4
Serves
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serving noodles in a fragrant, spicy broth is a good way to ensure an appropriate portion size. Canned broth is the base, but this soup is infused with ginger and garlic to give it a characteristic Asian flavor. Rounding out the broth and noodles are several key Magic foods: cabbage, carrots, tofu, and vinegar. You can substitute diced cooked chicken for the tofu, if you prefer.
5 1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
3 slices (1/4-inch-/5-millimeters-thick) peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil
4 ounces (125 grams) fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, wiped clean, and sliced
3 cups sliced napa cabbage (1/2 medium) or green cabbage (1/2 medium) (see Ingredient Note)
8 ounces (225 grams) firm regular tofu, drained, patted dry, cut into 3/4-inch (2.5-centimeter) cubes
1 cup shredded carrots (2–4 medium)
2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
4 ounces (125 grams) whole wheat linguine or spaghetti
1/4 cup chopped scallions (2 medium)
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
2. Bring the broth to a simmer in a large saucepan. Add the ginger, garlic, and red pepper. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes to intensify flavor. Strain the broth through a sieve into another large saucepan and discard the solids.
3. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook, stirring often, until almost tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add to the infused broth in the saucepan. Simmer, partially covered, over medium-low heat until cabbage is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the tofu and carrots and heat through. Stir in the soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil.
4. Meanwhile, cook the linguine (or spaghetti) in the boiling water until al dente (just tender), 6 to 9 minutes, or according to package directions. Drain the linguine and divide among 4 large soup bowls. Ladle the soup over the noodles and garnish each serving with scallions. One serving is 1 1/2 cups.
Per serving: 246 calories, 16 g protein, 32 g carbohydrates, 6 g fiber, 8 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 917 mg sodium.
Ingredient Note: Napa, also known as Chinese cabbage, is a pale green, long, oval-shaped cabbage. Its flavor is more delicate than that of regular green cabbage.