Tofu ‘Chicken’ Noodle Soup
A plant-based recipe for ‘chicken’ noodle soup made with cubed organic tofu. Not only does it taste amazing but it’s comforting and just as satisfying as the classic version!
I really wish I would have got around to posting this recipe last week because I have a feeling those of you that were hit with the brutal snow storm over the weekend could have used it. Hopefully you guys are all safe and warm!
Our winters in Northern California are very mild so I can’t complain, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t dreaming of a tropical vacation right about now. Sigh…Hawaii is so close yet so far.
If there’s one thing that can get me through this time of year it’s a warm bowl of soup, and this one is definitely a hit! As soon as Brandon took a bite, he said he couldn’t believe how much it tasted like the real thing and I have to agree, the flavor is SPOT ON.
Keep in mind that neither of us have had real chicken in over 10 years, but even still, I’m confident that it’s good enough to hold it’s own with omnivores alike.
I can’t take credit for it though as the recipe comes from a new cookbook that I recently discovered titled, Eat Like You Give a Damn by Michelle Schwegmann and Josh Hooten.
Josh and Michelle are the founders of Herbivore, a Portland-based clothing line that promotes a cruelty-free lifestyle. After spending many years working to bring light to animal welfare, their passion led them to create a cookbook that shows how easy it can be to transition to a vegan diet.
I was really excited when the publisher reached out to me to see if I wanted to review a copy because, as an avid animal lover and foodie, it sounded like it was right up my alley. There are over 100 mouth-watering recipes ranging from healthy eats to decadent treats and classic comfort foods that have been recreated for a plant-based diet, like this Tofu ‘Chicken’ Noodle Soup.
The chicken is replaced with small cubes of protein-packed tofu that have been pan fried with a little tamari and nutritional yeast. After that it’s added to a base made from celery, onion, carrot and vegan chicken broth. Side note: I’m a HUGE fan of Better Than Bouillon’s No Chicken Base. All you have to do is add it to water to create your own broth and it has the best flavor.
Once that’s done, it’s finished off with a touch of tangy lemon juice and then it’s ready to eat. I’m telling you, it’s SO good! I hope you get a chance to give it a try!
Ingredients For the Tofu ‘Chicken’
1 teaspoon olive oil
8 ounces extra-firm tofu, pressed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes*
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
For the Soup
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 and 1/2 cups finely chopped carrots
1 and 1/2 cups finely chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried parsley
salt & freshly ground black pepper
6 cups vegan chicken broth (I like Better Than Boullion’s No Chicken Base)
8 ounces whole grain angel hair pasta, broken into bite size pieces
1 tablespoon lemon juice Instructions Notes *To press the tofu, place it between two dish towels on the counter and stack a few heavy books on top. Allow it to sit for 30 minutes to an hour to help draw the liquid out. I also recommend using organic tofu when possible. Original recipe titled "No Bird Noodle Soup". Reprinted with permission from Eat Like You Give a Damn by Michelle Schwegmann and Josh Hooten.
This looks really good and REALLY makes me miss tofu! :(
So sad! :(
I would love to cook more vegetarian/vegan meals. I’ve never been real big on meat, and it has really started to wig me out lately. And this soup looks like something the whole fam will enjoy! I think soups and casseroles will be the way to win my meat-loving husband over. This book looks amazing – I love any recipe help I can get.
Is there really 3162mg of sodium in one serving? It looks so good, but can’t have that much salt.
Hi Kathie! No, there isn’t that much. I just went back and recalculated the nutrition facts and it’s actually 990mg per serving. For some reason it was estimating the tofu to be really high in sodium (when it’s not). Thanks for pointing that out!
You are my SAVIOR! I’ve been looking for a good vegetarian chicken noodle recipe and I think this is it!!
Buffalo Chicken Blue Cheese Pizza
It sounds really good. I wonder if it would be as good without the yeast, soy sauce and tofu as I can’t eat any of those. Maybe a bit of chickpea miso? I’ve never cooked with miso but maybe….
I think chickpeas would be a great substitution for the tofu! And miso sounds like a delicious addition too! It has a rich umami flavor that I think would work really well. But not a lot, maybe one tablespoon. :)
Those poor folks dealing with that big storm — I truly can’t handle cold weather like that! I can tell just by looking at this that is has a ton of flavor, and your description makes it sound even better. I love that you added lemon juice for a pop of flavor, too — this looks like one delicious soup!
haha yeahhhh, we got a few inches but that causes havoc in NC so we were stuck inside for a few days! The roads are still bad so I still have yet to leave the house lol It’s pathetic! I could definitely use a huge bowl of this soup!
This looks awesome! One of my favorite soups is Italian wedding soup, so I’d love to see that recreated.
Hawaii sounds pretty awesome right about now. Though my pale legs haven’t seen the sun in waaay too long haha!
This looks delicious- I totally love that tofu. Pinning!
Im no vegetarian but I could totally replace the chicken with tofu because I love it. This is so hearty and perfect for the chilly north east weather we have been having!
This looks so amazing – cannot wait to try it!
I would love to know if there is a vegan way of making chicken salad without using any nuts?!!
This looks so delicious! I love tofu and have been eating it more and more lately. I would love you to make over a bahn mi sandwich with plant based ingredients :D or even chicken enchiladas.
The tofu noodle soup looks so delicious. I really want to try it. I would love to have the book.
Hello love eating clean…..starting out on year #5 would like have more kale ones
Oooh yummm I must make this soon! I’ve been all about soup lately. I made orzo vegetable soup for the 4th time this winter last weekend.
The cookbook sounds awesome! Would love to check it out. It’s so funny, but I can’t even think of a meat recipe I’d like to see recreated as a plant-based recipe – I think that’s a sign that I’ve been a plant-based eater for a LONG time (18 years!)! Ha.
This soup sounds divine! I’m not a vegetarian but I LOVE tofu, and the flavor and texture of it in this soup sounds spot on.
You always manage to do the most amazing things with tofu, and this is no exception! I would have never thought to use tofu in place of chicken in a chicken noodle soup, but I”m seriously loving it. And it looks just as comforting as the original!
OMG. When I saw this recipe I literally whispered out loud (to myself) “YESSSS”. My husband loooooves chicken noodle soup and we haven’t been able to find a good vegetarian substitute. (The Amy’s cans are fine but not great!) I can’t wait to give this a try!!!!
That book sounds awesome!! Ireally need to give it a flip-through. I’m all about a good comforting soup and this one sounds so well-crafted, I can barely stand it! I just started using nutritional yeast in broths and love the flavor it gives. I wannitrightmeow! Sluuuurp!
Yum! I know what I’m making for dinner tonight!
Thanks Lydia! I hope you enjoy it! :)
Holy cow this looks so incredible! I just want to curl up with a big bowl of this and an episode of Parks & Rec. That cookbook looks awesome; I’d love a good, hearty, “meaty” lasagna recipe – one that will please the biggest of carnivores!
As a vegetarian, I eat cheese.. if you also eat cheese than girl I have got the key. If you don’t, I’m sorry this won’t help lol!
So find your favorite “traditional” lasagna recipe, and substitute the meat for Quorn crumbles! SO GOOD. Even my most die-hard carnivorous family members couldn’t even tell it wasn’t real ground meat. They also make a really delicious spicy sausage imitation that I like to mix in as well, but it’s really all personal preference. After that just go for the traditional recipe. :)
Yes, I love Quorn! They make the best faux meat. I love the idea to add it to lasagna. Sounds delicious!
Made this soup last week and the entire family was raving about it. Thanks for the amazing recipe!! Will definitely be making again soon!!!
So happy to hear that, Amy! Thanks for the feedback! :)
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Can you leave the nutritional yeast out? It does not agree with me. The soup does look amazing and so close to the real thing. I really would like to try it.
Hi Kathy! You can definitely make it without the nutritional yeast. It might not be quite as flavorful but I think it would still be good. I would just make sure you are using a quality broth.
I need some advice please on how to cook the tofu without it sticking to the pan . The recipe does not call for a lot of oil but are you perhaps using more oil in the pan and the recipe indicates?
Hi Diane! I made the recipe exactly as written so the only difference I can think of is maybe the type of pan you are using? I used a cast-iron skillet that had been well-seasoned.
Vegan tacos would be nice to see!
Where do you find the nutritional yeast flakes? I’ve never used them
Hi Jodi! You should be able to find them at your local health food store. It’s usually in the bulk section. Or, if you can’t find it at the store, you can buy it online. I hope that helps! :)
Hi!!
I loved this recipe! Would like to participate in the a free copy of “Eat like you give a damn”, because I DO give a damn! :)
How about a recipe called Cheeseboogie and fries!
I’m so happy you liked the recipe, Brigitte! Unfortunately the giveaway has already ended. I’m sorry for the confusion. I will update the post to reflect that!
Not a vegan, but I made this for meal for a family with a new baby… WOW! The tofu is delicious with the tamari and yeast. Making this again.
Do you know if it will freeze/reheat well?
I’m so happy everyone loved it, Kristen! I haven’t tried freezing it but my suspicion is that it would work fine. I might let it defrost to room temp before reheating. Let me know if you end up trying it! :)
I made this tonight and it was so good! The only changes I made were- I added some more olive oil and some vegan butter to give it some fat on the tongue, we love nutritional yeast so I literally used about 1/2 cup, and doubled up on the garlic per personal preference. It was so good! My daughter is vegan and soups have been tough to find a good recipe for. This was a home run! Thank you!
I’m so glad you liked it, Nicole! Thank you! :)
I tried it and it was a big succes. Thank you. I did once with yeast and once without and did seems to have a huge impact. I also like to keep the tofu separate and add it to the soup before serving.
I have use the Tamari seasoned tofu in other recipes as well.
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, Adva! I agree, the nutritional yeast makes a big difference. I love the idea to use the tamari tofu in other recipes as well. Thanks for the feedback!
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Thank you, thank you, thank you. I gave up meat a year ago and I missed chicken noodle last winter. I wanted to find a good one before the cold really got here. This recipe is super tasty. Even my meat eater husband said it tasted just like chicken noodle. This will be a standard meal for us during the winter. I did cooked the tofu and the soup using the same pot so we had only one pit to clean.
I’m so happy you and your husband enjoyed the soup, Tanya! It’s one of my favorites too. So comforting! Thank you for commenting. :)
Loved it. I added 1/2 TSP of sage and it turned out amazing!
Thanks for the great recipe.
Sage sounds like a wonderful addition! So glad you enjoyed it, Shane!
OMG, I love that Better Than Bullion No-Chicken base too. I’ll have to give this a try.
(I do have trouble finding it though, despite living in a large city with lots of options, and usually resort to buying it online)
They’re truly the best!
Is there a substitute you can use for nutrional yeast. I don’t have that ingredient handy to me. I am vegetarian, not vegan.
Hi Allison! The nutritional yeast adds a slightly cheesy flavor that I personally love. But you can just leave it out if you can’t find any. I hope you enjoy it!
I made this tonight and it was a big hit with my husband and 3 yr old. I used Better Than Bouillon “Seasoned Vegetable Base” because I couldn’t find the chicken-less version and I thought it turned out great. The tofu was good tossed with the Tamari and Nutritional Yeast – My toddler took several pieces while it was waiting to go in the soup….I’ll use that combo in other recipes. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it, Jenny! Thank you!
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Wow! This was goooood! Will make again! Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks Kjersten!
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Do you think it’ll taste good with using vegetable broth instead of the vegan chicken broth? I want to make it tomorrow and don’t have time to wait for shipping.
It won’t be as authentic as the “chicken” broth but it will most definitely still taste good, assuming you’re using a flavorful broth. :)
How does the tofu taste on day 2-3? Considering leaving the tofu out until serving. Don’t want it to get soggy. One part I do miss about thicken- gets more tender as the days go on! Cooking this now for my dinner meal prep for the week!
I don’t think it gets soggy but you can always store it separately to be on the safe side!
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This was GREAT! I really can’t believe how simple and delicious this is. Who knew that soy sauce (regular, not even tamari) and yeast make the perfect tofu sauce.
So firstly I allowed the veggies to cook for about 20 extra minutes before adding the noodles because I didn’t want them to be crunchy. I put an extra clove of garlic because I love it. I didn’t add as much noodle and that was fine. I also added a little cornstarch to my tofu before and after frying to make it crunchy and make the sauce thick.
The lemon juice was good but not even necessary. If you eat it as leftovers the noodles will soak up all the broth so if you want it the next day you might wanna add some more liquids before you microwave it.
Perfect flavor!
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I love this recipe! I’ve done it many times. I’m off and on good about being vegetarian. This one I make in large batches and freeze for those sickly winter times. My nieces husband was very sick last winter and I took my freezer stash to a couple that never cooked with tofu before. Niece said, it’s the only thing he wanted to eat.
I’m replenishing my stash which brought me back to the recipe. I’m eating for lunch this week too as it’s calling to me! Thanks for a great recipe and your pressing tofu tip is good. I forgot it on my off vegetarian time and it’s really required for a good finish. I forget, do you freeze and thaw your tofu first? That’s a big help in texture for me.
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoy this recipe and your family does too! I don’t usually think far enough in advance to freeze the tofu but I’ve heard that helps. Thanks for the tip!
I absolutely love this recipe! Sometimes I will use whatever pasta I have on-hand at home (like farfallina), but depending on the type of pasta it will soak of more of the liquid than just the spaghetti/angel hair pasta will (so fair warning!). And when I make the tofu, I make a double batch and let it cool and store separately from the soup. This way prior to eating, I can heat the soup up separately and toss the tofu in to “warm up” without losing a lot of the flavor & and wind up with “water logged” tofu texture. Wicked good and recommend to even non-vegetarians/non-vegans!!
Amazing recipe. My entire family enjoyed it. I used the celery heart and leaves when I added the veggies. Not sure if that makes a difference but thats the only change I made. I will be making this a lot this winter. Thanks so much.
I love this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing! It was delicious!!!
I love this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing! It was delicious!!!
This was super-easy to make, and my family loved it!
I’ll be making this for my 2nd time tonight, we absolutely love it! We’ve eaten it while either developing or while having a cold and honestly it has helped SO much. Thank you for sharing!
This has become a family favorite, and I love that the recipe is flexible based on the veggies and pasta we have on hand. My favorite is chewy egg noodles. I usually use a full 16 pz block of extra firm tofu. The kids love this and it’s funny to hear us eating — no talking, lots of slurping broth.
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This soup is the bomb! OMG it is so good. Thank you for the recipe. I added chives to mine as well and next time I’m going to try it with chickpeas instead of tofu! Thank you again.
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So I used only 4oz of the pasta and still thought it was too much. I’m I missing something? It is still delicious though next time I will probably use 2oz
Thought it was strange that the directions called for the tofu to be cooked before coating with tamari and nutritional yeast but I did it anyway. The seasoning fell right off the tofu once added to the broth. I recommend seasoning first then pan frying then adding to the broth. Also next time I will be doing less noodles and more broth, just a personal preference. Overall this recipe is delicious, will certainly be making again. Thank you!
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Looks delicious! Just a note – it’s marked as being gluten-free, but calls for whole grain angel hair pasta. To make it gluten-free, one would have to use a gluten-free pasta. Might seem obvious, but if you’re cooking for someone who’s gf but are not gf yourself, it would be an easy mistake to make.
I make this soup weekly! No joke. My son loves this soup and eats it for days. Healthy and comforting.
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