This is one of my “make shit up as I go along” recipes. I didn’t start out with a real plan other than wanting to make a soup with a salt/flavor profile just behind the line of “too much.” The goal wasn’t just salt, though. I was trying to make something with an extreme depth of flavor, and I think I got pretty close here. Small as it is, the cheese rind is a really important ingredient. It adds a complex flavor (thanks to all the glutamates) and turns the whole soup a beautiful orange color.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill
  • 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 lb button mushrooms
  • 2 medium onions
  • 1 (14 oz) block extra-firm tofu
  • 2 inches parmesan cheese rind
  • 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 quarts low-sodium chicken stock
  • 4 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon Seasoned Vegetable Base (Reduced Sodium)
  • 1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream or half-and-half per serving (see My notes)

Instructions

  1. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and slice them thinly.
  2. Finely dice the onions.
  3. Drain the tofu and cut it into ½-inch cubes.
  4. Peel and cut the potatoes into 1 inch cubes.
  5. Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode.
  6. Once it’s hot, add the olive oil.
  7. When the oil is hot, add the basil, dill, cilantro, and garlic powder so they can bloom in the fat—no more than a few seconds.
  8. Immediately stir in the mushrooms, onions, and tofu. This keeps the spices from burning and starts drawing out as much moisture as possible.
  9. Continue to sauté for 10–15 minutes, stirring frequently, until all the moisture has evaporated from the bottom of the pot.
  10. Pour in about 1 cup of the chicken stock and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
  11. Turn off sauté mode and add the cheese rind, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, remaining chicken stock, and Better Than Bouillon.
  12. Close the lid of the Instant Pot, set it to sealing, and pressure cook for 10 minutes.
  13. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release and open the lid.
  14. Add the potatoes to the Instant Pot.
  15. Close the lid of the Instant Pot, set it to sealing, and pressure cook for 10 minutes.
  16. Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then quick release and open the lid.
  17. Remove and discard the cheese rind.
  18. Ladle the soup into bowls and stir 1 tablespoon of heavy cream or half-and-half into each serving.

Makes roughly 4 quarts of soup.

My notes

If you want this to be truly vegetarian, you can swap out the chicken stock for water.

The sodium level in this recipe can only be described as “restaurant quality.” The potatoes and splash of heavy cream at serving time are what take this dish from “are you trying to kill me?” to “hell yeah.” The potatoes absorb and distribute the flavors of the broth, and the cream rounds the sharp edges off the soy and Worcestershire sauce.

If you want more control over the salt level, hold off adding the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce until after the first pressure cycle is done. Add them a little at a time, tasting as you go, until you reach the desired saltiness. This is especially important if you can’t find reduced-sodium versions of the chicken stock or bouillon.