Easy Vegan No-Chicken Noodle Soup
An easy, cozy, delicious vegan no-chicken noodle soup recipe with all the comforting nostalgic flavors of classic chicken noodle soup - with several protein options to make it extra nutritious! It's also easy to make gluten-free and freeze extra for later.
Equipment
- Stock pot or large saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 large onion - yellow, sweet, or white
- 4 large celery stalks
- 4 large carrots
- 3 Tbsp olive oil (or butter)
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dry)
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 2 or 3 bay leaves, fresh or dry
- 3 cups chopped hearty greens such as kale, green cabbage, Swiss chard, or collard greens (de-stemmed)
- 8 cups no-chicken broth or vegetable broth (low sodium, 2 quart containers)
- 1 can beans of choice, such as white beans, pinto beans or chickpeas (approximately 15 ounces) - or similar amount of diced or crumbled tofu or vegan "chicken"
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- salt and pepper, to taste
- up to one 12 oz package of noodles of choice (*see noodle notes below)
Optional but recommended
- 2 Tbsp miso paste (dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water before adding to soup at the end)
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp fresh sage, about 8 to 12 leaves, finely minced (or 1 tsp dry)
- chopped fresh parsley to top/serve
- bread or crackers, for serving
Instructions
- Add olive oil or butter to the bottom of your stockpot or sauce pan and turn it on over medium-high heat.
- Add chopped onions, celery, and carrots, along with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Saute until the onions become translucent, and the carrots and celery are just fork-tender (about 10 minutes). Stir occasionally.
- Next, add the herbs (minced if fresh) and minced garlic along with the chopped leafy greens. Add optional sage and whole bay leaves now. Cook about five minutes, stirring on occasion.
- Add all of the other called-for ingredients except the noodles: the no-chicken broth or vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, ground cloves, and beans or tofu. (Drain and rinse canned beans before adding them).
- Bring to a boil before adding noodles.
- Add noodles. Break long spaghetti-like noodles in half first. Follow the recommended time on your particular noodle package, but remove from heat when the noodles are just about done but ever-so-slightly al dente still. They’ll continue to cook a bit once you turn off the heat. Stir on occasion while cooking.
- Add optional miso paste when the soup is about finished cooking or just before serving. (It's best to avoid boiling miso to preserve the maximum nutritional value, probiotics, and flavor.) Thoroughly mix and dissolve the miso paste in a separate bowl of warm water (about 1/2 cup) before adding to the soup so it won't clump.
- Serve and enjoy! We love our vegan chicken noodle soup with homemade sourdough bread and a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley on top.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator and enjoy within 5 days.
- Freeze extras in freezer-safe containers for up to one year (best quality if used within 6 months). Defrost in the refrigerator the day before use, and reheat on the stovetop.
Notes
Noodle notes: Egg noodles are a chicken noodle soup classic, but you can use any type or long or short noodles that you prefer. As a gluten-free option, I highly recommend Jovial organic brown rice noodles
To make it lower carb, use only half or two-thirds of the 12-ounce package. We used an 8 ounce package in this particular batch, and it was plenty!
For ease, we always cook our noodles right in the same pot as the soup. However, you can also cook them in a separate pot of water and add them to the soup at the end, or add noodles to each bowl of soup upon serving.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!