushrooms, chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced fine
1 medium onion, diced
1 large carrot, cut in rounds
1 package firm tofu, cubed OR
1 package vegan “chicken” cutlets, cut in chunks
1 tsp thyme
pinch of ground cumin
1-2 tsp Italian seasoning
2-3 cubes vegetable bullion
2 large bay leaves
1 tbsp sea salt
2 handfuls of pasta, I use rotini shape
6-8 tbsp of nutritional yeast OR
2 cups of “No-Chicken” broth
1/2 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
1. Cut tofu in small cubes and fry in olive oil until slightly browned.
2. Marinade tofu in 1 cup water with salt and 3 tbsp dissolved yeast flakes, or in 1 cup of “No Chicken” broth, for 2-3 hours.
3. Heat the rest of the water with the remaining “No Chicken” broth or yeast flakes, until simmering.
4. Add the onions, spices and carrots, continuing to simmer.
5. Once tofu has finished marinating, add it to the soup pot.
6. Let tofu simmer in the broth for 35-45 minutes and then add any remaining vegetables.
7. Let the completed soup simmer until all veggies are cooked thoroughly.
8. Remove the bay leaves from the pot, add more salt and flavorings to taste.
9. Serve with a nice artisan bread and some cool iced tea.
* You can add other veggies such as broccoli, asparagus or corn kernels, if that’s how your Mom made it. ;)
Bon Appetit and Get Well Soon!!!
If you enjoyed this post, perhaps you'd like to buy me some tofu.
I was just watching a show the other day (food network, probably) touting the benefits of chicken soup… and all I could think of was how much better it would be if it were vegetarian :) Looks like a good recipe!
Yeah Magpie, I totally agree! This soup came out amazing, it tasted so much like Chicken soup that I had to reflect and make sure I hadn’t accidentally dropped some into the pot. ;) And once I looked up the amount of protein in all of the ingredients, I was floored to think that this stuff is even better for recuperation than any old chicken soup. :)
great different soup .
What is this vegan “chicken”. I thought vegans are vegetarians
*sigh* Hence the quotations around ‘chicken,’ Vish. It is artificial chicken substitute and contains no animal products.
Secondly, vegans are not vegetarians. Vegans to not eat ANY animal product (that means no milk, no eggs, etc.) whereas vegetarians do.
Anyway, this sounds yummy, although I might not even bother with the ‘chicken’ or the tofu…
LOL funny stuff.
What you add in is up to you. It tastes like chicken broth even without the tofu added in.
I just added that in for a “meaty” and chewy texture. Just as yummy without.
Thanks for your comments.
-Housewife
I just stumbled across this recipe and I must say it looks good. I’m gonna try making it one of these days. Thank you.
Sounds yummy! :)
Hey.
It is hard for me to understand how can you be a vegetarian (or a vegan for that matter) and still like the taste of meat !?If you like the taste of meat, it must be a constant pain for you not to eat it…
I’m a vegetarian for 2 years now, but simply because I do not like the taste anymore. And obviously, I run like hell from recipes or dishes which say “just like pork” or just like chicken”.
If meat would become “yummy” for me, I would sure not punish myself constantly, and eat it.
Do not want to offend anyone, just my opinion.
Dear Bogda,
While my husband and kids are vegetarian, I have only recently become vegetarian. I just gave up eating chicken while I haven’t had beef in a year. I haven’t had pork in 9 years.
I am vegetarian for health and spiritual reasons. But I will admit, it can be hard to stay away from something I love so much.
So I think it’s great to find recipes that still reminds me of chicken flavor without actually eating it. It may be easier for those who have been vegetarian for longer, but for me, I’m still in transition.
God bless!
Comments with a negative sentiment are not appropriate for the tone of this blog. Hence I remove comments that point fingers at (or in other ways are unloving towards) other human beings who are just simply trying to do their best in this world. Please refrain from adding more egoic, self-righteous negativity to this Earth. You are a being filled with creativity and love, please shine it out upon the Earth because we need more of it.
-Housewife
Thanks! It looks really good, and I think I’ll give this a try.
what you dont seem to realize is the boiling of bones to make stock releases many beneficial minerals into the soup, which helps heal your body when its sick. I’m sure this soup with its no-chicken broth tastes good, and the protein levels are similar, but when you’re sick it will probably only help loosen your stuffed nose. give me real chicken stock any day.
I absolutely love it when folks don’t get it about vegetarianism. ;)
@Bogdan
My wife and I entertain several times a year. Having something that tastes “just like meat” gives me a dish that I can serve my guests and also eat from myself. I also have a great mushroom & barley soup recipe that tastes as if it were a beef & barley soup and my wife and I are toying around with a cabbage & tomato soup just now, trying to get the proportions ‘just right’ so that it has so much zest and zip that nobody will look in the bowl and ask “Where’s the beef?”
When I (openly) serve ‘just vegetables’, meat eaters feel cheated. That’s not how I want my guests to feel. I make every effort to make dinner taste so good that they don’t realize until they are on their way home that I didn’t serve any meat.
LOL. My sentiments exactly Bill.
When folks eat my “meat”loaf or chilli I want them to be wowed when they find out there isn’t any meat in them.
Not only do they go away full and satisfied but they realize that they can add a meatless meal to their own weekly menu and not get any complaints from the family.
It’s a win-win situation!
Thanks for sharing!
-Housewife