Filled with big, thick noodles, shredded tofu chicken, and a comforting, flavorful broth that makes this feel just like the original, I can confidently say this is the Best Vegetarian Chicken Noodle Soup I’ve ever had. Because sometimes a girl has a big Campbell’s craving, you know?
I developed this recipe when I was down bad from the super flu this year. I just wanted something rich and comforting, with lots of flavor but nothing too intimidating. It’s no secret I’ve been in a big phase of making famous soups into vegetarian soups, and I really am showing no signs of stopping.
This soup is easy, classic, and reminiscent of the real thing. It has shredded tofu “chicken,” which gives you that hit of protein while also bringing so much flavor and texture.
The other best part? Lasagna noodles. Which are my only preferred way of having noodle soup from now on.
Read on for the recipe, storage tips as well as any substitutions that may help!
Table of contents
First, let’s talk about why to make this vegetarian chicken noodle soup
Look, I get it, there are lots of noodle soups out there. But I’m particularly proud of this one, especially because it made my chicken-loving husband yell “THAT’S A GOOD SOUP” from across the house when he reheated it for dinner. Here is why this soup stands out:
- This shredded tofu “chicken” is the most flavorful, meaty style of tofu you could imagine. We use a few tricks and aromatics to get it firm, nearly juice, and oh-so-flavorful.
- It’s ready in about an hour. For most chicken noodle soups, the broth isn’t even done simmering in that amount of time. Let alone the rest of the ingredients!
- It’s vegetable-packed. Not only is this soup comforting, it’s supremely good for you, too.
- Lasagna! Noodles! Big noodles or nothing. There, I said it.
Ingredients you will need for this veggie chicken noodle soup
- 1 16-ounce pack of super firm tofu, note: super firm is one step firmer than extra firm
- 1 large onion, 13 ounces / 370 grams
- 4 celery stalks, 6 ounces / 175 grams
- 3 medium carrots, 14 ounces / 400 grams
- 3 garlic cloves
- 4 large rosemary sprigs, divided
- 5 thyme sprigs, divided
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder, divided
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon in 8 cups water
- 6 ounces lasagna noodles
- 2 cups of water
- 1 heaping cup frozen petite peas, 5 ounces / 141 grams
- Lemon for juicing
- Dill, scallions
A note on how to make the tofu “chicken”
This tofu chicken (see above) is just shredded super firm tofu that is injected with flavor from herbs, hearty fats, and a bit of heat, time and salt.
The big thing to note is that to get this texture, your tofu needs to be “super firm.” This is different from extra firm, which will tend to crumble when you try to shred it.
To find the difference between super firm tofu and extra firm, think of extra firm as the tofu that is usually stored in boxes, where super firm is stores in air-sealed bags. It’s easier to tell them apart that way!
What is the best way to store this vegetarian “chicken” noodle soup?
This soup keeps wonderfully in the fridge or freezer, and it makes eight servings, which is a lot! Here’s the best way to store it, based on each method:
- Fridge: You can portion these into individual 16-ounce containers (perfect for one portion), and they will keep in the fridge for 7 days. Reheat either in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- Freezer: You can (and I recommend it!) portion these into individual 16-ounce containers and freeze them for up to 6 months. To reheat, pop them out of their containers and gently heat them in a pot on the stovetop until the soup is at a simmer. Remove the heat and serve.
Ingredient substitutions
This recipe is really flexible, nearly every ingredient is adaptable. Here are some substitution suggestions:
- Super-firm tofu: Seitan or tempeh, or extra-firm tofu that you freeze to firm it up!
- Onion: Can be swapped for red onion, shallot, the white part of one large leek, or a fennel bulb (if you like fennel!)
- Celery stalks: Can be swapped with green bell peppers, more onion or carrot, or fennel
- Carrots: Can be swapped with parsnips or rutabaga
- Garlic cloves: Swap for 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, or you can omit
- Rosemary: Swap for 3 teaspoons dried rosemary, or fresh sage or thyme
- Thyme: Swap for 2 teaspoons of dried thyme, or Herbs de Provence, or fresh sage
- Salted butter: Swap for more olive oil, or ghee (unsalted butter is also totally fine)
- Extra-virgin olive oil: Swap for avocado oil, grapeseed oil, really any oil you like!
- Mustard powder: Swap for fennel seeds, mustard seeds, or omit
- Bay Leaves: it’s okay to leave these out if you don’t have them!
- Better Than Bouillon in 8 cups water: Swap for 8 cups of vegetable stock (or any broth or stock you have on hand!)
- Lasagna noodles: Swap for the pasta of your choice.
- Frozen petite peas: Swap for thinly sliced sugar snap peas, frozen broccoli, frozen cauliflower, or sliced green beans.
- Lemon: Swap with white wine vinegar
- Dill, scallions: Use any tender herbs you have or prefer!
Looking for other recipes?
Here are a few soup favorites!
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Caramelized Gochujang Tomato Soup
Japanese Sweet Potato Soup
And that’s everything for the Best Vegetarian Chicken Noodle Soup!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 16-ounce pack of super firm tofu, Note: super firm is one step firmer than extra firm
- 1 large onion, 13 ounces / 370 grams
- 4 celery stalks, 6 ounces / 175 grams
- 3 medium carrots, 14 ounces / 400 grams
- 3 garlic cloves
- 4 large rosemary sprigs, divided
- 5 thyme sprigs, divided
- 3 tablespoons salted butter, divided
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder, divided
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon vegetable base, whisked into 8 cups of water, or 8 cups vegetable broth
- 6 ounces lasagna noodles
- 2 cups of water
- 1 heaping cup frozen petite peas, 5 ounces / 141 grams
- 1 large lemon, for juicing
Optional, for serving
- Fresh dill and scallions
Instructions
- Drain the tofu and gently press out any excess moisture over the sink. Use the largest holes of a box grater to grate the tofu into shreds. Set these aside.
- Dice up the onion, 4 celery stalks and and 3 carrots. Set these aside.
- Grate 3 garlic cloves, then finely chop up the leaves from 4 rosemary sprigs and 5 thyme sprigs, dividing them in half. Set these aside.
- Place a 7-quart pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of salted butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add half of the rosemary and thyme and 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder. Mix this together, then add half of the shredded tofu, spreading it out so that it evenly coats the surface of the pot. Season with salt and black pepper and cook for 6-8 minutes, flipping halfway through when the tofu is golden. Break up the tofu shreds as needed.
- Transfer the first batch of tofu shreds to a bowl, then add the remaining tablespoon of butter and tablespoon of olive oil, herbs, and 1/2 teaspoon of mustard powder. Repeat the process with the second half of the tofu. Set all the cooked tofu aside.
- There will still be some remaining herbs and fat in the pot, so add the onion, carrots and celery right in. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and stir. Cook the mirepoix down for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, letting the vegetables soften.
- While the mirepoix is cooking, whisk together 2 tablespoons of Better than Bouillon with 8 cups of warm water. Pour this into the pot, add 2 bay leaves and bring the soup to a simmer.
- Simmer, covered, for 35-40 minutes. The longer it simmers, the more flavor will build.
- After the time is up, taste and adjust with salt and pepper as preferred. Remove the bay leaves and add an additional 2 cups of water.
- Bring the pot to a boil and break in 6 ounces of lasagna noodles. Stir and boil the noodles in the pot for 10 minutes.
- After that, reduce the heat and stir in the shredded tofu and 1 heaping cup of frozen peas.
- Squeeze in the juice from half a lemon, then taste and add salt and pepper as preferred.
- Serve with fresh dill, scallions, lemon wedges and more black pepper. Enjoy warm!
Comments
When do you add the browned tofu back in?
With the peas!
Thank you! It smells so good!
Ofc! And I updated the recipe, too. Thank you for catching the omission 🙂 If you want to leave a review the recipe after you try it, it would mean the world to me (but no pressure of course!)
I got my husband to make this for me and it’s absolutely perfect!! The grated tofu adds such a good texture, had to hold myself back from eating it by itself. I stored the leftover tofu separately from the soup in the fridge, because I didn’t want it to get too soggy, but that’s just personal preference 😉
Thank you so much for the feedback and such a great a tip for the tofu! I’m so glad you liked it!
Hey Justine – how do you calculate the nutritional value of your recipes?
I use myfitnesspal so I can input all the ingredients I used by weight and brand! It’s not a fool-proof method (calorie counting never is), but I started doing it because I kept getting emails for it 🙂
Wow!! This soup was delicious and a major crowd pleaser. The broth was very flavorful and it was so comforting on a dark evening. I loved the addition of the shredded tofu in a soup. Will definitely be making this again!!
I’m so so thrilled you liked it!
Absolutely delicious! If you’re vegetarian and missing real, flavorful chicken soup, this is it. As the recipe states, it does take a proper 1.5 hours from prep to cooking to finish, so don’t start it hungry! I used no-boil lasagna noodles as it’s what I had, and while it did the trick it was way less yummy than a normal noodle (I probably should have just opted for a different pasta shape). Thanks, Justine!
Hi Justine! I’ve been following you on YouTube for a while, but this is the first time leaving a review. I made this yesterday and I loved it so much! My meat-eating girlfriend loved it as well. I used cilantro and oregano, since that’s what I had on hand, and medium sized shells. This is definitely going to be my go to soup when I need some comfort thank you for sharing!
This makes me so happy!! I’m so glad you both liked it, and thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a nice review <3
I was skeptical because I can never make tofu work in non Asian style recipes but this is delicious!!! Very flavorful and comforting 10/10
I love a converted skeptic – I’m so happy you liked it!
Wow!! Soups usually don’t get me too excited but I totally trust your way of building flavor. So I very much wanted to make this one, when I saw your video. It is absolutely delicious and very simple to make. Thank you so much for another recipe I will make time and again! I also enjoy your storytelling very much.
Great post! mushroom soup sounds rich, comforting, and perfect to enjoy anytime
I just made this because I’m sick and I need it. The broth is so good! You really had me at noodles and peas but there’s so much good stuff in here.
I cleared out a fridge a little by adding tomato paste, nutritional yeast, kale + greens. Substitutions: fennel for celery, Better Than Bouillon’s Not Chicken Base for veg base, egg noodles for broken lasagna sheets.
So so glad you liked it!
I made this tonight and it was really good, but I had a problem cooking the tofu. I used a stainless steel pot and put in the correct amount of oil and butter. However, the tofu stuck terribly to the pan. It did not get nice and brown like yours did. I had to wash the pot before I could move beyond the tofu because it was starting to burn on the bottom. Do you think maybe I just had the heat too high? I’m not sure what else would’ve caused it because I know I’m not supposed to stir it very much so it gets nice and brown.
Hi there! What I think happened was the pot wasn’t hot enough before the tofu went in, so the tofu heated up with the pan, which can cause some sticking. In the future I’d recommend either using more fat, or letting the pot heat up a few minutes longer than you normally do. If your burner runs hot, you can start it hot and decrease the heat as you cook to help prevent it scorching anything!
Justine, I wanted to report back and tell you that I followed what you said in your comment exactly and the soup turned out great! I love this recipe so much. I also use this method for pan frying tofu and now it doesn’t stick anymore! Thank you so much.
I’m so so glad it worked out and that you liked it! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and let me know <3
This soup is so flavorful and was great to enjoy on a snowy day. Even my husband, who is not typically a tofu fan, loved this one!
I’m so so happy you both liked it!
Yummmm! Highly recommend! This was so yummy and really hit the spot. The fresh herbs and lemon really brought it home.
This was great. Definitely gives chicken noodle soup vibes (altho coming from someone who has not had chicken noodle soup in almost a decade lol). I used egg noodles instead of lasagna because I thought it would be better to get noodle in every bite. Takes a while to cook but the prep is so easy. I recommend!
These are the types of comments I live for – so glad you liked it and glad the cook time was worth it in the end!
Sooooo hearty and cozy. I doubled the lemon and used fresh chives instead of dill. Justine reigns supreme
This is the nicest comment – I’m so glad you liked it!
made this soup this weekend and it’s delicious! added some shaved parm over the top, so yummy and comforting!
this is totally worth the labor of love to make it (but also the trader joes mirepoix is such a prep hack)… this will absolutely be my go to vegetarian chicken noodle soup!! already looking forward to my next bowl
Ahhhh this makes me so happy! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
SO good!
So easy and absolutely delicious!
I’m so so happy you liked it!
THIS MIGHT BE THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER COOKED (though granted I’ve only been cooking on my own for half a year)!! The broth is SO insanely flavorful even with dried herbs! It does take a really long time to make though so next time I honestly might skip the tofu though I loved the chewiness it added.
So happy you liked it!! And you can also add in beans instead of tofu to save time and keep the protein 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
I just made it and it’s fabulous!
Swapped in rehydrated Yuba for the shredded tofu. Only had dried rosemary and thyme along with mustard seeds, so I ground them in my mortar and pestle. It’s so great I could use so many pantry staples.
I have all the ingredients except noodles. If I omit noodles, do I need the extra 2 cups of water at the end? Can’t wait to make it on this snowy day!
Update: found some pasta in the pantry and made this amazing soup tonight! I think it’s the best soup I’ve ever made. Thank you
I made this vegan (just subbed more olive oil and a bit of neutral oil) and it was fantastic! Even my soup skeptic husband devoured his portion 🙂
My favorite kind of review!! So glad it worked for your diet and I’m so glad your husband liked it, too!
Such a perfect soup!! I’m sick right now, and it’s saving my liiiife. I used linguine because that’s the long pasta I had on hand, and omitted the peas because I hate them. I also added about 1T turmeric to give the broth a beautiful golden color. Also, instead of bouillon, I used this recipe: https://schoolnightvegan.com/home/vegan-chicken-seasoning-and-broth/#recipe. I think it adds a really nice chickeny flavor. This will definitely be on repeat this winter.
So so glad you liked it! And I love his work!! Great swap 🙂
The BEST soul food soup! Everything about the flavor is perfect and the tofu shreds add a really nice texture (and protein kick). Even my boyfriend who usually isn’t a fan of tofu loved it! I like my pasta on the side (so the noodles don’t get too mushy), so I omitted the extra two cups of water and added the noodles after. It’s a labor of love, but it was worth it. I will be remaking this again and again!
I’m so so happy you liked it!!
Thank you for including the nutritional information. I am able to make this recipe because I have that info. I will be making it today. Many people have to watch more than just calories and having this information is a huge help. And yes, we know it is an approximation – it is still really helpful. So 5 stars just for that!!
made this soup this weekend and it’s delicious! added some shaved parm over the top, so yummy and comforting!
Heyaa!!
THIS WAS DELICIOUS
I slightly modified the recipe as I didn’t have tofu on hand. So I used a vegan faux chicken from Herbyvore and a block of tempeh that I had pre-sauteed in soy sauce and nutritional yeast. I also used barilla’s protein spagetti for the pasta of choice and together it turned out super delish!!!
Oh I’m so glad you liked it!
This was AMAZING!! Made pretty much exactly as written but I added too much pasta (oops) and it soaked up most of the broth. But no matter, it was incredible 🩷
Hahah I always love when more pasta is involved, tbh. So glad you liked it!
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