5 Ingredients: Coconut Soup With Noodles & Mushrooms

Tired of sandwiches for lunch or the same pasta for dinner? A warm bowl of this Thai-inspired soup will hit the spot. Not only is the soup filled with nutrients; it helps fill you up, too.
Coconut Soup

Tired of sandwiches for lunch or the same pasta dish for dinner? A warm bowl of this Thai-inspired, nutrient-rich soup will hit the spot.

Ingredients:
4 cups chicken broth
1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 cup sliced mushrooms
4 ounces cooked rice noodles
Chicken Broth

Broth gives a low-calorie base flavor to this simple soup. Make a batch of your own over the weekend or get the low-sodium canned or boxed version. Use vegetable broth to make the recipe vegetarian.

Bring broth to a simmer over medium high heat. NOTE: if you’ve got a piece of ginger root or lemongrass in the fridge, toss it in to infuse the broth with even more flavor.

Light Coconut Milk

Coconut milk offers up the silky texture and is the star flavor in this dish. The light version has half the fat and calories and is still “coconutty.” Coconut is one of the few plant sources of less-healthy saturated fat, but it’s also chocked full of minerals such as iron and magnesium for healthy red blood cells and bones. Feel free to enjoy it, but in moderation.

Hoisin Sauce

Many Thai-style soups call for a long list of ingredients such as fish sauce, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce. Prepared hoisin sauce contains many of these for an easy all-in-one substitute -- look for it where you buy soy sauce in the grocery store.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms give a hearty bite and earthy flavor that compliments the coconut broth; they’re also one of the only plant sources of vitamin D.

Rice Noodles

Tender rice noodles make this soup a meal (and they’re fun to eat with chopsticks!) -- they’re also fat-, cholesterol- and gluten-free.

Cook the noodles ahead of time in boiling water for 4 to 6 minutes.

Add coconut milk, hoisin, mushrooms and noodles; mix well to combine flavors and dissolve hoisin sauce. Return to a simmer, cook for 10 to 12 minutes and serve.

Nutrition Info:
Servings: 4 (1 1/3 cups each)
Calories: 244
Total Fat: 9 grams
Saturated Fat: 6 grams
Total Carbohydrate: 32 grams
Protein: 7 grams
Sodium: 235 milligrams
Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
Fiber: 1.5 grams
    Recipe Variations:
  • Replace mushrooms with baby spinach or bean sprouts.
  • Add cooked shredded chicken or shrimp and scallions for a more substantial meal.

Next Up

Not to Brag, But I Created a Truly Magic 5-Ingredient Chicken Soup

Thanks to an unusual (but easy) technique, the broth is insanely flavorful.

5 Ingredients: Stuffed Mushrooms

A light, flavorful and bite-sized app that’s perfect for your next soiree. You can’t go wrong with savory stuffed mushrooms.

5 Ingredients: Cantaloupe Soup

It’s been a hot and humid summer – cool off with this refreshing and light no-cook soup.