I really enjoy cooking. I love trying new things and putting together large meals for the people I love. But let’s be real, when the winter weather rolls in and it starts getting dark earlier, I’m 100% Team Soup. I’m talking soup that doesn’t take a hundred years to put together and is going to be just as awesome three days from now.

Especially after all the drama and stress of making Thanksgiving dinner, this soup is a trip down lazy-person lane. It’s also a great way to get a ton of veg in after a weekend of Thanksgiving leftovers and College Football side dishes.

Its super customizable–don’t like snow peas but have a five pound bag of kale at the end of its life? Swap ’em. Prefer a sweeter soup? Add more coconut milk. Like more spice? Throw some cayenne in there. Whatever you want! I prefer more spice + stock and less coconut milk, so that’s the recipe I’m sharing with you today. You just have to make sure the order you add the ingredients is correct because carrots take way longer to cook than tomatoes. No one likes soggy soup.

Lazy Girl’s Coconut Curry Soup

(Adapted from Minimalist Baker and A Pinch of Yum.)

Minimalist Baker’s recipe includes the addition of quinoa, which I prefer over tofu. The quinoa adds a little extra protein and sticks to your ribs. If you decide to make the quinoa, start with that so its ready by the time your soup is done.

I like vegetable stock over coconut milk but do you boo and cook it however makes you happy.

Quinoa:

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup white quinoa
2. 2 cups vegetable stock (or 1 14 ounce can light coconut milk)

Directions:

1. Strain and pour quinoa into a saucepan and toast on medium heat for about 5 mins.
2. Add vegetable stock (or milk) and bring to a boil for a few minutes.
3. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover until quinoa is cooked and all liquid is absorbed (15 minutes)
4. Set aside.

Soup:

Ingredients: Again, this is what I had in the fridge, feel free to swap something out. Once you have a good soup base you can throw in basically whatever you have on hand. There’s a little bit of prep time for chopping up the vegetables but don’t worry about making sure everything is cut super evenly. This is your lazy soup. Plus you can call it “rustic.”

1. 2 onions (chopped)
2. 4 cloves of garlic (minced)
3. 2 bell peppers (whatever color you prefer, chopped)
4. 1 bag frozen broccoli florets (big bag or little bag, you can add more liquid and spice)
5. 4 or 5 fresh carrots (diced)
6. 1/2 cup snow peas or a big bag of fresh kale (rip the leaves off, don’t use the stems)
7. 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
8. 1 liter (about 33 ounces) coconut milk + an extra (14 ounce) can if you like it sweeter
9. 2 cups (+ more) vegetable stock
10. 1 TBSP fresh ginger (its okay if you forget to buy it, but ginger is great for you, especially after all that Thanksgiving/Football food!)
11. Cayenne pepper
12. Curry powder
13. Red pepper flakes
14. Garlic Powder
15. Salt + Pepper

Directions:

Start by heating a tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil in a pot over medium heat. Add diced onions and cook for five minutes, adding your garlic, ginger, and peppers. Cook for about five more minutes.

Add your carrots and broccoli next. I like to let the carrots cook for about five minutes or so before adding the liquid.

Make sure you give a carrot to your insane dogs who think vegetables are treats.

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Now add your coconut milk (14 ounces) and vegetable stock (2 cups) and reduce your heat. Because I like a ton of vegetables I have to add more vegetable stock, but if you’re making a less vegetable heavy soup, you might not need as much liquid.

Add curry powder, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes. I add A TON because I like spicy. Again, its up to you. Don’t forget a little salt and pepper. Be careful if you’re using store bought stock because it probably already has a lot of sodium; make sure you constantly taste your soup!

Reduce heat and cover until the soup is warmed through and its the right amount of spicy for your taste buds. Once it’s ready, add in kale, tomatoes, or snow peas (or all of them if you have them on hand!) These three get soggy quick so you want to add them in at the very last minute.

Stir, check and see if you need more liquid–if so add in more milk or stock and season accordingly.

Once your soup is ready, grab a bowl and add a base of quinoa, then ladle in desired amount of soup. Top with cilantro and/or lemon juice. That’s it! You’re done! And the best part is that you have lunch/dinner for the next few days.

Listening to: A Kid Named Cudi (Kid Cudi)

Dessert obsession: Somlói galuska