Vegan Thai Red Curry with Cauliflower and Potatoes is spicy and delicious with a side of healthy! It’s the perfect, satisfying veggie-packed meal!
I actually had other plans for this head of cauliflower.
Then, it got to be Saturday night. I realized there were a bunch of vegetables in the refrigerator–including the cauliflower–that needed to be dealt with before the week began again.
Has that ever happened to you? You buy a bunch of things that look so beautiful and so fresh and then gasp… You have to do something with them or else!
Vegan Thai Red Curry with Cauliflower and Potatoes is what to make when you have too many vegetables!
This lovely dish has:
- Onions
- Red bell pepper
- Potatoes
- Cauliflower
- Carrots
- Spinach
But of course, use whatever vegetables you have that need to be used!
This may be controversial when it comes to someone who cooks for a living, but I no longer make my own red curry paste. I discovered Maesri (affiliate link) at a local international food market and I don’t see a reason to make my own anymore!
I don’t care for average grocery store red curry pastes because I find them wimpy. However, Maesri is the perfect substitute! It’s spicy, full of authentic flavor and inexpensive!
How to make Vegan Thai Red Curry with Cauliflower and Potatoes:
- This dish is super-easy! Saute the onions, red bell pepper and potatoes.
- Add the vegetable broth, coconut milk, the spices and bring to a boil.
- …The cauliflower and simmer away!
- Then add the remaining vegetables…..
- And mmmwaaaahhhh!
Vegan Thai Red Curry with Cauliflower and Potatoes is a spicy, healthful, delicious vegan dinner you won’t feel guilty about!
Serve with brown or white jasmine rice. Delish!
Be sure to check out my other veggie-packed Thai-inspired meals!
Click to purchase these helpful tools and equipment to make this Vegan Thai Red Curry with Cauliflower and Potatoes (affiliate links):
Vegan Thai Red Curry with Cauliflower and Potatoes
Vegan Thai Red Curry with Cauliflower and Potatoes is spicy and delicious with a side of healthy! It's the perfect satisfying veggie-packed meal!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons canola or coconut oil
- 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed, thinly sliced
- 8 baby Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cans (15-ounce) coconut milk
- 1 can (15-ounce) diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste (or to taste and tolerance)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 small head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 cup julienned carrots or 2 medium carrots, coarsely grated
- 1 container (5-ounce) baby spinach
- 1 large lime, juiced
- Thai basil leaves, for garnish
- 3 cups cooked jasmine rice
Instructions
- Heat canola or coconut oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or saute pan. Add the onion and cook 5-8 minutes or until beginning to soften.
- Add the red bell pepper and potatoes and cook 2-3 minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth, coconut milk, tomatoes, red curry paste, garlic and ginger. Bring to a boil.
- Add the cauliflower florets. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 8-10 minutes.
- Add the carrots. Cook another 5 minutes.
- Add the baby spinach and stir until wilted.
- Add lime juice.
- Garnish with fresh Thai basil leaves.
- Serve with cooked jasmine rice.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Amount Per Serving Calories 441 Total Fat 9g Saturated Fat 7g Trans Fat 0g Unsaturated Fat 2g Cholesterol 7mg Sodium 490mg Carbohydrates 79g Net Carbohydrates 0g Fiber 9g Sugar 8g Sugar Alcohols 0g Protein 13g
Suzanne says
Loved this. I did add extra curry sauce and chilli. We like it a bit spicy.
Carol says
Hi, Suzanne, Thanks so very much and so glad you all enjoyed! The heat factor should definitely be adjusted to each person’s tolerance. Some people can take a lot, while others not so much! Thanks again!
Lindsay says
Can you make and freeze this dish?
Carol says
Hi, Lindsay, Thanks so much for your question. Whenever you freeze something with a high water content such as vegetables, it’s not going to be quite the same as enjoying it fresh. If you want to freeze it, I would suggest undercooking the vegetables so when you heat it, they would cook the rest of the way and not be too soft. I would also add a little cornstarch or another thickener as the vegetables are going to release some water upon thawing. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
jillian says
Are the calories in this dish really that accurate? Unless the serving size is really large, I can’t imagine it being a nearly 700 calorie dish?
Carol says
Hi, Jillian, Thanks so much for your question. It is a computer-generated figure. I recalculated the calories and this time came up with 441 on six servings. Don’t know why it would have showed almost 700 before but that’s computer programs for you! They may have updated their database since I calculated the calories. Thanks so much and hope you enjoy!
Elle says
Hi, red curry paste is not vegan or even vegetarian. It contains shrimp paste.
Carol says
Hi, Elle, No, not every brand of red curry paste has shrimp paste in it. If you read the post, you’ll see that I recommend using Maesri red curry paste as it has the following ingredients: Dried red chilies, garlic, shallot, salt, lemongrass, sugar, kaffir lime, galangal, spices (coriander seeds, cumin, cardamom). Research it. You can also make your own red curry paste and not put shrimp paste in it.
Lynley Simmonz says
This was absolutely fabulous. The only thing I did different was to cook The Thai Red Curry Paste first and then followed your steps from there. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
Carol says
Thank you, Lynley! So glad you enjoyed!
Brittney says
Not sure what I did wrong but this recipe had zero flavor to me. It tasted like steamed veggies over rice. Maybe I’ll try the red curry paste you recommended.
Carol says
Hi, Brittney, So sorry it didn’t turn out for you but if you used regular supermarket red curry paste, it’s going to be pretty bland. I’ve used supermarket red curry paste and it seems I have to use the whole jar before the dish tastes like a Thai red curry dish. Hope you’ll give it another try.
Gurumeher Khalsa says
I loved the vegetables you suggested although I didn’t have any cauliflower and I used the Saffron Road red curry sauce instead of the ginger and curry paste. It was spicy but totally delicious. Thanks for the great recipe which I’ll make again.
Carol says
Thanks, Gurumeher! So glad you enjoyed! You definitely can use any type of vegetable. I created this recipe from what I had in my refrigerator so you can certainly do the same! While making your own curry paste is generally preferable–if you can find a prepared one you like–I say go for it to save some time. Thanks again!
Xanthe says
Could I try any other vegetable than cauliflower. ? I really don’t care for cauliflower. Is there a substitute I could try ?
Carol says
Hi, Xanthe, Thanks so much for your question! You absolutely can use any vegetables you like in this curry. What about broccoli, asparagus or snow peas? More spinach or carrots? There are so many vegetables in this curry, you might even be able to leave out the cauliflower and not add any of them and it would still be satisfying. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
Richard says
Interested to try this but with some changes. First, I would probably work in some sauteed tofu (maybe). Second, I would add several chiles, either the small Thai ones or a few serranos. Third, the amount of canned coconut milk seems high; I might try one can rinsed with some water. Given the off flavors in canned coconut milk, I might also jettison both cans in favor of soaking maybe a quarter of a cup of dried copra in with the broth. Fourth and finally, the canned tomatoes seem out of place here. Some dried tamarind soaked and the pulp discarded (strained to make sure no seeds sneak in)–liquid only, kind of like making sambar–makes more sense to me.
Carol says
Hi, Richard, Thanks for your suggestions. Recipes are roadmaps but how you get to the final destination is up to you. Hope you enjoy!
Sarah says
I’ve made dozens of curry recipes through the years (both Asian and Indian) and this one is THE BEST I’ve ever made. It tastes so much like Thai curry from a restaurant. My husband’s favorite curry style is with coconut milk, so I’ve made more of those versions than anything else. This awesome recipe will definitely be on repeat here as a favorite. So glad I stumbled across it.
Carol says
Hi, Sarah, Your comment and feedback made my day! Thanks so much and so glad you enjoyed! Hope you’ll stay in touch!
Irene says
Anyway to use something other than coconut milk? There’s an enormous amount of saturated fat in this dish. Great that it’s vegan but not good for the heart, cholesterol…
Carol says
Hi, Irene, Thanks so much for your question. I totally hear you on the coconut milk. It IS high in fat and calories but it’s soooo very flavorful! Every so often I indulge, enjoy and don’t look back. You could use light coconut milk or a nut milk, however, the dish is going to be thinner so you may want to use a thickener. Thanks again and hope it works for you!
Shawna says
Sometimes I use the boxed coconut milk that is less fat and add a cornstarch slurry at the end to thicken it up to desired consistency… seems healthier to me.
Carol says
Hi, Shawna, Great suggestion! Yes, you can always use light coconut milk if you don’t want the fat in regular and thicken it up with some cornstarch. Thanks again!
Rosie says
Hoping to make this! Is it suitable for freezing?
Carol says
Hi, Rosie, Thanks so much for your question! It can be frozen, but keep in mind any vegetable is not going to be quite the same. Vegetables have a lot of water in them which impacts how they do after freezing. This dish is going to stay quite flavorful for several days so you might even finish it up and not need to freeze it! Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
Analida Braeger says
MMMmmmm just looking at this dish transports me back to a magical, curious land. I love love love the versatility of Thai food. Keep your curry flavor base, get creative with your veggies and proteins. Thanks for the inspiration.
Carol says
Thanks so much, Analida! I agree! The versatility and it’s so healthy! Thanks again!