Before jumping to the recipe, don't miss the HELPFUL RECIPE TIPS in the post! I hope you'll find them useful and will love this fantastic recipe.
5 net carbs per 12 oz bowl
Hey there!
Looking for quick and easy Low Carb meal that the whole family will love?
Well this is it! It takes about 35-40 minutes from start to finish and the whole family will love it. (Assuming they like Thai food that is.)
This is one of those meals that anyone can make and it doesn't take any special "Keto" ingredients that you will have trouble finding. It's Keto at it's simplest which is kind of a motto around here.
In fact, most weeknights we eat the sorts of quick meals that we have always eaten...sans bread and pasta of course. We usually save the more complicated and "fancy" dinners for lazy weekends or "food prep" days.
Lets get started making this awesome Shrimp Soup!
Because we are all for convenience without sacrificing our health here at Castle in the Mountains I am going to suggest some pre-chopped veggies.
Time and Carb Saver Tips:
- Use a large stock pot to make this soup.
Even though you will be sauteing the veggies first, there is no need to use a separate pan. You want to keep all of the flavor in one spot anyway.
Stainless steel is ideal for making soup because it won't crack like ceramic and won't wear out and add any nasty chemicals to the food like (shiver) Teflon and other non-stick coatings. I expect that this pot will last me a lifetime.
- Pre-sliced fresh mushrooms are the biggest time-saver here.
You can use white button or baby portobello mushrooms in this dish.
Or, you can use a smaller amount of shiitake if you like. Our local store almost never has these but if you are familiar with using them than they are great too.
You'll still need to wash whichever mushrooms you choose in a colander before using. But slicing mushrooms takes a lot of time. And, pre-cut don't cost any more than whole mushrooms at the grocery store.
So unless you really love slicing mushrooms, buy the kind that come pre-sliced.
- Frozen bell peppers.
I love these! Not only are they usually less expensive but they also save time and can actually be MORE nutritious than the ones sitting in the fresh produce bins. They are frozen at their peak and retain all of the nutrients possible because of it.
Once fresh veggies start to degrade they slowly lose they essential nutrients too.
- Green onions have a lot less carbs than any other kind of onion.
Regular (yellow and red) onions have between 11-17 net carbs per cup! I thought this was weird when we started down the Keto Lifestyle path but it's true.
Green onions contain about 4 net carbs per cup. So while you can use either...I know what my go-to is in this situation.
- Choosing Bok Choy
Try to choose bok choy that has crisp green leaves. You'll need to wash each leave because this stuff carries a lot of particles. And, of course choose organic when you can.
- Choose a nice 3 inch piece of ginger.
You will need to julienne the ginger like this...
Can I tell you a secret? I used to HATE ginger.
I still don't LOVE it raw. But sauteing it mellows out the flavor and adds an undeniable layer of flavor to this soup. It makes the soup taste a little more authentic...like something that you would order at a Thai restaurant.
You could use powdered ginger in this recipe if you have to but the fresh version gives it a little kick that cant be replaced by the powdered kind.
- By sauteing the hardest veggies first (celery & ginger) you are saving yourself some serious time.
Let them do their thing in the pan while you are washing and chopping the bok choy.
- Adding the mushrooms to the pan last will keep you from over cooking them.
I have always loved mushrooms but not everyone does. The most common complaint that I have heard about them is concerning the texture. Over cooked mushrooms are slimy. Adding them last keeps them a little bit crisper.
- Once all of the veggies are in the pan and the mushrooms are getting darker you can add the broth and Coconut Milk (canned).
In case you HATE coconut flavor, don't worry. This soup does not taste coconuty. The Coconut milk adds lots of vitamins and creaminess without the flavor....sure there is a layer of coconut flavor there but it's not detectable. It works with the other spices to make the broth special.
Plus, it adds the fat you need to stay full and feel satiated for the rest of the night.
- Once your soup stock is simmering you can add the shrimp.
I like to use shrimp with the tail on because I feel like it adds to the authenticity and flavor.
But, if you have small children or you don't want to have to pick the shrimp up with your fingers out of the soup that you can use the kind with the tails off.
DO NOT OVER COOK THE SHRIMP!
Once you add them to the broth and drown them ( push them under the liquid) it should only take about three minutes until they are bright pink and ready. Overcooked shrimp is chewy.
Yes, you can reheat this soup the next day in the microwave but if you start out with overcooked shrimp it wont get better once reheated.
- Don't add the lime juice until you turn off the heat.
Why? Because boiled lime juice doesn't taste great. It makes it taste like the kind of lime juice that comes out of the little green plastic limes. Not bad...but not as fresh and bright as it could be.
If you are planning on eating this several days in a row maybe squeezing fresh lime juice on top before enjoying it would be a better idea. Up to you friend!
- Serve hot and with any toppings that you like!
Fresh cilantro, fresh jalapenos and red pepper flakes are the traditional garnishment for a dish like this. But feel free to experiment.
Thom really like Sriracha and Ada loved additional fresh green onions on her soup.
The real "secret" to being successful on the Ketogenic Diet is to customize the food to your liking!
It's not hard to figure out that if you don't like the food on your "diet" than you won't stick with it. Think back to the low fat everything diet.....yeah, that never lasted for more than a couple of weeks for us.
We have a wide variety of Keto recipes and meals on our site that rank from super easy to special occasion worthy...take a look!
Also, make sure to treat yourself once in a while to keep the cravings at bay. I think these gorgeous little chocolate and peanut butter bombs are a sumptuous end to this meal but you can see all of the dessert choices that we have here too.
Look at these....mmmm.
Or, if you are looking for something seasonal, check out this Pumpkin Spice mug cake...it only takes a couple of minutes to make and is an easy dessert for one.
As always please let us know if you have any questions in the comment section below and Keto On!
Thai Shrimp & Veggie Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 8 oz Sliced Mushrooms White or portabella
- 3 inch Ginger Fresh & Julienned like little french fries.
- ½ Cup Sliced Celery
- 4 cups Bok Choy Chopped ( white & green parts)
- ½ cup Green Onion
- ½ cup frozen bell pepper pieces
- 4 Cups Chicken Broth
- 14 oz Coconut milk canned
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Fish Sauce
- 1 tsp garlic *to taste
- 1 tsp black pepper *optional to taste
- 1 pound Shrimp Peeled, de-veined & tail on
- ¼ cup Lime Juice I used three limes.
- Red pepper flakes *to taste
Instructions
- In a large stock pot saute the ginger and celery for 2-3 minutes while you chop the bok choy.
- Add peppers, onions and mushrooms while continuing to saute.
- Add the bok choy and continue sauteing.
- Once the mushrooms begin to darken add the chicken broth, fish sauce, garlic, pepper, soy sauce and coconut milk.
- Bring to simmering.
- Add the shrimp and push them under the liquid to simmer for about three minutes or until pink and veggies are cooked but still a bit crisp.
- Turn off heat and add lime juice.
- Serve with red pepper flakes ( so everyone can add their own level of spice) and cilantro if desired.
Notes
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Nutrition
The nutritional information in this post is provided as a courtesy. We try to be as accurate as possible but if you ever feel like anything is off on this or any other site you should feel free to do your own calculations.
This post about Spicy Thai Shrimp & Veggie Soup has helped me a lot, is very well written.
Love to you All!