A few years ago, my Trader Joe's-obsessed-self requested the I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook (ILTJCC) for Christmas, and I got it thanks to a small group (HI SWAG!) secret santa exchange. The cookbook contains recipes that are allegedly "tasty," "affordable," and "convenient" for dorm-room kitchen/pseudo-kitchen set-ups. I tried a few recipes before I quickly realized it wasn't financially sustainable or THAT delicious...
Fast forward a few years and I landed my first salaried job! Near a Trader Joe's! And started a Trader Joe's blog! Oh the damage...I'm trying to finish/purge one item for every new item I buy to review. Easier said than done. For instance, I bought the Thai Red Curry Sauce and used it once, and it's since sat in the back of my fridge. By the way, this curry sauce's shelf life is FREAKISHLY LONG. Anyone know the average shelf-life of a bottle of curry sauce?
Fast forward a few years and I landed my first salaried job! Near a Trader Joe's! And started a Trader Joe's blog! Oh the damage...I'm trying to finish/purge one item for every new item I buy to review. Easier said than done. For instance, I bought the Thai Red Curry Sauce and used it once, and it's since sat in the back of my fridge. By the way, this curry sauce's shelf life is FREAKISHLY LONG. Anyone know the average shelf-life of a bottle of curry sauce?
Insert Thai Carrot Soup to the rescue! Would I buy an entire bottle of thai red curry sauce just to make this soup? Absolutely not! But not bad for repurposing leftovers. I made a few modifications to the book's recipe. I nixed the coconut milk (didn't have it, and I dislike it in soup), diced up two carrots instead of using pre-shredded ones, and added half a chopped onion.
Lazy Girl Dinner: Thai Carrot Soup
Adapted from The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook
2 parts chicken broth to 1 part curry sauce (I used 2 cups broth to 1 cup-ish sauce).
2 carrots, diced/chopped (small pieces cook faster!)
1/2 onion, chopped (or a whole one! whatever!)
Dump all ingredients into a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the soup is boiling, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the carrots are fully cooked (15-20 minutes-ish).
The book says season to taste with salt and pepper, but there is no need! The sauce is already spicy and salty. 920 mg sodium per 1/4 cup!! That's 3,680 mg sodium in this whole pot!! Like two days worth of salt!! I added water to dilute it, and it was still kind of salty. I topped it with leftover sautéed mustard greens and edamame, which did help balance the salty/spiciness. Not bad for a Lazy Girl Dinner, and I'll bet it tasted better than the original recipe. Wouldn't add this to the weekly rotation though. That ring o' oil will beat your insides.
TL;DR: Thai curry sauce soup. Once and hopefully not again. 4.5 out of 10.
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