Napa Cabbage Tofu Soup (cabbage and tofu soup)

A super fast and easy napa cabbage tofu soup with mushrooms simmered in chicken broth for a comforting and hearty taste. It is a great side dish to add to your dinner table for extra color and nutrition. {Gluten-Free Adaptable}

Napa cabbage tofu soup close up — Napa Cabbage Tofu Soup (cabbage and tofu soup) 29

Growing up in China, soup was one of the key components of dinner and my mom served it almost every day. For busy weeknights, she’d usually make easy soups that take very little time to put together. For example, egg drop soup, tomato egg drop soup, corn soupand winter melon meatball soup were some of her go-to recipes.

One of my favorite soups of hers is napa cabbage tofu soup. It takes no time to put together and it tastes super hearty. In the recipe below I’ve included a few different ways for you to tweak this soup using the ingredients you have on hand.

Napa cabbage tofu soup served in bowls — Napa Cabbage Tofu Soup (cabbage and tofu soup) 30

Napa cabbage tofu ingredients

Broth base

Napa cabbage tofu soup uses a chicken broth base and aromatics to create a hearty taste. Since the ingredients in this recipe are extremely simple, it is important to use a high quality chicken broth or bouillon. My personal favorite broth is Kirkland Signature Organic Chicken Brothwhich you can find at Costco. My other favorite is Better Than Bouillon Roast Chicken Base. You simply need to add a big spoonful of the paste into water to create a very flavorful broth.

Other delicious way to spice up your broth

Dried shrimp – It’s one of my mom’s favorite ways to add flavor to a soup. To use dried shrimp, soak a few of them in warm water for 10 minutes, then add them to the soup at the beginning. It will infuse a savory seafood flavor to the soup.

Miso Paste – If you have miso paste, you can also add a spoonful of it to the chicken base and skip the salt. It adds a rich umami to the soup, and not to mention, it has a ton of nutritional benefits.

Chicken bouillon powder – If the chicken broth you use is not flavorful enough for your liking, I would add a small amount of chicken bouillon to further enhance the taste.

Vegetable and alternatives

My favorite vegetables are napa cabbage and mushrooms. Both create a great texture in the soup. However, there are many other vegetables that work in this recipe as well. Here are some of my favorite:

Choy sum
Baby bok choy
Bamboo shoots
Regular cabbage
Kale
Celtuce
Spinach (add it at the end)

Options for tofu

The recipe below uses soft tofu, which is very quick to cook and has a nice silky texture. You can replace it with firm or medium tofu if you like.

Instead of regular tofu, I also love to use other types of tofu products such as:

These tofu products have a fun texture and they absorb flavor better than regular tofu. If you happen to have them on hand, you can use them instead of regular tofu.

Set up

When you’re ready to cook, you should have:

Sliced green onion
Chicken broth
Mushrooms, prepped
Sliced napa cabbage, white and green parts separated
Sliced ginger
Smashed garlic
Tofu, sliced
Soy sauce, white pepper, chicken bouillon (or salt)
Sesame oil

Ingredients for making napa cabbage tofu soup — Napa Cabbage Tofu Soup (cabbage and tofu soup) 32

Napa cabbage tofu soup in a pot — Napa Cabbage Tofu Soup (cabbage and tofu soup) 33

How to cook napa cabbage tofu soup

It is super easy to cook napa cabbage tofu soup:

Bring the broth to a boil with ginger, garlic, and soy sauce
Add the white part of the napa cabbage and the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes
Cook the napa cabbage greens and tofu
Add the rest of the seasoning and finish up with green onion and a drizzle of sesame oil

Steps to make Napa Cabbage Tofu Soup — Napa Cabbage Tofu Soup (cabbage and tofu soup) 34

That’s it!

The napa cabbage is tender and soaked in the hearty chicken broth. The broth is infused with a fragrant gingery taste and mildly spicy taste from the white pepper. It is a great, easy side dish to serve for dinner during the cold winter months.

Chicken soup with napa cabbage, tofu and mushrooms — Napa Cabbage Tofu Soup (cabbage and tofu soup) 35

Other dishes to serve with napa cabbage tofu soup

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