One-Pot Yellow Coconut Curry Soup with Vegetables & Rice Noodles

An easy and delicious meal idea - lakeside on a camp stove or just at home.

Nothing says “cozy season” quite like a bowl of soup, and if a hot broth isn’t warming enough, I especially love a fall soup with a little kick to it!  This Yellow Coconut Curry Soup checks all the boxes. The veggies are yummy and healthful, and the noodles will fill you right up. The broth is creamy and rich in flavor with a hint of heat, and a squeeze of lime gives it a perfect little punch of brightness. 

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I first made this recipe on my camp stove while on a short solo-camping adventure on the North Shore of Lake Superior in northern Minnesota. It was a picture-perfect fall day and I hit up some of my favorite scenic hikes during the afternoon. But that evening as I made camp, the sun faded behind a growing fog. The cool breeze off Lake Superior quickly turned from freshening to downright cold.

I was so thankful I had planned ahead and brought the ingredients for this soup. Washing, slicing and measuring the ingredients ahead of time (highly recommended!), made cooking a breeze, and it turned out to be one of the most delicious camp meals I’ve ever made. With a bowl of it safely in my belly, I felt warmed from the inside out.

Since my lakeside creation, I’ve cooked this recipe several times at home, and many of my friends and family members now call it a go-to dish as well. I hope you love it as much as we do!

Use Your Options! One of the great things about cooking soups is the freedom you have to add, subtract, or swap ingredients. I used the vegetables broccoli, spinach and red pepper simply because I like them (and okay, that’s what I had in the fridge!). But for a more typical Thai approach, try bean sprouts, cabbage or even mushrooms and carrots. Want to add a protein? Toss in some chicken or tofu. But I promise, you won’t need it!

Yellow Curry Paste: Curry Paste is a blend of herbs, spices and other ingredients that often serves as a base for many Thai dishes. It’s most often made with chili peppers, garlic, salt, lime juice, and other spices like turmeric and coriander. You can absolutely make it from scratch, but I tend to just purchase a little bottle, especially if cooking at camp. Check your grocer’s International aisle.  

Coconut Milk: Don’t be fooled by Coconut Oil, Coconut Water, Coconut Cream or Cream of Coconut! (Sincerest apologies if I just made you more confused). Coconut milk is a creamy white liquid extracted from the pulp of coconut, and you can find clearly labeled cans likely in the International section of your grocery store. You’ll see in the photo above, I tried “Light” Coconut Milk. Confession: I grabbed it by accident that day. If you need to watch your saturated fat intake, it’s a fine option, but I much prefer the less-processed and fattier regular Coconut Milk for a fuller flavor. (Do it, do it!)

Rice Noodles: Another item likely found in the International aisle of your grocery store. The brand I always grab is Lotus Foods’ Traditional Pad Thai Rice Noodles. These have a total cook time of 5 minutes. Double check that the noodles you’re using have a similar cook time, or you may need to adjust.  

A Note on Cooking the Garlic: Camp stoves tend to run on two temperatures: High and Extra High. That makes cooking burn-prone ingredients like garlic extra difficult. Another confession: I totally burned it the first time I made this, but somehow (I swear being a very cold and very hungry solo camper had nothing to do with it), it still tasted great. That said, burned garlic is an infamous no-no. I recommend raising your pan away the heat while cooking the garlic if you’re using a camp stove. You shouldn’t have this problem if you’re cooking at home. In fact, if you burn the garlic at home, you messed up. No excuses. 

Things You’ll Need

• Knife for slicing and chopping

• Can opener

• Measuring cup

• Tablespoon to measure

• Bowl & spoon for eating

• Medium pot

• Heat source

• Optional:

  • Grater

  • Mixing spoon

  • Whisk

  • Food processor

  • Cutting board

Ingredients (one serving):

• 1 tbsp oil

• 1 small clove of garlic, minced

• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced or grated

• 1 tbsp yellow curry paste

• 8 oz coconut milk

• 1.5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

• 2 oz rice noodles (a quarter of most packs)

• 1 cup broccoli, chopped into small, bite-sized pieces

• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into thin, bite-sized pieces

• 1 cup fresh spinach

• 1/2 lime, cut in half

• 1 tbsp green onion, chopped (optional)

Directions:

In a medium pot, preheat oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, ensuring garlic does not brown (it’s already going to smell amazing!). Add yellow curry paste. Cook for two minutes while mixing as best you can (the ingredients will be a bit clumpy). Add coconut milk and mix thoroughly until mixture is smooth – option to whisk. Bring heat to medium-high. Pour in vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Add rice noodles and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring so they don’t stick. Add red bell pepper and broccoli, and simmer for about 2 minutes, until al dente. Add spinach and cook until wilted, less than one minute. Remove from heat and squeeze one of the lime sections over top. Serve, and garnish with green onion and remaining lime wedge.  

Do you plan on trying this?! Let me know in the comment section below. Made it and loved it?! Post a photo on Instagram tagging @nattieupnorth!