20 minutes and a handful of pantry items are all you need to whip up this super easy vegetarian Thai red curry pasta with vegetables. It is sure to become your go-to busy weeknight meal!
This post was first published in 2015 and has been updated to make the recipe baby and toddler friendly.
We eat a lot of pasta because it's easy, versatile, nutritious, and most importantly, the kids love it.
If you find yourself always tossing it with red sauce, here's a fun and unique recipe to enlighten everyone's tastebuds, including your baby’s!
And if you are looking for a similar but non-spicy version, give this miso pasta a try!
Ingredients
Red Curry Paste - I personally like the mae ploy or maesri brands. It is less spicy than others and more flavorful.
If planning to enjoy with your baby or toddler, follow my tips below. Feel free to use yellow or massaman curry paste, which is even less spicy.
Coconut milk - The key ingredient in helping mellow out the spice from the curry paste. You really want to use a good one without any emulsifiers and stabilizers. I’ve found that Arroy-D and Chaokoh work best for curries.
Pumpkin - If you've never tried the dreamy combination of pumpkin and coconut milk, you're missing out!
I liken it to the marriage of warm apple pie and vanilla ice cream. Sure the pumpkin can hold its own, but when the coconut milk gets thrown in, it’s game over ;).
Pasta
Choosing the Best Pasta
You can make this curry pasta with rice noodles, spaghetti, linguine, or even shorter pasta shapes like penne and fusili.
If using rice noodle, soak in warm water until softened but not cooked completely. They will cook more in the sauce.
May also be interested in: Iron rich Pasta
Step-by-Step Instructions
Get ready for smooth sailing because all you need to do is dump and stir everything in one skillet.
- Scoop the cream at the top of the can of coconut milk and add to a skillet. Stir in curry paste and simmer. Add garlic and ginger.
- Add rest of coconut milk, broccoli, pumpkin, water/stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat.
- Cook for about 10 minutes.
- Toss with pasta and freshly squeezed lime juice.
Tips for Success
- One of the tricks I learned from the cooking class that stuck with me lies in the handling of the coconut milk. It’s important that you don’t shake the can so that the thin watery milk and the thick cream stay separated. When you open the can, the cream is what you scoop out to essentially fry the red curry paste.
- Save the pasta cooking water! Depending on the type of pasta, you may need to add to thin out the sauce.
- Feel free to add whatever vegetables you wish. Zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, cauliflower, sugar snap peas...they are all great!
- Toss in some protein at the end if you wish - chicken, beef, tofu, salmon, beans, cod, etc.
Serving Suggestions for Babies and Toddlers
Being Korean, spicy foods are an integral part of our cuisine. So it's important for us to introduce to our children from early on.
Of course you don't want to cause any pain to your child, so start slowly! If you've never introduced your baby to Thai curry paste, I would start by making this curry pasta with the Massaman or Yellow variety.
You can also try introducing a very small amount of red curry paste to see how your baby handles it. My 3 ingredient Thai Peanut Sauce is a great way to do so!
Then you can make this recipe by using 1 tablespoon of red curry paste. Additionally, you can soak the baby's portion in water to remove some of the heat.
Storage Suggestions
Transfer to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can reheat in the microwave or on the stove with a little bit of liquid.
You can also freeze for up to 3 months. Simply thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat.
Recipes to Try
Did you make this recipe? Leave a rating below and let me know how you liked the recipe! Your feedback means so much to me!
Thai Red Curry Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 15 oz full-fat coconut milk do not shake!
- 1-2 tablespoons red curry paste , depending on your heat preference
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 cup (250g) canned pumpkin
- 1 cup water or low-sodium stock of choice
- 16 oz. package of frozen broccoli defrosted in the refrigerator (or fresh)
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional)
- 8 oz. pasta of choice cooked according to package directions
- 1-2 fresh limes
Instructions
- Scoop the cream at the top of the can of coconut milk and add to a pot or skillet. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in curry paste and turn heat down to low. Simmer, without stirring, until fragrant and coconut cream starts to release oil, about 3-5 minutes. Bring up the heat to medium heat, then add garlic and ginger. Stir for about a minute.
- Add rest of coconut milk, broccoli, pumpkin, water/stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Toss with pasta and freshly squeezed lime juice.
Jenny says
Made this for my toddler's dinner tonight (15 mos). It was a hit 🙂 Great way to introduce your little one to Thai flavor, and an easy recipe too using ingredients I typically have on hand. He pushed aside the utensils and dug right in. He even requested seconds! My sauce didn't get as thick as I would have liked it, so I made a little cornstarch slurry and that helped me to turn it wonderfully creamy. I'd like to try this with some cooked red pepper next time and up the red curry from the 1.5 tbs that I used to the full 2. Thanks Min!
Min says
Haha no utensils necessary :). Thank you so much for sharing!
Liane says
5/5 even without the pumpkin. Hubby and daughter loved it. I would add more veggies but that's my personal preference.
Min says
Thank you for such an awesome review!
Kim S says
Comments from my five-year-old who has always been a great eater but has recently decided he doesn't like anything:
"Mom, I don't like this. .......I love it!!"
"I want to eat this every day!"
"Mom, can you make this again later tonight?" 😉
Also two-year-old and parent approved!! (I added extra curry paste, a bit of soy sauce, and cilantro for the adults.) SO good, Min!! Thank you for an easy recipe that gets some good nutrition into my kids!
Min says
Haha I love it! And I'm SO glad you guys enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to share, Kim!!
Jessica @ Nutritioulicious says
This looks fabulous - I can't wait to try it. Thanks for the tip about NOT shaking the coconut milk for the curry - I didn't know that!
Alex Caspero MA,RD (@delishknowledge) says
Yum, yum, yum! I am all about curry (i did it for my #pastafits recipe this month too!) and love this pumpkin take! I could literally drink curry sauce straight, can't wait to try this version!
Serena says
Lots of pumpkin in the fridge...so this will be on the table soon! Love that you remade a classic dish!
Shashi at RunninSrilankan says
I adore your use of pumpkin, coconut milk, red curry paste and fish sauce in this flavor packed curry! So delicious!
rachel @ Athletic Avocado says
i love how you combined thai and indian flavors together into one hearty fall dinner! This looks lovely 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
This is one perfect flavor packed curry! Love it all!
Nora says
What a delicious and simple meal, I'll have to give it a try! I'd never considered the importance of not shaking coconut milk before 🙂
Caroline says
Can't wait to make this tonight! I don't see where to add the canned pumpkin... Or is that included with the vegetables?
Min says
Thanks Caroline for pointing that out!! The recipe has been updated - add the pumpkin with the coconut milk and stock ;). Can't wait for you to try! Hope you like it 😉
Elizabeth Shaw says
Min I love this! Great idea to use pumpkin in such a savory recipe- a sure fire win for the fall season! Can't wait to try your other casserole recipe too on the HA. Have a great week! PS_ Glad to see your back in the kitchen 🙂