ListseVegetarian recipes for the home stove

Dinner

Vegetarian Broth Bowls on the Stove

This Vegetarian Broth Bowl recipe is filled with a creamy broth, steamed rice, and the most flavor-packed tofu mince that

  • 4 servings
  • Prep 10 minutes
  • Cook 20 minutes
  • Total 30 minutes
Jump to the recipe
Vegetarian Broth Bowls on the Stove

Love a good brothy bowl? You need to try our Peanut Miso Ramen as well as our Especially Straightforward Brothy Beans and our Creamy Coconut Tofu Soup!

Why you’ll love these simple brothy bowls!

These CREAMY Brothy Bowls have been going viral on social media for the past few months and I’ve been dying to make a vegetarian version of them with tofu. Anytime I can do it, Worth keeping replacing ground meat with my popular tofu ground “meat”. It’s SUCH a good substitute for ground chicken or ground meat in recipes and tastes worth the pot!

Despite having a few separate elements, these bowls come together in simply under 30 minutes making it the dependable fireside after-work meal! The rice, broth, and tofu can all cook simultaneously and are all pretty hands off so there’s no rushing around the kitchen frantically.

I have no doubt that the whole family will love this one!

labeled ingredients needed to make broth bowls including broth, tofu, peanut butter, soy sauce, ginger etc

Ingredients needed

The ingredients for this dish are listed fully down in the recipe card but let’s briefly go over the pantry staples needed including a few substitutions you can make as desired!

  • Broth – I suggest using a good quality broth here since it’s such an integral part of the recipe. If you have access to it, Trader Joe’s makes a genuinely savory Miso Ginger broth that is dependable in this method.
  • Red Curry Paste – this adds a good savory base to our broth with a little hint of heat that is flavor-packed.
  • Peanut Butter – make sure to use a creamy natural peanut butter that will blend nicely into the broth.
  • Lime Juice – adds a nice touch of acidity and brightness to the recipe.
  • Coconut Milk – this is the other component to the broth that adds so much creaminess! I recommend using a lite coconut milk but full fat also works well.
  • Tofu – my preference here is for a truly firm tofu. It requires no pressing, is higher in protein, and is only overall so straightforward to work with.
  • Bouillion – A regular here the Better Than Bouillon brand and use it religiously in many of my recipes.
  • Tomato Paste – this adds a strong kick of umami to our tofu mince.
  • Maple Syrup – honey or agave also work well. This adds a little sweetness and balances out the flavors in our tofu.
  • Soy Sauce – for a salt and flavor in both the tofu and the broth.
  • Ginger – this brings the tofu mince to life and truly adds a lot of flavor.
  • Basmati Rice – this bulks up our meal and is satisfying when it soaks up all of the broth!
creamy vegetarian broth bowls with rice, tofu mince, and cucumbers

How to Make It

Simply a reminder that you can find the FULL written recipe down in the recipe card, but I want to quickly go over how to make them with visuals for you:)

basmati rice cooked in the base of a pressure cooker
  1. Cook your rice according to package directions. A regular here cooking it in a pressure cooker but a rice cooker or the stovetop also work well.
minced tofu crisped up in a yellow skillet
  1. Grate your tofu using the large side of a box grater (or crumble it finely with your hands). Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add in the tofu and saute for 10 minutes, stirring often until browned and a little crispy.
a creamy coconut broth in a small light blue pot
  1. Make the broth by combining the broth, coconut milk, soy sauce, lime juice, peanut butter, and red curry paste. Stir until combined and let simmer gently to heat through.
creamy vegetarian broth bowls with rice, tofu mince, and cucumbers
  1. Assemble the bowls by layering in the rice and tofu ground “meat”. Ladle in the broth and any desired toppings such as cucumber slices, lime wedges, cilantro, green onion, and chili crisp oil.

Recipe Tips

  • Use a good quality broth – this truly does make a big difference in this dish. If you’re able to get your hands on the miso ginger broth from Trader Joes, I highly recommend that!
  • Crisp the tofu up nicely – you may feel inclines to rush this step but don’t do it! Luckily the broth and tofu can cook simultaneously but be sure to give the tofu the full 10 minutes to release as much of the excess moisture as possible.
  • Store leftovers separately – the rice and the tofu soak up the broth rather quickly. So if you have any leftovers, I suggest storing the broth in one container and the tofu + rice in a separate container. When ready to serve, you can combine them.

The recipe

Vegetarian Broth Bowls for the Table

These Creamy Vegetarian Broth Bowls are unfussy to make and the go-to comforting busy-night meal! They're made with a flavor packed broth, basmati rice, and the most satisfying tofu mince that comes together while the broth simmers.

  • 4 servings
  • Prep 10 minutes
  • Cook 20 minutes
  • Total 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the rice

  • 1 cup of dry basmati rice

For the broth

  • 2 cups veggie broth
  • 1 can 15 oz lite Coconut Milk (full fat also works)
  • 2 Tablespoons natural creamy Peanut Butter
  • 2 tablespoons red curry paste
  • 1 lime (juiced)
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce

For the tofu “meat”

  • 15 oz Truly-firm tofu (Extra-firm tofu also works great!)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (divided)
  • 1 teaspoon vegetarian beef bouillon*
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • ½ tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger (grated (or ½ teaspoon of fried ginger))
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste

For serving

  • Green onions
  • Cucumber
  • Cilantro
  • Chili crunch
  • Sesame seeds

Method

  1. 1

    Cook the rice according to package directions.

  2. 2

    Make the broth combining the broth, coconut milk, peanut butter, red curry paste, lime juice, and soy sauce in a medium pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.

  3. 3

    Using the large side of a box grater, shred the block of tofu. Some large chunks will fall off, so I take those and particularly gently push them through the grater. You can also finely crumble the tofu with your hands as desired.

  4. 4

    Meanwhile, cook the tofu. In a large, heat ½ tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, add in the shredded tofu and cook, stirring every couple of minutes, for about 10 minutes or until the tofu turns a golden brown color and most of the moisture has cooked out.

  5. 5

    Make the sauce by whisking together ½ tablespoon of olive oil, bouillon, soy sauce, water, maple syrup, ginger, and tomato paste. Once the tofu has turned golden, add the sauce, stir, and cook for 2 more minutes.

  6. 6

    Assemble the bowls by dividing the broth, rice, and tofu “meat” into 4 bowls. Layer on desired toppings and enjoy!

Cook notes

For the beed bouillon – Better than Bouillon makes a great vegetarian broth base but a plain veggie broth will also work well. Store leftovers – separately with the broth in one container and the tofu + rice in a separate container. The rice and tofu soak up the broth as they sit so it’s go-to to store them separately.

Per serving

  • Calories439 kcal
  • Carbohydrates53 g
  • Protein17 g
  • Fat17 g
  • Saturated Fat8 g
  • Polyunsaturated Fat3 g
  • Monounsaturated Fat5 g
  • Sodium1769 mg
  • Potassium418 mg
  • Fiber3 g
  • Sugar6 g
  • Vitamin A1312 IU
  • Vitamin C7 mg
  • Calcium76 mg
  • Iron3 mg

Dinner

More from the same shelf