Vegan Asopao Dominicano

This Asopao Dominicano is hearty and full of flavor even though we aren’t using meat. This vegan soup is perfect to cozy up to during the colder months.

Bowl of asopao paired with sliced avocado and sprinkled with parsley.

When I make soup, I want it to be a meal. And that’s why asopao is amazing. This rice stew is extra hearty and loaded with all the Dominican flavors I love. Traditional asopao is often made with meat, but I am obviously sharing my own vegan version of this favorite using tofu.

This soup is dictated by what the family wants. So you may find that you wish to adjust the ingredients based on those preferences or what you have on hand. Maybe you want it more tomato flavored, maybe you want more emphasis on a different seasoning. There’s honestly no wrong answer here as everyone will have their own available staples.

And as such it’s become common to associate this soup with last minute gatherings on a budget. This soup is another one of my favorite Dominican recipes where the meal can be stretched and it’s very flexible to work with.

Why You’ll Love This Soup

  • It’s a creamy and luscious soup that’s very hearty. Perfect for the colder winter months, but always welcome year round as it is cheap and easy to make.
  • We still make it protein rich by subbing out classic ingredients like chicken and shrimp for seasoned tofu to still help provide some bite along with the vegetables of choice.
  • Simple to customize. My mom loves hers with just auyama (West Indian Pumpkin), but I have enjoyed it with other vegetables mixed in as well.
Cutting board with tofu, pepper, onion, celery, squash, peas, corn, rice and seasonings.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

  • Rice: I used white Jasmine rice, but any long grain white rice will work for this. Make sure to rinse it well before using.
  • Tofu: I recommend super firm tofu for this, but extra firm tofu works well too. Just make sure to drain any excess liquid and pat dry. This is our protein source to replace the chicken. If you are allergic to soy, you can sub for chickpeas, white beans, black eyed peas or even red lentils.
  • Auyama: This is pumpkin squash or calabaza. I find a suitable option to use in the US is kabocha squash and I tend to have an easier time finding it. Other winter style squashes can work here too, we just want the squash to add a light sweet and creaminess to the soup.
  • Seasonings: Oregano, sazon, adobo, black pepper and thyme are the seasonings I recommend for this soup and they provide a lot of umami flavor.
  • Lime Juice: In classic asopao de pollo recipes, you often see people use sour oranges, but lime juice can work great. You can mimic the flavors of sour orange by combining lime juice and orange juice together if that’s what you are looking for.
  • Tomato Sauce: Add as much or as little as you wish. You can use tomato paste, but just note that I would use about 1-2 tablespoons and a little more water to help thin it out. Cooking it down will help reduce the strong tomato flavor.
  • Cilantro: I feel like this is just an essential ingredient to a lot of Dominican dishes. I totally understand that you might be intolerant to the taste of cilantro, so if you need to leave it out, it’s okay. I would recommend trying to use parsley or chives to help add more freshness to this dish if needed.

How to Make Asopao Dominicano

As I mentioned, this soup is literally an “OH MY GOD I need something fast to make to feed people with” kind of soup. So gather your ingredients, prep and then layer into this creamy soup.

Start by tearing your tofu into chunks, you can also just cube it too. Season with your spices and give it a nice squeeze of lime, then toss to coat. Sear your tofu in a soup pot until browned and then add in your garlic and sauté.

Layer in your aromatics and cook them down until the onions have softened. Then, stir in your tomato sauce and cook it down for a few minutes.

Pour in your water, add your bouillon cubes or paste and then add in the auyama and cilantro. Bring the mix to a boil and then add in your rinsed white rice and cilantro. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook uncovered, stirring occasionally until the rice is cooked through to your liking.

Tips for the Best Soup

  • Stir the rice occasionally. This will prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot as it cooks.
  • Cook the rice until your desired doneness. I like my rice to still be tender, but some like it much softer. I have listed the time I used, but feel free to add more water and cook a little longer.
  • Adjust how soupy you want your soup. You can add more water to make it more soup-like, but if you like more thick, creamy consistency, you can cook it down as much as you like.
  • Keep some hot water on hand on the side. I like using my electric tea kettle to keep hot water on hand to add to the soup as needed. Hot water will prevent your rice from cooking slower and seizing.
Close up of the rice stew topped with sliced avocado with a spoon tucked in.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is “Asopao”?

Asopao is a thick rice soup usually accompanied by a protein and some vegetable. In traditional asopao recipes you will see the use of chicken, shrimp, pork or other proteins generally used. The meats provide different textures and umami notes that makes the soup unique. The vegetables often vary a lot too. For example, my mom only likes auyama and chicken in her preparation, but other households may add things like peas and corn. Asopao translates to rice stew for us.

Is there an alternative to using tofu in this recipe?

If you are dealing with a soy allergy, you can make this as a vegetable only soup and serve your favorite protein on the side. Or you can opt for chickpeas, white beans, black eyed peas or red lentils as your main protein source here. If using dry red lentils, I would suggest adding 1/2 cup red lentils to the pot and adjusting the amount of water you use as you will likely need more to make it your preferred consistency.

Why does this recipe seem different from how my family makes it?

As my mom says, every household has their preferred way of making different dishes. Even further then that, a lot of Caribbean spots like the Dominican Republic share very similar renditions of the same style of recipes using similar flavors and cooking techniques. However, everyone still finds a way to do it different. My Puerto Rican friends make their asopao slightly different, but even within cultures like this you’ll see differences household to household. This soup is literally meant to be made as a budget friendly meal using what you have at home.

How can I lower the sodium in this soup?

You can adjust sodium in a few ways. First, think about the main sources of sodium in this recipe. It includes the salt, broth, adobo, sazon and soy sauce. All of these components can be adjusted. I would recommend adjusting the broth first. You can always use more water compared to broth or one less bouillon cube if needed. You can also use low sodium broth too. If you can save salting for the end, you will likely be able to add enough that is palatable for you without having to add a ton during the cooking process. Cooking tends to dissipate the sodium a bit which makes it almost feel less salty then it actually is.

How to Serve

Avocado is a must! It just tastes so good with this soup. I also enjoy it with some tostones on the side. Regardless, this soup is very complete in nutrition as it provides a good balance of nutrients including protein, starch, and a variety of vegetables for extra fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and healthy fats.

More Hearty Soup Recipes

Side view of a bowl of rice stew topped with avocado slices and fresh parsley.
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Bowl of rice stewed with tofu and topped with avocado and parsley.

Vegan Asopao Dominicano

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  • Author: Catherine Perez
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: Dominican
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

This Asopao Dominicano is hearty and full of flavor even though we aren’t using meat. This vegan soup is perfect to cozy up to during the colder months.


Ingredients

Scale

Tofu Seasoning

  • 1 block of super firm tofu or extra firm tofu**, pulled into chunks
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 2 tsp sazon, divided
  • 1/2 tsp adobo seasoning
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce to make gluten-free)
  • Juice of one large lime

Asopao

  • 12 tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, finely sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 5 cloves garlic, crushed (about 1 tbsp)
  • 4 tbsp tomato sauce
  • 1/2 tsp dry thyme or fresh thyme
  • 6 cups water
  • 2 vegetable bouillon cubes or 1 tsp better than bouillon (vegan chicken or vegetable works)
  • 1 cup auyama or kabocha squash, diced
  • 1 cup long grain white rice, rinsed and drained
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup frozen peas, optional
  • 1/4 cup frozen corn, optional
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Take your pulled tofu chunks and place in a medium sized bowl. Top with seasonings, soy sauce and the juice of half a lime and toss to coat.
  2. Heat your oil in a large soup pot and add your tofu. Sear the tofu, allowing it to lightly brown and crisp up a little bit on all sides.
  3. Add in your onion, celery, and pepper along with a pinch of salt and sauté until the vegetables have softened.
  4. Stir in the garlic, sautéing it until it becomes fragrant. Then pour in the tomato sauce and sauté again for 3-5 minutes to cook the tomato sauce down.
  5. Pour in your water, bouillon, thyme, and squash and bring everything up to a boil.
  6. Once the pot it boiling, add in your rice, cilantro, peas and corn. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring on occassion to make sure the rice is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
  7. Allow to cook for 25 minutes or longer depending on how soft you want your rice. You can adjust how soupy it is by adding more water as desired. Adjust seasonings and then serve.

Notes

If using extra firm tofu, make sure to press excess water out of it before pulling into chunks.

Stir the rice occasionally. This will prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot as it cooks.

Cook the rice until your desired doneness. I like my rice to still be tender, but some like it much softer. I have listed the time I used, but feel free to add more water and cook a little longer.

You can add more water to make it more soup-like, but if you like more thick, creamy consistency, you can cook it down as much as you like.

Keep some hot water on hand on the side. I like using my electric tea kettle to keep hot water on hand to add to the soup as needed. Hot water will prevent your rice from cooking slower and seizing.

If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.

 Catherine

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