Tofu and kimchi soup is a quick and healthy meal. Kimchi provides both flavor and vegetables, cutting down on prep-time. It’s a perfect weeknight meal!
Officially, kimchi is meant to be eaten fresh, when it is sweet and sparkling. It turns sour after about a week of fermenting. However, sour kimchi is still delicious! And it’s perfect for tofu kimchi soup.
Vegan and kid-friendly
Typically kimchi is made with fish sauce and shrimp. It’s also pretty spicy. However, there are other options:
- Kid-friendly kimchi is made without onions, garlic, ginger, or hot pepper powder.
- Buy vegan kimchi online.
- Making your own vegetarian kimchi is really easy and affordable. One batch should last for 3 to 5 meals.
- Usually, I make a batch of kimchi then divide it into two jars. One jar gets all the spice, and the other jar is kid-friendly. Then everyone gets what they want!
Other Serving Options
The best thing about simple soups is that it’s easy to change up the flavors. I don’t recommend skipping the kimchi… because really it’s the heart of this soup. However, you can definitely add more ingredients.
Here are a few suggestions:
- More vegetables is always a good thing. Add broccoli, bok choy, or sweet peas to the broth right when it is removed from the heat. Then let it sit for 5 minutes to par-cook the vegetables.
- Add a 7-minute egg for more protein.
- Extra toppings are always fun. Add a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, cilantro, or a pinch of dulse flakes.
Tofu Kimchi Soup
This simple soup uses kimchi for flavor and vegetables. It’s very quick to make, for a healthy weeknight meal. See the section above for options on how to make it vegan or kid-friendly!
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4–6 1x
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Korean
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1/2 lbs of rice noodles
- 1 package of firm tofu (12 oz / 350 g)
- 4 spring onions
- 5 cups of water
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 cups of kimchi
Instructions
- Start by cooking the rice noodles according to the package, and prepare everything else while the noodles cook.
- Drain the tofu and chop it into bite-sized cubes. Finely dice the spring onions.
- Put the water, spring onions, tofu, and soy sauce into a medium-sized pot.
- Place the lid on the pot, and bring it to a boil. Remove from heat as soon as it boils.
- When the noodles are finished cooking, drain and rinse with cold water to prevent sticking.
- The soup is put together individually, in each bowl. Start with a base of noodles, then add a ladle full of tofu and broth. Then finish each bowl with a large forkful of kimchi.
Notes
- I serve this soup with the kimchi added on top for a probiotic boost. However, if you find the flavor of kimchi too strong, then add the kimchi to the broth and allow it to cook with the tofu. Cooking will mellow out the ginger, garlic, and onions.
- Feel free to use other types of noodles. I like rice noodles because they are gluten-free and easy to find in my local grocery store.
Keywords: kimchi, gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, dairy free, egg free, healthy, probiotic, easy, quick, 5 ingredients, fall, spring, summer
Your veg kimchi is devine!
★★★★★
Thanks!