Tofu and Vegetable Soup (Printable)

Light Asian-style soup with silken tofu, carrots, mushrooms, and bok choy in a fragrant ginger-garlic broth. Quick and nourishing.

# What You'll Need:

→ Broth

01 - 6.3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
02 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
03 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, thinly sliced
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 teaspoon sesame oil

→ Vegetables

06 - 1 medium carrot, peeled and julienned
07 - 3.5 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced
08 - 3.5 ounces baby bok choy, chopped
09 - 1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
10 - 2 spring onions, sliced

→ Tofu

11 - 10.6 ounces silken tofu, cubed

→ Garnish

12 - Fresh cilantro leaves, optional
13 - 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, optional
14 - Lime wedges, optional

# Step-by-step Directions:

01 - In a large pot, heat sesame oil over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sliced ginger, sauté for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
02 - Pour in vegetable broth and soy sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
03 - Add julienned carrot, sliced shiitake mushrooms, and bell pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes.
04 - Add chopped bok choy and sliced spring onions, cook for 2-3 minutes until vegetables reach tender-crisp texture.
05 - Gently add silken tofu cubes to the pot. Simmer for 2 additional minutes, handling carefully to prevent breaking.
06 - Taste broth and adjust seasoning with additional soy sauce as needed.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls. Top with cilantro, toasted sesame seeds, and lime juice if desired. Serve hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in thirty minutes, which means you can have real food on the table faster than takeout arrives.
  • The broth stays light and clean-tasting, letting the fresh ginger and sesame whisper rather than shout.
  • Silken tofu dissolves almost into the broth if you're gentle with it, creating this luxurious mouthfeel without any cream.
02 -
  • Silken tofu is fragile, so add it last and stir gently around it rather than through it—rough handling breaks it into sad little fragments.
  • Don't skip the ginger slicing step; if you mince it too fine, the pieces disappear into the broth and you lose the textural pleasure of biting into a soft slice.
  • Taste the broth before you add the tofu because salt adjustments get tricky once everything's in the pot together.
03 -
  • Make extra broth and freeze it in portions so you can have this soup ready in minutes on nights when cooking feels impossible.
  • Slice your ginger and vegetables the night before and store them in containers—the actual cooking becomes almost meditative when everything's already prepped.
  • A squeeze of lime at the very end is worth the extra step; it brightens flavors in ways that nothing else can.
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