Hearty Vegetable Tofu Soup

Updated January 27, 2026

Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Ready In
40 min
Rating
5(137)
Comments
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This soup — which embraces the ethos of cucina povera to use a multitude of vegetables to create a filling meal — is chunky with cabbage, carrots and daikon radish, but also tender and refreshing with bites of silken tofu all in a warming, gingery broth. Chopped cilantro adds a citrusy brightness, although basil or dill are great too. You could use bok choy instead of cabbage, and if you want some heat, try stirring in a serrano chile along with the garlic and ginger. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

  • 1 medium white or yellow onion (about 10 ounces), quartered and then thinly sliced 

  • 2 medium to large carrots (about 6 ounces), sliced thinly on the diagonal 

  • 1 pound daikon radish, halved or quartered lengthwise then thinly sliced

  • Salt

  • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

  • 1 (2-inch) piece unpeeled fresh ginger, finely chopped 

  • 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock 

  • 3 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce, plus more if desired 

  • 4 cups chopped Napa cabbage or bok choy, lightly packed (8 to 10 ounces)

  • 1 cup cooked brown rice, or other grain of your choice

  • 1 tablespoon white miso paste, plus more if desired 

  • 1 lemon, halved

  • 12 ounces silken or soft tofu, drained

  • Chopped cilantro, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

48 grams carbs; 11 milligrams cholesterol; 404 calories; 8 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 16 grams fat; 7 grams fiber; 1989 milligrams sodium; 21 grams protein; 16 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high. Add the onion, carrots and daikon; season with salt and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables start to soften, 5 to 7 minutes. 

  2. Step 2

    Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring vigorously, until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

  3. Step 3

    Add the stock, mushrooms and soy sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook until the mushrooms relax and bend easily like a ribbon, 8 to 10 minutes.  

  4. Step 4

    Add the cabbage and rice and simmer just until the cabbage softens, about 3 minutes. Then turn off the heat. 

  5. Step 5

    In a small bowl, whisk the miso with a few tablespoons of the hot broth until dissolved and stir into the soup. Juice the lemon halves into the soup, stir and season the soup to taste with salt, miso or soy. 

  6. Step 6

    To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and add chunks of tofu into the broth. Top with cilantro and a drizzle of olive oil.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
137 user ratings
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Comments

Wonderful combination of flavors, a hit with the dinner crowd. Lovely served over buckwheat soba noodles instead of rice. Added the tofu to the broth before serving to warm it, added some kaffir lime leaves to broaden the lemon flavor. Subbed in cauliflower for the daikon. Warm and pungent on a winter day!

This lovely soup is a sodium bomb - almost an entire day’s suggested salt intake for one day in one serving. But this can be mitigated with no loss in flavor by using low sodium broth, lower sodium soy sauce or tamari sauce or amino acids and using the miso to taste. Especially with foods that are spicier it is possible to cut back on the salt considerably and let the spices do the heavy lifting..

Anyone try to use common red radishes in place of daikon? Would that work? I’m often looking for ways to use them, beyond sliced in salads.

Love all the veggies but I am finding it bland. Am adding lots more ginger, miso, and garlic.

Would this freeze well? If so, add tofu before freeze or when defrosted and eating…?

I cooked this soup last night and loved it the taste was remarkable. I especially liked the way the veggies interacted with each other. I have used Tofu in my diet for many years; this was the first time I have used or eaten silken Tofu I now realize what I have been missing. The Tofu fits in with this recipe superbly. The only change I made was to use oat groats instead of rice. The daikon radish was new to me it has a crisp cleansing taste that blended well with the other veggies

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