Quick and Easy Thai Coconut Soup (2024)

I taught some workshops over the weekend at a local Women’s Conference for our church. We tackled a bunch of common challenges people face when it comes to getting meals on the table and some ideas for solutions. Two of the most common issues we hear are “I have no time!” and “I have a low budget!” So I set off to follow my own advice and create a quick and easy meal out of some really inexpensive ingredients. My aim was to demonstrate that inexpensive and easy doesn’t have to mean tasteless and boring!

I opened up my pantry in search of the most plain, cheap ingredient I could find, and my eyes immediately spotted these:

Ramen noodles! Twenty cents. I remember when I was in college (which wasn’t that long ago) they were a nickle a piece. If I ever have to pay more than a quarter for a pack of ramen I’m not sure I could do it. With a few simple, and relatively inexpensive ingredients that I already had on hand, I could take plain ol’ ramen and turn it into something amazing.

Ingredient Notes

• Basic Ingredients – I purposely kept this really simple and omitted a long list of ethnic ingredients often called for in similar recipes. You can certainly add other things like garlic, lemongrass, fish sauce, curry paste, chili paste, more veggies, etc. But the whole point of this recipe is to be quick, easy, and affordable! I’ll promise you’ll be impressed at what so few ingredients can do, this soup is really good.
• Ramen – Any brand of quick cook ramen noodles will do. You will be using the noodles only and discarding the seasoning packet, so avoid noodles in a cup where they are already coated in seasoning or have added freeze dried veggies.
• Jalapeno – The jalapeno doesn’t add any heat, just flavor- this isn’t a spicy soup at all.
• Ginger – I usually have fresh ginger in my freezer. Dried ginger would also work.
• Coconut Milk – Regular or light coconut milk works great, and remember you can buy coconut based non-dairy milk in cartons by the dairy milk as well, and it’s much cheaper per ounce there than it is for a can. At my store it was .05 cents per ounce, which would make the equivalent can about .67 cents. Generally a can of coconut milk $2- $3 a can so the carton is a great deal comparatively. The cartons are lower in calories and fat and have a consistency similar to the light coconut milk (which is thinner than full fat coconut milk). For some recipes I prefer real, canned coconut milk, but for this soup, either will work just fine.

Instructions

1. Start with a little minced jalapeno and ginger.You could certainly add minced garlic in here too; I didn’t because I was going for super quick and easy and I didn’t feel like looking for my garlic press. True story.

2. Give it a quick sauté to soften the texture andmellow the flavors and then add in some chicken broth.

3. Add in some coconut milk, which will give the soup a creamy texture and a subtle sweetness.

4. Once that mixture comes to a simmer, add in the ramen noodles. Don’t add in the seasoning packet that comes in the ramen- you can ditch that. I always break mine up because I think it’s easier to eat when the noodles aren’t 27 feet long.

5. Just cook it for as long as it takes your noodles to cook, which is only about 3-5 minutes. If you like mushrooms, you can add some in now and simmer for a couple of minutes. Then add in a little diced chicken. I used leftover rotisserie chicken, which makes it even quicker and easier.

6. Since the chicken is already cooked, it just needs to heat through, so just let it cook for a minute to do that and then remove the pan from heat. Finish it off with a big squeeze of fresh lime juice and some chopped cilantro. And then you can garnish it with more cilantro, a sprinkle of green onions and a lime wedge. Creamy, flavorful, and delicious. The best part is that it can be on the table in less than 20 minutes and it clocks in at only about $1.20 per serving. Not too shabby!

Serving Suggestions

This soup makes a great meal on it’s own, but here are some things you could pair it with:

• Leave out the chicken and serve as a side to these Orange Thai Beef Skewers or Tandoori Chicken
• Alongside Asian Cabbage Salad or Asian Wonton Salad

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I make this ahead of time? Ramen noodles soak up moisture very quickly, so they are best added right before you plan to eat this soup. You could definitely prepare the broth ahead of time and then heat and cook the noodles in the broth when you’re ready to eat. You could also make the soup as is if you don’t mind your noodles getting a bit mushy upon reheating.
• Can I make this vegan or gluten free? I have not personally made this soup vegan or gluten free, but it would be fairly simple to adapt to those needs. Ramen noodles themselves are vegan, so veggie broth instead of chicken broth and firm tofu instead of chicken would probably work really well. Thai rice noodles would probably be a great replacement for traditional ramen noodles.

Did You Make This?

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