Jul's Tofu and Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 3 stalks celery, sliced
• ½ large onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 3 dashes red pepper flakes
• sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 quarts chicken broth
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 2 zucchini, sliced
• 1 (12 ounce) package firm tofu, crumbled
• ½ cup sliced fresh mushrooms, or to taste
• ¼ cup chopped kale, or to taste

Step 1

Heat some olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Toss in the carrots and cook them for about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so they get nicely coated with the oil. Next, add the celery, onion, half of the basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Cook everything together until the veggies start to soften, which should take around 5 minutes. Then, stir in the garlic and let it cook until you can really smell its aroma, about 2 minutes.

Step 2

Pour in the chicken broth, both the diced and crushed tomatoes, and add the bay leaf along with the rest of the basil. Bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, mix in the corn, zucchini, tofu, and mushrooms. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Let it come back to a boil, then turn the heat down low, cover the pot, and let everything simmer gently for about an hour, until the vegetables are tender and the flavors have melded together.

Step 3

Finally, stir in the kale, cover the pot again, and simmer for another 15 minutes until the kale has wilted nicely. Give it one last taste and adjust seasoning if needed before serving.