Are you a fan of quinoa? I personally love to add it to dishes like salads and soups to make them more hearty and filling. It definitely does the trick with this flavorful Thai Coconut Carrot Soup!

This soup can be whipped up with 10 ingredients or less (depending on your preferences), making it the perfect choice for busy weeknights. The combo of the coconut milk + carrots makes it slightly sweet, but it’s nicely balanced out by the red curry paste and gochujang (Korean red chili paste). You could spice it up even more by adding a swirl of sriracha on top! Sub the butter for olive oil and you’ll have a 100% vegan soup, too.

INGREDIENTS

2 T. butter
1 yellow onion, diced
1 lb. carrots, peeled & chopped
1 large sweet potato, peeled & diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 c. vegetable broth
1 can low-fat coconut milk
4 T. Thai red curry paste
1 T. gochujang
Quinoa, cooked
Salt & pepper to taste
Cilantro and/or sriracha for garnishing

STEPS

1) Cook the quinoa according to package directions and set aside. There’s no set amount of quinoa to make, but I would recommend 1/2 c. to 1 c. per bowl of soup.

2) Heat the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and minced garlic and cook until the onion becomes translucent. Add the Thai red curry paste and gochujang and sauté for another minute.

3) Add the diced sweet potato to the pot and stir thoroughly. Allow to cook for 3 minutes, stirring a couple of times. Add the carrots and follow the same method.

4) Pour the vegetable broth into the pot and stir to combine. Put the lid on the pot and allow the mixture to simmer for 30 minutes.

5) Turn the heat off and pour in the coconut milk (save a bit to pour on top if you want that pretty white swirl). Season with salt & pepper. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until you’ve reached your desired consistency. I prefer to leave a few chunks of carrots and sweet potatoes.

6) Scoop your quinoa into a bowl and pour the soup over the top. Garnish with cilantro and sriracha, if desired.