Red Curry Carrot Soup

With its mix of delicious colors, textures and flavors, this easy soup is something special. The meatballs make it substantial enough to serve as a light entree.

—Dilnaz Heckman, Buckley, WA

Prep: 20 min. • Cook: 15 min. • Makes: 8 servings

• 5 pkg. (3 oz. each) ramen noodles
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbsp. peanut oil
• 1 can (13.66 oz.) coconut milk, divided
• 2 Tbsp. red curry paste
• 1 ½ tsp. curry powder
• ½ tsp. ground turmeric
• 32 frozen fully cooked homestyle meatballs (½ oz. each)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 medium zucchini, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, halved and sliced
• ¼ cup shredded cabbage
• 2 tsp. fish sauce or soy sauce
• Optional: Bean sprouts, chow mein noodles, chopped fresh basil, green onions and micro greens

1. 1. Cook ramen noodles according to package directions (discard the seasoning packets or save them for another use).
2. 2.  Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, saute the garlic in oil for 1 minute. Spoon ½ cup cream from top of coconut milk and place in the pan. Add curry paste, curry powder and turmeric; cook and stir until the oil separates from the coconut milk mixture, about 5 minutes.
3. 3. Stir in the meatballs, chicken broth, zucchini, carrot, cabbage, fish sauce and remaining coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat; simmer, uncovered, until carrots ares tender and meatballs are heated through, 15-20 minutes. Drain noodles; stir into soup.
4. 4. Garnish with bean sprouts, chow mein noodles, basil, green onions and micro greens if desired.

1 ¼ cups: 438 cal., 21g fat (11g sat. fat), 52mg chol., 1059mg sod., 42g carb. (3g sugars, 1g fiber), 18g pro.

TIP

Thai curries come in two varieties—red and green. Red curry is made from red chiles; green is made with green chiles, basil, coriander and lime leaf. While we tend to associate the color red with heat, green curry is actually spicier.