Smart in the Kitchen’s Whole30-Approved Coconut Red Curry Soup

Smart in the Kitchen's Coconut Red Curry Soup is delicious and deceptively healthy.

How is your dry/detox/reset January coming? 

We are a full 22 days into our Whole30 and feeling solid. (Want to learn a little bit about Whole30 from some neighbors – and have a laugh? Read The Whole Story: What is Whole30 anyway?  One of us who has been scouring Instagram for cookie and cake recipes (i.e. drooling) says the cravings have finally subsided. I wonder if we will get to the 30-day mark and want to keep going? That may have been the case, except we are working toward an all-out birthday cake on the 31st. Cake wins.

But for now, we’re all in with the clean eating. That’s how we found Smart in the Kitchen’s Coconut Red Curry Soup. Marcia Smart developed this easy recipe specifically with Whole30 in mind – there’s not a drop of guilt in the pot.

Even so, this is a soup you will crave, even if you’re thinking about pairing it with fried spring rolls and not feeling one bit guilty. It’s spicy and super-flavorful, truly resembling something you would order at your favorite Thai restaurant. Over and over. 

We subbed cubed sweet potato for the original recipe’s butternut squash, and we tamped the fish sauce down a bit (both tweaks are reflected below). Whatever your version, Marcia’s base recipe is one to keep, and to keep handy for busy weekdays.

That Smart in the Kitchen’s Coconut Red Curry Soup is healthy is the icing on the cake, so to speak.

Smart in the Kitchen’s Coconut Red Curry Soup, adapted

1 tablespoon olive oil
½ yellow onion diced, about 1 cup
1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated, about 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
1 carrot, sliced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cups chopped sweet potatoes (we leave the skins on)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 13 ½ -ounce can coconut milk (not low-fat)
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
Optional garnish: cilantro, Thai basil, crushed red pepper flakes

Warm the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until it is soft and translucent. Add the ginger and red curry paste, and stir to combine.

Add the carrot, red pepper, sweet potato, and salt, and stir to combine. Add the chicken and stir.

Stir in the coconut milk, chicken stock, and fish sauce. Let the soup simmer on low heat until the vegetables are soft and the chicken is cooked, about 30 minutes.

Add the lime juice and taste for seasoning, adding more salt if necessary. Serve with garnishes, if desired.

Marcia suggests serving the soup over steamed rice or cauliflower rice.