winter sunshine soup
a veggie-packed tomato curry soup with the perfect crunchy topping
You know what we could all use right about now? A bowl of soup. Few meals are as comforting as a cozy bowl of soup in the depths of winter, and today I’m sharing one that’s full of nutrient-rich good mood foods to give our brains and bodies a little extra love.
I’m calling this “winter sunshine soup” because it will light you up on a dreary day. It’s not quite a tomato soup, given that it’s only 50% tomatoes, and the other 50% is a mixed bag of other beans and nutritious veg.
We’ve got red bell pepper (did you know they contain more vitamin C per cup than oranges?), carrots, onion, garlic, and red curry paste, which bundles lemongrass, coriander, and more all in one scoop. We’re adding a can of white beans for high-fiber plant-based protein, and some coconut milk for even more cream-less creaminess. The result is a comforting, warming, filling, nourishing, and absolutely delicious bowl of soup.
I love a crunchy topping on a creamy soup, but could not figure out the perfect addition for this recipe. I talked about that on Instagram earlier this week and my friend Courtney DMed me, “OK, but normalize being an outfit repeater with recipes — there’s a reason the garlicky crouton from good soup rules.” And you know what? She’s right. It does rule, so we are using that exact crouton here. It’s perfect and this soup deserves it. Commit this crouton to memory — I used it again tonight for a salad!
As for how we’re cooking our soup, I’m very excited to share this mostly hands-off approach. You’ll spend 10 minutes prepping the vegetables then stick the pot in the oven and let it cook low and slow while you go about your day. Then you’ll simply blend it up, stir in the coconut milk and soy sauce, and season to taste until you reach perfection.
This recipe’s great to cook on a weekend, or a weekday if you work from home (your house will smell incredible). You can use a slow cooker, though the oven will give more flavor and ensure it doesn’t wind up too liquidy. See the notes beneath the recipe for more info if using.
There’s a ton of variation between canned ingredients and so many options on the market. Here are my favorites — if you can find them, use them! For canned tomatoes, I love Cento, Bianco DiNapoli, and Muir Glen. And for beans, I usually use O Organics or S&W. Whatever beans you buy, try to get low-sodium. We are using all the bean juices to thicken our soup and those juices can have a TON of salt in them if you don’t get low-sodium. If you wind up with regular beans, don’t stress. Just cut back on the salt by 1/4 teaspoon and add more to taste at the end, if needed.
Mike’s Organic is my favorite red curry paste, but Thai Kitchen and other brands work, too. They vary a lot in spice level, so we’re going to start with 1 tablespoon of paste no matter what brand you’re using. This will not make it spicy, and will not make it taste overly like a curry — it’ll just add the warming vibe we want. If you want your soup to have more curry flavor (and a little heat, if your paste is spicy), add up to 1 more tablespoon at the end. Just be sure to taste the curry paste you’re using to know how much spice you’re working with before adding more.
The last step in this recipe is to adjust your seasonings to taste, and it’s an important one! Because we’ll all be working with different brands of ingredients, and because whole foods like vegetables vary slightly in taste from one to the next, you need to taste then tweak a little at a time until it’s perfect for you.
Here’s the cult fave, and much more classic tomato soup: creamy but cream-less vegetable-filled tomato soup. In that recipe, we use cashews for creaminess and we cook the ingredients on the stove top versus in the oven. For another puréed soup, cook my butternut squash soup, and if you have What to Cook the book, the roasted peanut carrot soup on page 237 is another winner!
Serves 4 to 6
Cook time: 3 1/2 hours (30 minutes active, 3 hours inactive)
