Vegetarian Chicken (-Less) Noodle Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup. It's not just for meat eaters.

No, seriously. A good soup recipe is a good soup recipe. I can substitute out the bird and end up with a really fantastic soup that happens to have significantly less fat and fewer calories than the original. It doesn't necessarily taste like Chicken Noodle Soup exactly, but I'd say it's better. The focus is on getting the herbs right, which means the hearty vegetables end up taking center stage. It has all the warmth and coziness you want in a hearty chicken noodles soup, but it's lighter. Friendlier. Less birdy.

It's just plain yummy.

Vegetarian Chicken (-Less) Noodle Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 small onions, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
4 carrots, sliced
3 bay leaves
4 teaspoons thyme (about 8 sprigs if using fresh)
1 package extra firm tofu, chopped and drained
2 32-oz boxes vegetable broth (not tomato-based -- look for one that is primarily root vegetables)
1 12-oz bag of dried extra wide egg noodles
1 tablespoon dried chopped parsley (about 3 tablespoons fresh)
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Prep the tofu. Start by chopping it into little squares and draining the liquid. Then take four paper towels and fold them in half on top of a plate. Put the tofu on top of the paper towels. Place a few more paper towels on top of the tofu and then put a plate on top of the whole thing. Press firmly for a minute or two. The process gets some of the liquid out and helps the tofu cook better.

2. Place the olive oil, onions, celery, carrots, bay leaves, and thyme in a large skillet and sauté over medium heat until softened. The goal is to cook the vegetables, not brown them, so make sure you stir as needed.

3. Place the noodles and broth in a large saucepan. Cook on medium high heat for about five minutes. I know they're not done. They will be by the time we add the vegetables and tofu, though. Let's avoid mushy noodles, mmkay?

4. Dump the vegetables into the broth and keep cooking those noodles.

5. Place the tofu in your skillet (it should still have olive oil from the veggies) and sauté it lightly for one or two minutes. Again, you don't want to brown it, just make sure it is cooked.

6. Put the tofu in with the noodles. By now your noodles should be perfectly cooked. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Add your parsley.