Thai Inspired Vegetable Soup is exactly what it sounds like. A little bit of this and some of that plus curry seasoning and coconut milk. It’s a great fridge cleaner, too, as there’s plenty of room in the bowl for whatever bits of vegetables you have on hand.

The idea for this soup came from Sugar Loves Spices but by the time I finished mixing and matching to suit what I had on hand, the end result was something a bit different. I kind of like that about cooking, to be honest.

This soup is a perfect flexitarian meal. You can choose vegetable broth or go with a meat based one. You’ll only need 6 ounces or so of protein so no matter what you choose the serving size will be small. I chose tofu since we had some in the fridge, but another day I might choose leftover chicken or cooked shrimp. The curry seasoning can be from a paste or a blend of spices. With so many vegetables and freshly chopped herbs there’s a ton of flavor and texture in every bite!

Thai Inspired Vegetable Soup

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Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 45

Servings: servings

Author: LydiaF

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Pinch red pepper flakes
¼ cup diced onions
¼ cup chopped green onions optional
2 carrots peeled and cut into sticks or coins (I used a julienne peeler to cut the carrots into sticks)
1 – 2 bell peppers any color, sliced thinly (I used red pepper)
3 cups diced sweet potatoes potatoes or cauliflower florets (I used sweet potatoes)
1 cup tomatoes seeded and diced (I used cherry tomatoes)
2 bay leaves
3 – 4 basil leaves roughly chopped
1 1/2 quarts 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon lemon grass I used the stuff in the tube
6 ounce can tomato paste
1 – 2 tablespoons curry powder
6 ounce can full fat coconut milk
6 ounces firm tofu pressed and diced (or cooked chicken or shrimp, chopped)

Examples for garnish:

Sliced radishes
Red chilis
Chopped fresh cilantro coriander
Chopped fresh basil
Chopped green onion
Fresh bean sprouts
Lime wedges
Sesame oil
Rice vinegar
Sriracha

Instructions

Heat the oil and red pepper flakes in a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium high. Sauté the chopped onions for a couple minutes until the onions begin to take on some color.
Add the green onions, carrots, peppers, tomatoes and sweet potatoes. Stir briefly to cover them with the oil and mix in the sautéed onions.
Push the veggies to the side to make space in the center. Spoon in the tomato paste, lemon grass and curry powder. Stir well to mix it together, then bring in the vegetables so everything is covered with tomato paste.
Add the bay leaves and pour over the broth and stir.
Cover with a lid, then lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are just tender, stirring on occasion.
Stir in the tofu and coconut milk. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. The tofu should be heated through before serving.
To serve, arrange the garnishes on a small platter, spoon the soup into bowls and allow everyone to garnish as desired.

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Rick and I enjoyed this soup and after the photos were taken piled our bowls with more garnishes. I especially like the textural contrast between the cooked veggies and the fresh ones.

More meatless (or almost meatless) soups to try:

Thai Inspired Vegetable Soup