Meatless Monday

Hi Friends--

With all this rainy weather we were craving Chicken Noodle Soup but obviously I wasn't going to break my 19 year Vegetarian streak for soup so I found this recipe online that is delicious! It tastes so much like my Mom's Chicken Noodle I grew up with as a kid and can be tweaked in so many ways! If you leave out the tofu or noodles you can add more veggies ... whatever fits your fancy! Give it a try- it's super yummy!

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vegetarian chicken noodle soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 8

A vegetarian chicken noodle soup recipe adapted from a (non-vegetarian) recipe by Tyler Florence.

ingredients

• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 medium carrots, sliced
• 4 celery ribs, sliced
• 8 fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 bay leaves
• 1-14 oz. package extra-firm tofu, frozen overnight, thawed, pressed for 30 minutes (I use the Tofu Xpress), and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 4 quarts no-chicken broth
• 12 oz. dried wide egg noodles
• 1/2 c. fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

instructions

1. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Cook and stir for 3 minutes; add tofu. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened, but not browned.
2. Add broth and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, add egg noodles and simmer for 8 minutes. (The noodles will be slightly undercooked, but don't worry--they'll continue cooking after removed from heat. This way, the noodles won't be mushy.)
3. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley before serving.

notes

No-Chicken broth and bouillon cubes are sold at Whole Foods, natural grocery stores, and many supermarket chains. If you can't find either of these, you can use vegetable broth.

*Sandi's Note: We use Better Than Bouillon which is a perfect vegetarian option for those who find Veggie Broth too salty (i.e.: ME!) The BTB just mixes into hot water and make the perfect broth. We bought ours at QFC.