A very good soup for wintertime, hearty and warming. You could say it’s a vegetarian version of goulash soup. It’s a hit of the season at our house, even the kids love it.
An important addition to the soup is properly seasoned and baked tofu. I found the recipe for baked (ground) tofu on the blog ervegan.com. I always choose organic tofu from European farms.
I know that tofu raises controversies, mainly due to the so-called phytoestrogens it contains. To dispel any doubts, I recommend reading a very reliable article on damianparol.com. As a side note – phytoestrogens are also found in beer…
In this recipe I used inactive nutritional yeast flakes. Remember that inactive nutritional yeast flakes are not baker’s yeast! It’s a natural product (mine is derived from molasses), used to enhance flavor and thicken dishes. Inactive yeast is often an ingredient in organic bouillon cubes.
Soup with Baked Tofu
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1-1.5 liters vegetable broth or water
5 or 6 tablespoons tomato passata
1 bay leaf
1 allspice berry
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Baked Tofu
1 block natural, firm tofu (250/300g)
1 tablespoon olive oil for frying
Marinade ingredients:
1/4 cup inactive nutritional yeast flakes
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon olive oil
Preheat the oven to 180°C, convection setting.
In a small bowl or deep plate, thoroughly mix all the marinade ingredients. You’ll get a very thick, aromatic paste.
Drain the tofu of excess liquid and tear it into small pieces or mash it with a fork.
Transfer the tofu to the bowl with the marinade and mix thoroughly.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan, transfer the tofu with all the marinade to it and sauté over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Transfer the tofu to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the oven.
Bake until the water evaporates and the tofu browns. Stir every few minutes during baking, being careful not to burn it. I bake for about 7 minutes, but this depends on your oven. The tofu should be browned.
Remove from the oven, set aside and wait for the soup to finish cooking.
While the tofu is baking, cook the soup.
In a tablespoon of oil, sauté the onion until it softens (about 7 minutes, over very low heat).
Add the chopped carrot, bell pepper, allspice berry and bay leaf. Lightly salt and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the potatoes, pour broth over the vegetables, bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender (about 7-10 minutes).
Add the passata, oregano and lightly salt. At this stage, don’t season the soup too heavily!
Bring to a boil and cook for about 3 minutes.
After turning off the heat, when the soup stops boiling, add the baked tofu.
After a moment, check the taste of the soup and if needed, season with salt and pepper. Those who like spicy dishes can add hot pepper.
The soup tastes best the next day, after sitting overnight in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!