If you’re a Thai curry lover, this Ground Turkey Curry Soup might just be your new favorite soup recipe! Packed with Thai-inspired flavors, lean protein, and fresh vegetables, this simple healthy dinner recipe is full of quality nutrition without sacrificing flavor!
Curry lovers, allow me to introduce you to your newest favorite soup!
This quick and easy Thai-inspired ground turkey curry soup is overflowing with flavor and nutrients for the most delicious, heart meal!
Easy to customize using any kind of curry paste, a variety of animal proteins, and just about any vegetable, you can take this simple curry soup recipe in all sorts of directions.
If you’ve been around The Roasted Root for a number of years, you already know I’m wild about curry. Some of my personal favorites include my Crock Pot Thai Chicken Curry, and my Red Curry Salmon and Vegetables.
I love the soup version because I tend to pack in extra vegetables for plenty of fiber, and the end result is a lighter meal that is still very satisfying. It has plenty of rich flavor without being as calorically dense.
For those times I’m feeling the need for more carbs, I add some cooked white rice or brown rice into the soup.
Let’s discuss the healthy ingredients for curry soup! You can find the whole list of ingredients at any grocery store.
Ingredients for Ground Turkey Curry Soup:
Ground Turkey: Lean ground turkey adds a big boost of protein to the meal. The ground turkey I use is 99% lean and 1% fat.
If you’re concerned about your fat intake, I recommend sticking with a lean meat because the coconut milk contains a decent amount of fat.
Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk and Chicken Broth: The combination of canned coconut milk and chicken broth makes the creamy coconut curry broth in this healthy soup recipe.
Because we’re using less coconut milk than a standard Thai curry, the soup is lighter than curry yet still delicious.
Be sure to use the full-fat coconut milk that comes in a can as opposed to other types of coconut milk for the best results.
Light coconut milk won’t be as flavorful and coconut milk from a carton will be watery and also not as luxurious.
Red Curry Paste: Red Thai curry paste is responsible for much of the Thai inspired curry flavors in this hearty soup. Any type of Thai curry paste works here, as does yellow curry powder.
Vegetables: Yellow onion, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, carrots, bell pepper, zucchini and baby spinach.
This winning combination of fresh veggies brings a tremendous amount of flavor and also hearty texture. Plus, it boosts the vitamin and mineral content of the meal while providing a great source of fiber.
Fish Sauce & Pure Maple Syrup (optional): Fish sauce adds saltiness and umami flavor, and pure maple syrup brings sweetness. I recommend using both, but they are both optional.
You can add either/or to your personal taste. Soy sauce is a decent alternative to fish sauce if you have it on hand.
Avocado Oil: We need some form of cooking oil to sauté the vegetables and brown the meat. I love using avocado oil because it is a great high-temperature cooking oil.
I recommend using avocado oil when cooking at high temperatures over olive oil, which burns easily.
Salt and Black Pepper: Add salt and pepper to your personal taste.
Recipe Customizations:
- You can swap out the ground turkey for ground chicken, ground beef, or chopped up chicken thighs or breasts.
- Incorporate any fresh vegetables you love. Green peas, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, eggplant, red potatoes, shiitake mushrooms, and bok choy are all great options.
- Use your favorite kind of curry paste such as green curry paste or yellow curry paste instead of red curry paste.
- Swap out the chicken stock for vegetable broth or bone broth.
- If you have turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving or leftover chicken, this soup is a magical placement for protein leftovers.
- For spicy soup, add one to 3 Thai chilies, a jalapeno, cayenne pepper, or red pepper flakes.
Now that we’ve covered the simple ingredients for this healthy recipe, let’s make this hearty and nutritious soup recipe!
How to Make Ground Turkey Curry Soup:
Heat the avocado oil in a large thick-bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add the chopped onion to the large pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and beginning to brown slightly, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Stir in the carrots, bell pepper, minced garlic, and ginger and cook for a minute or two, until the garlic is fragrant.
Scoot the vegetables off to one side of the pot to make room for the ground turkey.
Add the ground turkey to the surface of the pot and allow it to brown for a few minutes before breaking it into small pieces with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon and mixing it in with the vegetables.
Add in the chopped zucchini, chicken broth, coconut milk, red curry paste, fish sauce, and pure maple syrup. Bring the soup to a full boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow soup to cook at a gentle boil (uncovered) for 7 to 8 minutes, until the zucchini has softened but is still al dente. Stir in the baby spinach and continue cooking until the spinach has wilted, about 2 minutes.
Taste the soup for flavor and add sea salt, lime juice, or red pepper flakes to your personal taste.
Serve soup in bowls and enjoy!
The longer the soup sits, the more flavorful it becomes. For this reason, I recommend preparing the soup 1 to 3 days prior to eating it to allow the flavors to fully develop.
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Because this soup tastes even better the next day, I see this as an ideal meal prep recipe.
A great way to get your curry fix while also taking in plenty of protein, fiber and micronutrients, this Thai turkey soup recipe is an amazing weeknight dinner.
This bowl of soup is already on regular rotation with my other favorite weeknight meals. For me, it is the perfect way of ensuring I’m hitting my nutrition goals while still having a great time.
For those of you who love the concept of curry soup recipes, try my Chicken Yellow Curry Soup, Vegetable Coconut Curry Soup, and 30-Minute Thai Curry Noodles.
If you love healthy soup recipes, also try out some of my most popular soups.
More Healthy Soup Recipes:
- Hearty Ground Turkey Soup with Vegetables
- Crock Pot Sausage and Cabbage Soup
- Sausage 15-Bean Soup
- Crock Pot Curry Lentil Soup with Spinach
- Albondigas Soup
The next time the craving for Thai food strikes, whip up this quick and delicious soup recipe!
Ground Turkey Curry Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 small yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 3 large cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp fresh ginger peeled and grated or minced
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 zucchini squash chopped
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 (15-oz) can full-fat coconut milk
- 2 Tbsp red curry paste
- 1 tsp fish sauce optional
- 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup optional
- 5 ounces baby spinach optional
Instructions
- Heat the avocado oil in a large thick-bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the chopped onion to the large pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and beginning to brown slightly, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Stir in the carrots, bell pepper, minced garlic, and ginger and cook for a minute or two, until the garlic is fragrant.
- Scoot the vegetables off to one side of the pot to make room for the ground turkey. Add the ground turkey to the surface of the pot and allow it to brown for a few minutes before breaking it into small pieces with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon and mixing it in with the vegetables.
- Add in the chopped zucchini, chicken broth, coconut milk, red curry paste, fish sauce, and pure maple syrup. Bring the soup to a full boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow soup to cook at a gentle boil (uncovered) for 7 to 8 minutes, until the zucchini has softened but is still al dente. Stir in the baby spinach and continue cooking until the spinach has wilted, about 2 minutes.
- Taste the soup for flavor and add sea salt, lime juice, or red pepper flakes to your personal taste.
- Serve soup in bowls and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Hi,
I made this last night and it was delicious.
Mine was not as orange as yours is in the photo. Are some red curry pastes more potent in their color than others?
The color of yours was very pretty.
Hi Colleen! I used Mekhala red curry paste (https://amzn.to/49iuncn) 🙂 I’m not sure what is accounting for the color difference, but you can always add another 1-2 tablespoons of red curry paste for added color and flavor if you’d like xoxox
Hello
I made this for first time and love ❤️ it. One question could this be made Vegan? And what vegan protein would you suggest?
Thanks for answering
Hi Bryant! If it were me, I would use a combination of beans and rice for vegan protein. Tofu would work too but I typically don’t use it on account of its affect on estrogen. Let me know if you have any other questions! xo