Test Kitchen: Vegetable Noodle Soup

Easy, healthy recipes tested for you weekly at the Sargent Choice Test Kitchen

Kelley Magill, Graduate Dietetics Student, SAR ’20

About the Sargent Choice Test Kitchen: We’re all about making healthy taste delicious here at Sargent Choice.  That’s why we’ve teamed up with faculty-in-residence Dr. Karen Jacobs to offer students a one-of-a-kind opportunity to trial and taste-test new Sargent Choice healthy recipes each week at the Sargent Choice Test Kitchen.  Dr. Karen Jacobs invites students of all majors (not just nutrition) into her home on Boston University’s campus to cook up a recipe developed by Sargent Choice Registered Dietitian, Jennifer Culbert.  Feedback from the weekly Test Kitchen gets incorporated into future Sargent Choice recipes and helps shape the face of healthy dining at BU.

This week in the Sargent Choice Test Kitchen, we made a hearty vegetable noodle soup. Whether it’s a chilly night or you’re feeling down with a cold, this soup can warm you up! This soup is packed with nutrients and is also vegan.

What we liked:

  • So many vegetables!
  • The nutritional yeast added a cheesy flavor
  • The spices added a lot of great flavor to this dish
  • This recipe makes a lot of soup and everyone was able to take home leftovers and save for lunch for the week!

What we would change:

  • The tofu was in the oven for a long time but did not get crispy enough. We suggest to pat it dry thoroughly before placing it in the oven
  • To enhance the flavor more, we recommend using a vegetable broth base rather than just water

The nutrition:

  • Protein from the tofu
  • Whole grains and fiber from the whole wheat noodles
  • Vitamin A from the carrots
  • Healthy fats from the olive oil
  • Vitamin B12 from the nutritional yeast
  • Vitamin K, A, and C from the kale

Sargent Choice Vegetable Noodle Soup

Recipe modified from 101 Cookbooks
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

12 ounces extra-firm tofu, pat dry with paper towels, cut into ¼-inch cubes
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup carrots, finely chopped
2 cups celery, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon dried turmeric
1 tablespoon thyme (fresh or dried)
1 teaspoon oregano (fresh or dried)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
1 ½ tablespoons nutritional yeast 8 cups water
2 cups finely chopped kale, stems removed
12 ounces dried whole wheat pasta, cooked per package instructions

Directions:

  1. Boil water in large pot and cook pasta according to package directions. Any whole wheat pasta is fine (angel hair pasta broken into shorter segments is one suggestion).
  2. Meanwhile, heat oven to 375⁰F. Toss the tofu with ½ tablespoon olive oil, place on parchment lined baking sheet, and bake 15 minutes, or until slightly golden in color. Transfer the tofu to a bowl and set aside.
  3. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add the garlic, onion, carrots, and celery, and sauté for 10 minutes or so, just until the onions start to take on a bit of color. Add the turmeric, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt, nutritional yeast, and some freshly ground black pepper.
  4. Add the cooked pasta, tofu, and kale. Heat for a few minutes until piping hot.