thai red curry soup (surprise! a leftover turkey recipe)

I tried cramming everything about this Thai red curry soup into the headline because I am THAT excited about it, but it turns out there's just too much to rave about and I can't be limited. So here goes. This delicious, silky, turmeric-infused, Thai red curry soup is made with eggplant and shiitakes, leftover turkey, and topped with roasted bok choy and fresh vegetables. It's a keto soup with ALL THE THINGS. If you're looking for a new way to use up that leftover turkey, you've found it (chicken or tofu works too)! A use-what-you-have, Thai red curry soup recipe that is easy, keto, gluten-free, and includes a simple trick to the perfect curry soup consistency.

what makes this a keto soup?

Curries can be very keto-friendly since they're typically made with coconut milk (high in fat with very few carbs), as long as there's no added sugar and the other ingredients are kept low-carb.

Here are the low-carb veggies I used in this Thai red curry soup, quite possibly the BEST keto soup in the land:

• Shiitake mushrooms
• Onion
• Eggplant
• Roasted baby bok choy
• Turkey (or chicken or tofu)
• Shredded purple cabbage
• Cilantro
• Lime
• Ginger
• Garlic

Ahhhh look at that list! So many good things in there because HEALTH. Feel free to use what you have- I am under the notion that when it comes to vegetables, almost anything will work in this curry soup (obviously, use your best veggie judgement 😉 ).

how to get the perfect red curry soup consistency

I've found a trick that I'm a tiny bit obsessed with. Some recipes call for blending potatoes into the broth, but that won't do if you're following a keto diet. Hello EGGPLANT, the dream potato substitute for this keto soup! It carries a bit of sweetness and completely takes on the flavor of the red curry.

I LOVE this tip for making curry soup because it gives you a nice, silky and creamy soup that is a bit on the thick side, as any good curry soup should be. Plus, you're getting an extra serving of veggies along with it! No need to peel or salt the eggplant beforehand, either. Here's how you do it:

• After you sauté the curry paste with the onion and spices and you've added the coconut milk, add in half of an eggplant, cubed. I prefer using the top half of the eggplant since there are very few seeds.
• Simmer the cubed eggplant in the coconut milk for about 15 minutes, or until the eggplant is soft.
• Transfer all the eggplant and most of the coconut milk mixture into a blender, blend on high for a couple of minutes, then pour it back into the pot and continue making your Thai red curry soup!

The eggplant blends so smooth, you'd never even know it was added.

It's finally starting to feel like winter here in the desert (it was 46° this morning and I made my son wear pants to school) and this warm bowl of health just feels right. Happy December! Curry on...

you might also love...

• this autumn kale salad with pumpkin vinaigrette, a sweet/spicy/savory salad with roasted cauliflower and onions
• this savory almond meal bread, a keto bread you'll make on repeat!

thai red curry soup (surprise! a leftover turkey recipe)

Course: lunch, dinner, main courseCuisine: keto, low-carb, gluten-free, paleoDifficulty: easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Total time

40

minutes

A creamy, flavorful, vegetable-loaded, Thai red curry soup made with leftover turkey, shiitake mushrooms and topped with roasted bok choy. This coconut curry makes for the perfect keto soup!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

• 1 yellow onion, chopped

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

• 2 tablespoons red curry paste

• 2 tablespoons ground turmeric

• 1 tablespoon monk fruit sweetener (or sweetener of choice)

• 2, 14-oz. cans coconut milk

• ½ eggplant, cubed (I prefer using the top half with no seeds)

• 1, 8-oz. package shiitake mushrooms (sliced)

• 1-2 cups leftover roasted turkey (or chicken/tofu)

• 1 teaspoon fish sauce

• 1 head baby bok choy

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• salt and pepper to taste

• vegetable toppings of choice! (cilantro, lime, shredded cabbage, etc.)

Directions

• In a large pot, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onion, minced garlic and grated ginger. Add the red curry paste, turmeric and monk fruit sweetener, stirring the mixture and continuing to cook for a couple of minutes.
• Add the coconut milk and cubed eggplant. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the eggplant is soft. Preheat the oven to 400°F (for the roasted bok choy).
• Transfer the soup into a high-speed blender* and purée until smooth. Pour it back into the pot, add the shiitake mushrooms, turkey (or other protein), and fish sauce, and cook on medium heat for another 10 minutes.
• Slice the baby bok choy head in half lengthwise. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until the outer leaves are slightly browned and crisp. Let it cool, then chop into bite-sized pieces.
• Serve the Thai red curry soup with the roasted bok choy on top along with other vegetable toppings of choice. Enjoy!

Notes

• You can blend the soup in batches and then transfer back into the pot. Or you can blend about half of the soup, as long as all the eggplant is blended.
• To make this Thai red curry soup vegan/vegetarian: swap out the protein for tofu, substitute coconut sugar for monk fruit sweetener, and leave out the fish sauce.