Slow Cooker Thai Soup

My favorite meals to make, especially as a mom, are the ones where you toss all the ingredients in a slow cooker and have it taste like you spent HOURS preparing it (and as far as your family is concerned, you absolutely did).

I love my slow cooker so much now that I’ve started to get a bit more creative with the recipes… which, in my case, means not just using it to make chili. 😉

While I used to shy away from Thai dishes (assuming the takeout version would be so much better), I’ve gotta admit–this dish tastes like it could be on the menu of our go-to Thai restaurant. Even my meat-preferring husband gave his approval, saying he liked the tofu version of this recipe to the chicken it typically calls for on Yummly.

While this could also be easily prepared on the stove top, the slow cooker allows for an even fuller flavor, which is why I recommend doing the slow cooker version if you have time.

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Slow Cooker Thai Soup (makes six servings):

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. red curry paste
4 tbsp. cilantro, chopped (divided)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lime
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 (13 oz.) can of coconut milk
2 cups of vegetable broth
1 cup of frozen peas
8 oz. brown rice noodles
One package of soft organic tofu cut in cubes (or for a meat version: 1 lb. of diced chicken breast)

Directions:

Combine the curry paste, 3 tbsp. of cilantro, garlic, ginger, red pepper, yellow onion, coconut milk and vegetable broth in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours. (If making the chicken version, add the chicken with the first step as well, but cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low).

About 30 minutes before serving, add the brown rice noodles, tofu and peas, and cook on high.

Garnish with leftover cilantro and sprinkle with a squeeze of lime before digging in.

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