10 MINUTE MEALS: SHRIMP PHO W/ ZUCCHINI NOODLES

I don’t always have the time or the energy to cook a full meal. I just don’t. At times like these I look for quick one-pot meals to make with what’s in the fridge. Last night I had zucchini, onions (green and white), Shrimp, cilantro, chicken stock, and an Asian shrimp sauce/paste… so I decided Pho sounded like a winner. What I love about soups like Pho is that they are easy to make, delicious, nutritious and fast!

First, I poured 2 cup of water and 1.5 cup of chicken stock into a pot with some ginger powder. Most Pho recipes also call for star anise, but I am not a fan so I usually omit it. They also call for fish sauce which I am out of sooo I used the shrimp paste. But, if you don’t have these specialty items either a teaspoon of Worchester sauce might work or a little lemon juice and soy sauce to give the salty/sour taste we love about fish sauce. Next I added slices of the white onion and some frozen garlic cloves I had in the freezer.

Side note: I bought this large bag of peeled garlic cloves from the store. I couldn’t eat them fast enough in the fridge so I froze them. I LOVE THIS especially for soups. I can throw whole cloves in and then fish them out later with ease. This idea is great for people who aren’t huge garlic fans (Shari… I’m looking at you).

Once the stock came to a boil I added my shrimp. When the shrimp were 90% cooked I added in the Zucchini Noodles and green onion. I didn’t throw the Cilantro directly into the pot… instead I added it as garnish to my bowl. I also threw in a pinch of turmeric and coriander seeds because well why not… I like the taste of them. They aren’t traditional Pho ingredients, but they blend well with these flavors.

I also can’t forget the Zucchini Noodles or “Zoodles”. I am not a fan of the glass noodles. I always make a mess with them and I don’t use them enough to buy them regularly. So, instead I decided to ditch the extra carbs and just make some Zoodles! For the Zucchini Tutorial click here.

What I love is that you can pretty much add what you want to this soup like: bean sprouts, sesame oil, jalapeno, Thai basil, chili sauce like Sriracha, etc. You could also use different types of stock: Beef, Pork, or even Mushroom for the vegetarians. If you have other proteins laying around you could use those too.

Either way you slice it you can make this easy soup in roughly 10-15 minutes. It’s simple, nutritious and ooh so delicious. Give it a try the next time you reach for a one-pot recipe.

Bon Appetit

B~