Comfort Food: Vegetable “Chick’n” Noodle Soup

Warm and filling, this vegetable “chick’n” noodle soup is the ultimate comfort food.

What is seitan?

Seitan is a mock meat made from the isolated protein of wheat products. That’s why, if you make seitan on your own, the main ingredient is vital wheat gluten. This is a pantry staple that I recommend every vegan stock– it can have as much as 27 grams of protein per serving, and is relatively low in carbs and fat.

One exception– if you are living a gluten-free lifestyle, seitan may upset your stomach. Luckily there are plenty of other products based in beans, soy, and vegetable protein that can be used similarly.

If you don’t have pre-made seitan, follow this recipe to make your own. It’s very simple, and can even be done in a crockpot!

Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 5

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup seitan (store-bought or make this homemade version)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 piece celery
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 1/3 cup peas
• 1/3 cup corn
• 1/4 medium onion, chopped
• 1 glove garlic, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley, basil or dill
• 4 cups water
• 4 tablespoons vegan bouillon
• 1/3 cup dry pasta of choice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat.
2. Add vegetables, garlic and onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook until tender (around 5 minutes).
3. Stir dry pasta alongside veggies and toast to a golden crisp. This should only take a few minutes.
4. Add water and bring to a boil. The time it takes to make pasta varies by shape and size, but only cook until al dente.
5. While pasta is boiling, roughly chop or tear seitan to bite-size pieces. Throw into pot.
6. In the final minutes, add additional seasoning (turmeric, parsley, lemon juice add nice color and subtle flavor).