This Thai Green Curry Meatball Soup is a weeknight miracle. Cozy, fragrant coconut broth, flavor-packed chicken meatballs, tender rice noodles, and greens all done in about 35 minutes. It has those quintessential Thai-inspired flavors, but it's built for busy life: one pot, simple ingredients, and a broth you'll want to sip straight from the ladle.
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Thai food is one of my all-time favorites and to eat. Though I could never call my Thai recipes authentic, I admire the flavors, cooking process, and construction of these authentic recipes. This curry soup is my way of showing appreciation for Thai cuisine.
If you're in the mood for more bold, quick dinners, try my 30-minute peanut stir fry, sticky meatballs, and air fryer orange chicken.
Ingredients
- Ground chicken. Stick to ground chicken or ground turkey. Beef is too heavy and competes with the delicate aromatics of green curry. Chicken and turkey act like a blank canvas, soaking up the coconut milk and lime.
- Coconut milk. Use full-fat canned coconut milk. "Lite" versions often separate and turn grainy when boiled. Shake the can well before opening to incorporate the cream.
- Curry paste. Not all curry pastes are equal. Some brands are much spicier and saltier than Thai Kitchen which is what I always use. You may only need one tablespoon of soy sauce. I almost always use Thai Kitchen.
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- I prefer to mix in spinach because it's an easy last-minute addition, but I'll also add bok choy and shiitake mushrooms if I have them.
- Add some heat. Green chiles, red pepper flakes or your favorite spice.
- Make it vegetarian. To make this dish vegetarian, replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock and swap the chicken out with tofu or faux ground meat.
How to make Thai Green Curry Meatball Soup
Cook your rice noodles separately. If you cook them in the soup, they'll soak up all the delicious broth and turn into mush.
Step 1: In a large bowl, mix the ground chicken with the meatball ingredients.
Step 2: Form into 16 equal-sized meatballs.
Step 3: Brown the meatballs in a Dutch oven. They don't need to be cooked through yet, just get a golden crust for flavor. Remove and set aside. Add more oil to the pan and saute the onions for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and ginger.
Step 4: Add in the curry paste, stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes. This "wakes up" the spices.
Step 5: Pour in the soy sauce, honey, broth and coconut milk.
Step 6: Add the meatballs back in and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the spinach and noodles at the very last second. Serve with lime wedges, scallions and cilantro for garnish.
Sarah's Top Tips
- Wet hands are the key to perfect meatballs. Ground chicken and turkey are much stickier than beef. If the meat is sticking to your palms, lightly dampen your hands with water or spray with cooking oil before rolling. The meatballs will slide right off and stay perfectly spherical.
- Grate the garlic and ginger instead of mincing. Using a microplane to grate the ginger and garlic into a paste ensures they melt into the meatballs and the broth. There's nothing worse than biting into a large chunk of raw ginger in a soup!
- Add lime at the end. Lime brightens everything, but it tastes freshest off heat.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Thai green curry meatball soup hot with lime wedges and plenty of fresh cilantro and scallions. If you want to round it out, this soup is great with a simple crunchy side like cucumber salad or a quick batch of steamed edamame.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below-I'd love to hear how it turned out! THANK YOU!
Thai Green Curry Meatball Soup
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See the full post for extra tips and photos
Ingredients
- 10 ounces rice noodles, cooked according to package directions
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground chicken, ground turkey is a great substitute
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon scallions, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger or ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger or ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon green curry paste, I use Thai Kitchen brand
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 15 ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- Salt, to taste
- ½ lime, juiced
- For garnish: chopped scallions, chopped cilantro and lime wedges
Instructions
- Cook rice noodles according to the directions on the package, strain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.10 ounces rice noodles
- In a large bowl, add all of the meatball ingredients and mix together with your hands. Form into approximately 16 equal-sized meatballs.1 pound ground chicken, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon scallions, 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon grated ginger or ginger paste, 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides for a few minutes. Remove and set aside.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Add 1 more tablespoon of oil to the pan. Saute the onion for 3-4 minutes. Add 2 garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon ginger.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 yellow onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon grated ginger or ginger paste
- Add in the curry paste, stir and cook for 2 minutes.1 tablespoon green curry paste
- Pour in soy sauce, honey, chicken broth and coconut milk.2 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons honey, 4 cups chicken broth, 1 15 ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- Add meatballs back in and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in spinach and noodles.5 ounces baby spinach
- Cook for 2 minutes until spinach is wilted. Turn off heat, season with salt to taste and squeeze in lime juice.Salt, ½ lime
- Serve with lime wedges, scallions and cilantro.For garnish: chopped scallions, chopped cilantro and lime wedges
Sarah's Tips
- The Noodle Rule: Don't cook the rice noodles in the soup. They will absorb all the broth and turn gummy. Boil them separately, rinse in cold water, and add to the pot just before serving or individual bowls before ladling the soup over them.
- Rolling Hack: Ground poultry is stickier than beef. Lightly dampen your hands with water or oil before rolling to prevent the meat from sticking to your palms.
- Lime at the End: Stir in the lime juice after you've turned off the heat. Boiling citrus juice makes it taste dull; adding it at the end keeps the flavor bright.
- Storage Tip: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Freezing: Contrary to popular belief, you can freeze this soup with the coconut milk included (I've done it many times). If it looks separated after thawing, just whisk it well while reheating on the stovetop to bring the creamy texture back.
- Freeze Without Noodles: For the best texture, freeze only the meatballs and broth. Add fresh noodles upon reheating.
KITCHEN TOOLS NEEDED
- 1 Knife and cutting board
- 1 Strainer
Nancy says
Second time making this soup! So delicious.....
Nancy says
This was delicious! So many wonderful flavors! Easy to make... Great cold weather meal.