M and I have been basically honing our soup recipes to gleaming shines over the last several years and this is the best of our recipes combined into one, super-powerful Voltronesque power soup. Our contributions are as follows:

HIS: Mushrooms including porcini, saffron
HERS: Flat-leaf parsley, leeks, russet potatoes, and the hella nostalgic egg noodles.

You can't really see the saffron in this picture; trust me, though

This recipe would make up great with proper “chicken” seitan [I suppose it would make up well with actual chicken if that's how you roll] but we used the Yves faux-chicken tenders and they’re just fine.

3 tbsp olive oil
sea salt and pepper…plenty
1 cooking onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 lb white mushrooms, cut into 1/3 inch cubes
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley; finely chop about 5 sprigs, set aside the rest for finishing and garnish
½ tsp dried dill
½ tsp dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, minced finely
1 leek, topped tailed chopped and rinsed [for Leek ProTips click here]
2 russet potatoes, cut into 1/3 inch cubes
3 or 4 dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in ¼ cup water just off the boil for about 10 minutes; finely dice the soaked mushrooms and set aside the soaking liquid to let the grit settle
Couple saffron “sprigs”, bloomed in about a tbsp of water just off the boil
5 vegetarian “chicken” bouillon cubes
4 or 5 squirts of Bragg’s
1 pack “chicken” tenders, chopped coarsely
1 bag broad egg noodles [it will make up fine with any kind of noodle, if vegan or needing to substitute]
1 packet frozen chopped spinach

In a simply enormous soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat; add a couple shakes of salt and pepper, and when oil is hot add onion, carrot, celery, mushroom, parsley and dried herbs. Saute, stirring often, until onion is translucent and the mushrooms have released their juices. Add the leek, garlic, and a little more salt. Continue to heat, stirring often until leek is cooked through and wilted. Add potatoes and stir to cover. Saute another couple of minutes or until pan bottom is relatively dry when scraped with a spoon. Add porcini and the soaking liquid [leave the bottom centimetre or so to dodge the grit], the saffron and its soaking liquid; add water to about 1” short of the pot rim, boullion cubes and Bragg’s. Bring to boil. Add “chicken” and noodles†. Bring heat back up to boiling and cook for about 5 minutes or until noodles are tender. Add spinach, stirring well. This is a good time to taste it before it settles in for its final rendering, which can last for about 15 or 20 minutes, although it is edible once the spinach is all stirred in.

†I used a whole bag of egg noodles cause I’m a bit of a noodleholic; if you prefer a brothier soup, just put in half or 2/3.

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