It's Finally Soup Season!
There really is nothing better on a cold, crisp night than a steaming bowl of hot soup. It's such a great way to get a ton of vegetables into your diet and it's an effortless way of staying both hydrated and nourished. This Thai beet coconut soup is delicious, and so quick and easy to prepare.
As you can see from the color, beets are the real star of the dish. Until I tried this dish, Borscht, which is a traditional eastern European/Russian beet soup, was the only way I had ever tried beet soup. While some versions of Borscht are quite delicious, I highly enjoyed the bright Thai flavors and fun toppings that this version offered. Since I try to make sure I am consuming beets (as well as other root vegetables) often, this is a great addition to add to the dinner rotation.
What's different about Thai Coconut Beet Soup? Well...
Its beautiful, brilliant red hue to start with. You know with those deep pigments that this Thai coconut beet soup is filled with antioxidants.
The flavor from the red curry sauce, coconut milk, lime and herbs give you all the delicious Thai feels in a new and unique way.
Thai coconut beet soup is a balanced meal, meaning that it contains adequate amounts of FAT (coconut milk, avocado, greek yogurt), PROTEIN (Greek yogurt, bone broth, chickpeas), CARBS (beets, shallots, chickpeas), and FIBER (chickpeas, avocado). If you are looking to eat a higher protein diet, you could easily add some cooked tofu, shrimp, chicken or steak and it would be delicious.
The soup takes about 5 minutes of prep and can go straight to the instant pot (or stovetop) for cooking immediately or to the freezer for a future meal.
If frozen, it can be cooked directly in the instant pot, no need to defrost. These are the types of meals that come in so handy when you don't have dinner plans!
It's such a nutrient dense meal! All the veggies, healthy fats, and fiber plus the anti-inflammatory and immune protecting spices like ginger, turmeric and garlic pack a micronutrient dense punch.
Health Benefits of Beets
Heart Supportive Properties
Beets contain phytonutrients called betalaines which have powerful anti-inflammatory and heart supportive properties.
Liver Detoxification
Beets are a rich source of betaine, a unique plant compound which supports phase 2 detoxification, and along with glutathione, helps flush toxins from the liver. If you are a person who is trying to lighten the toxic load and support your body's natural detoxification process then you should be eating beets regularly!
Rich in Minerals and Vitamins
Beets are a source of folate, manganese, potassium, copper, vitamin C, magnesium, and iron.
May Improve Exercise Performance
Beets contain dietary nitrates, which your body uses to make nitric oxide (NO). Nitric oxide works as a vasodilator, which helps promote proper blood flow and lower blood pressure. According to one study, consuming a beet juice supplement increased nitric oxide levels by 21% after just 45 minutes. Many athletes choose to drink beet juice prior to their workouts to boost performance. This is because studies show that the dietary nitrates found in beets significantly improve muscle efficiency and oxygen delivery to the muscles during exercise.
Multiple Benefits from Dietary Nitrates
Your body converts dietary nitrates into nitric oxide, which is a vital molecule that does many amazing things for your health. Its positive effects are now being studied in many ways (including studies involving Covid-19!) It works as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. It can improve exercise performance, promote memory and learning, regulate digestive enzymes and hormones and even increase arousal in both men and women (nitric oxide was central to creating the drug Viagra).
Fun fact: an estimated 10-15% of all U.S. adults experience beeturia (a reddening of the urine) after consumption of beets. Do you? While it's mostly not harmful, it can be an indicator of issues with iron metabolism. Individuals with iron deficiency OR iron excess are more likely to experience beeturia so if you suspect you have iron issues, and you have red pee after consuming beets, you may want to check in with a healthcare professional!
How to Eat More Beets
Make this soup!
Buy pre roasted beets and add them to salads or eat as a side. LoveBeets is one of my favorite brands and sells a bunch of different flavors of marinated selections. Trader Joe's also sells some good ones!
Make this delicious salad - Avocado and beet salad with everything bagel seasoning
Juice them! My favorite way to consume beet juice is mixed with orange and ginger.
Pickle them! Beets, like many other root veggies, are absolutely delicious pickled. Plus, they add such a pop of color to any dish! Bonus Points: use the leftover pickle juice to pickle some hard boiled eggs like the ones seen here. A meal prep classic just became more delicious and beautiful!
Try beet powder. You can use dehydrated beet powder and add it to all sorts of things from dips and sauces (think Greek yogurt and Mediterranean spices) to smoothies, oats and frosting. It's great used as a nutrient dense and nontoxic food coloring to make food pink or red. This is especially helpful if you have kids who love the color pink, as it makes food way more fun for them! I use this one from Oaktown Spice Shop (my happy place) but here is another great option.
More Freezer Friendly Recipe Ideas:
Thai Coconut Beet Soup
Ingredients
- 6 medium beets, peeled and cut into cubes
- 1 (13.5 oz.) can coconut milk
- 2 medium shallots, sliced
- 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp maple syrup or coconut sugar
- 2 cups vegetable broth or chicken bone broth
- 1 can Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp coriander
- ½ tsp coconut sugar
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add frozen ingredients to the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. When the timer goes off, let the steam natural release for 10 minutes.
- Add contents to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.
- Serve with toppings of choice: we did crispy chickpeas, sliced avocado, limey yogurt and cilantro.
- While soup is cooking, preheat oven to 425° F.
- Toss chickpeas with melted coconut oil and spices, then distribute them evenly on a prepared baking sheet.
- Roast the chickpeas for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.
Notes:
If you have leftover crispy chickpeas, I find that the best way to keep them fresh is store them in a brown paper bag or in a loosely covered container so they don't get soggy.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
256.37Fat (grams)
17.70Sat. Fat (grams)
14.49Carbs (grams)
22.17Fiber (grams)
4.41Net carbs
17.76Sugar (grams)
8.48Protein (grams)
5.86Sodium (milligrams)
867.09Cholesterol (grams)
0.00Nutrition information is approximate and generated automatically.