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This paleo coconut curry zoodle soup is quick and delicious, loaded with creamy coconut milk, intensely flavorful red curry paste, and zoodles. This recipe is a wonderful paleo dinner or paleo soup recipe to add to your collection. Low carb yet filling, you can make this paleo coconut curry zoodle soup a vegan coconut curry zoodle soup with an easy swap!
I still remember the moment I fell crazy in love with coconut soup. Like, “show up at your house in the middle of the night” crazy in love. Like, “Who’s that girl who commented on your Instagram?! I know you’re sleeping with her” crazy in love. Like… “slash your tires” crazy in love?
OK, so maybe I wouldn’t go that far (but seriously, who is she?), but hot damn, I fell hard and fast.
For coconut soup.
I’d taken a quick trip to Birmingham with a few college friends, and they had to go to this famous Thai restaurant there. It was one of their all-time favorites, but I just didn’t get it. Growing up, Thai food meant sweet noodles, drenched in a slimy sauce, topped with weird scrambled egg and um, peanuts? I just didn’t get it. I wasn’t, and am still not, a major noodle person, and for this, my aging mom bod thanks the heavens everyday. So to me, if all Thai food were like pad see ew or pad thai, I wasn’t into it.
And then I had a cup of the creamiest coconut soup, Thai tom kha, and nearly fainted. It was flavorful and balanced, with a richness from the coconut somehow delicately grounding the salty umami from the fish sauce, the spiciness from the Thai chiles, the sour lime juice. I think there might have been some literal magic working in that kitchen, but I’m not one to complain. That moment was one of only a few I remember vividly as being so good that the dish will flash before my eyes when I die. Nbd.
Of course, I was desperate to recreate the soup, and I even came up with a very-small-college-town-friendly recipe that I posted over a decade ago on food.com. But no matter what I did, no matter how many authentic recipes I tried, no matter how many times I drove 45 minutes just for fresh lemongrass, I didn’t come close.
It wasn’t until someone somehow got me the recipe that I realized the secret: red curry paste. How! What! I! Ugh. I was already a fan of the standard red curry with tofu, but this? Next level.
Since that moment, I’ve had red curry paste in my fridge at all times. Move into a new house? OK, we need almond milk for the baby, dozens and dozens of LaCroix, and, oh yeah, red curry paste. Everything else can wait.
So when it comes to needing a quick and easy yet delicious weeknight dinner, coconut curry often comes to mind. And this paleo coconut curry zoodle soup fit the bill perfectly, when I was in the mood for something flavorful but not too heavy. We used tofu because, well, we kind of love tofu, but I’ve included directions for using chicken to make it truly paleo. And if you’re making vegan coconut curry zoodle soup? You’ll just leave out the fish sauce and add more salt instead. Versatile, non?
You will seriously love this paleo coconut curry zoodle soup. Perfect when you’re filling icky or just feeling damn hungry, you’ll fall in love with it, just like I did. Except… don’t slash my tires. OK. Cool…
Paleo Coconut Curry Zoodle Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- ยฝ of one onion sliced
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 small red chile chopped
- 6 slices fresh ginger ยผ" long slices
- 1 lemongrass stalk cut into 2-inch sticks and smashed
- 2 tablespoons red Thai curry paste
- 2 14.5-ounce cans chicken broth or vegetable broth for vegan
- 1 13.5-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 medium red bell pepper deseeded, cut in half across the middle, and sliced into strips
- 8 ounces white mushrooms sliced
- 2 large chicken breasts approximately 1-1 ยฝ pounds, cut into bite-sized pieces; OR use 12 ounces firm silken tofu, cubed
- 1 8-ounce can bamboo shoots drained
- 2-3 tablespoons fish sauce to taste, or use soy sauce for vegan
- 3-4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 3 green onions sliced
- ยผ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 2 large zucchini spiralized
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, chile, ginger, lemongrass, and red Thai curry paste and sweat, stirring often, about 5-7 minutes, or until the onion is beginning to soften.
- Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes.
- Strain mixture and discard aromatics. Return infused chicken broth to stovetop and add coconut milk. Whisk to combine well.
- Add bell pepper, mushrooms, chicken, and bamboo shoots and simmer over medium to medium-low heat until chicken is cooked through and red bell pepper is softened, about 15 minutes.
- Add 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 3 tablespoons lime juice, and coconut sugar and stir to combine. Taste and add more lime juice or fish sauce, if desired.
- To serve, place a serving of zoodles (spiralized zucchini) in a bowl and pour hot soup over. Top with green onions and cilantro. Serve immediately.
- I use this spiralizer and absolutely love it.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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I made this last night and it was amazing. However I would really like to know how you did the prep of all the ingredients in 3 minutes?
Haha, that was definitely a typo! Thanks for bringing it to our attention ๐
Thank you, this dish came out Soooooo tasty! 4 servings wasn’t enough food for 3 healthy eaters so next time I am doubling the recipe and making a side of rice…it was that good.
Sounds like you all really enjoyed it!
This was SO good. The flavors are amazing. I am doing whole 30 so I substituted coconut aminos for the coconut sugar. My husband loved it too. This is my new favorite dish!!!
Hooray! So happy you liked it!
If I canโt find lemongrass anywhere local, any suggestions for a substitute?
You should be able to find it already minced in a tube in the refrigerated section. Not the best but it’ll do in a pinch!
Any Asian market has it. Also, I have seen it in the herb section at Fred Meyers. Trader Joeโs did not have it.
Hi Cheryl!
Im dying to try this recipe but the “buy here” links aren’t working for some reason. Could you tell me what brand of red curry paste you use?
Thank you!
Hi Haley! Thanks for letting me know ๐ I’ve updated those!
I made this soup for dinner tonight and it was to die for. Thanks for the recipe. This one is a keeper!!
I’m sooo glad you liked it! Thanks so much for coming back to tell me ๐
Hello! I ran acroos this recipe on pinterest and want to share some info with you. I had the same experience the first time I had Tom Ka Gai. After A LOT of searching and cooking, I figured out what ingredients I was missing. You need all 5 of these ingredients to re-create the flavor of an authentic Thai coconut soup. You can play with the ratios to your liking.
Galangal Root (looks just like ginger, darker in color, but ginger is no substitute)
Fish Sauce
Kafir Lime Leaves
Thai Chili Paste (this is also a weird one to find, the brand I get is called “Pantai”)
Lemon Grass
Gotta have all 5! Good luck!
Hi Alyssa! You’re very right! For a traditional tom kha soup, you need to include those authentic ingredients. You can check out my authentic tom kha recipe here (though I use Thai bird eye chilis, not paste): https://40aprons.com/my-cupcakes-baby-daddy-tom-kha-in-normal-form/
This recipe is not intended to be a tom kha, but a quick weeknight Thai-inspired soup using easy-to-find ingredients. ๐
Made this for dinner tonight and absolutely loved it.
The only thing that puzzled me was the chile. The instructions don’t specify what kind, so I just left it out. The soup was still very tasty, but I wouldn’t have minded a bit more heat.
Next time I hope to add kafir lime leaves with the aromatics. I think it’ll give it an extra boost of flavor!
Thanks for letting me know, Lauren! I’ve updated the recipe with more specific instructions on the chile. And kaffir lime sounds amazing! I love when I have a batch of those in the freezer. Such a wonderful lime and citrus taste without too much acid! Thanks so much for trying the recipe and letting me know that you liked it ๐
Absolutely loved this dish! Thank you ๐
I’m so glad you liked it, Ellen! Thanks for taking the time to come back and tell me so ๐
I am so in love with red curry paste recently, and can’t wait to try it in this recipe. Thank you for including a vegan option! LOVE!
Red curry paste is *the best*, right?! And heck yeah for vegan options ??
Keep in mind that with the red curry paste, this recipe is NOT VEGAN. Red curry paste contains shrimp (including the recommended paste in this recipe) and often fish sauce as well. Just FYI.
If you are vegan, of course you will need to purchase a vegan red curry paste. They are VERY easy to find, including this version which is available at almost all grocery stores:
https://thrivemarket.com/thai-kitchen-red-curry-paste
The ingredients are extremely simple and entirely plant-based: Red chilli Pepper, Garlic, Lemongrass, Galangal (Thai Ginger), Salt, Shallot, Spices, Kaffer Lime