Healthy Thai Recipes

This healthy pad thai recipe has less than half the calories and sodium of the traditional Thai-restaurant favorite. Look for dried wide rice noodles, sometimes called “Pad Thai noodles” or “straight-cut,” in the Asian-food section at most supermarkets and natural-foods stores. Serve with sliced cucumbers with a rice vinegar and cilantro vinaigrette.

Sweet potato "noodles" (spiralized sweet potatoes) are a nutritious, gluten-free alternative to starchy rice or wheat noodles. Look for them in the produce department of your supermarket. If you have a spiralizer, you can certainly make your own "swoodles" (start with 2 medium sweet potatoes).

Thai spices and creamy coconut milk distinguish this version from traditional butternut squash soup. Curry paste is a convenient way to add complex flavor, but if you want to make sure this soup is vegan or if you are allergic to shellfish, check the ingredient list carefully--some brands contain shellfish.

This Thai-inspired salad makes use of the papayas that grow throughout Hawaii. This version is tossed with tender, sweet pea shoots. Make an extra batch of the vinaigrette to keep on hand in the refrigerator--use it as a marinade for vegetables, a flavorful dressing for fresh melon or as a sauce to splash over grilled fish or chicken.

Cabbage is a tasty low-calorie stand-in for buns or bread in this healthy, gluten-free lettuce wrap recipe. Don't limit yourself to cabbage for this recipe--any fresh green sturdy enough to wrap around 1/2 cup of filling works.

This sweet and tangy salad of cucumber, scallions and pepper is packed with vibrant Thai flavors and a bit of extra crunch from dry-roasted peanuts. If possible, use a red jalapeño (or chile) to brighten the salad with a few specks of red. Cut the heat by removing the seeds before chopping.

We cook the eggplant in the oven to speed up the recipe and keep things from getting too unruly on the stovetop. While the eggplant roasts, line up all of your ingredients and begin cooking to make this easy eggplant curry come together seamlessly. Any leftovers will hold up well and are great for taking to work for lunch.

Both ripe and underripe mango work well in this chicken and vegetable stir-fry. If the mangoes you have are less ripe, use 2 teaspoons brown sugar. If they're ripe and sweet, just use 1 teaspoon or omit the brown sugar altogether.

Tofu and vegetables get a dramatic lift from a spicy peanut sauce. Serve with a cucumber salad for a low-calorie, nutrient-packed vegetarian supper.

Pork tenderloin slices provide the protein in this quick and colorful Thai-inspired dinner salad. It's full of crunchy romaine lettuce, carrots, cabbage and pea pods and is flavored with a delicious peanut satay sauce and fresh basil.

Red Thai curry paste adds heat and depth of flavor to this simple soup. If you like, omit the chicken and spinach to make an even simpler first-course soup.

This easy Thai-inspired coconut curry shrimp is loaded with vegetables and gets tons of flavor from prepared green curry paste and coconut milk. The sweet and spicy sauce gets sopped up by a bed of hot brown rice. Serve with a crunchy Asian slaw to round out the meal.

Sweet chili sauce spikes the creamy yogurt dressing in this healthy chicken salad recipe for a fun taste of Thai flavors. If you don't have sweet chili sauce, try substituting 1 tablespoon ketchup, 1 teaspoon Sriracha, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. Serve the salad open-face on toasted bread or scoop it atop more shredded napa cabbage.

A flavorful sauce and lots of crunchy vegetables make this seitan stir-fry a quick and healthy choice for dinner tonight!

In this Asian-flavored spaghetti squash recipe, thin slices of lean pork tenderloin are marinated with lemongrass, ginger, brown sugar and soy sauce. The flavorful marinade is then cooked with peanut butter and coconut milk to make a delicious sauce for this low-carb noodle bowl.

Larb is a classic salad with roots in Laos and Thailand. It typically features seasoned ground meat and lots of herbs and vegetables, but our healthy vegetarian version swaps red beets for meat, reduces the sodium by adding more lime juice and makes it more substantial by serving it as part of a grain bowl. Spoon it over lettuce for a lighter take.

Baked tofu tossed with storebought Thai peanut sauce makes a quick and healthy sandwich filling. Finish the sandwich with your favorite crunchy vegetables for added nutrients and fiber.

We've added fresh pineapple to this spicy, sweet-and-sour Thai soup. Enjoy it as a first course before a light Thai curry or as a light lunch.

This Thai fried rice recipe is flavored with garlic, mushrooms and pork but feel free to use any vegetable, protein or rice you have on hand. If you have cooked rice already prepared, skip Step 1 and use 4 cups cold cooked rice in Step 3. Or for a vegetarian fried rice recipe, omit the pork and add more vegetables or tofu.

This simple recipe of clams cooked in a spicy Thai red curry sauce takes advantage of prepared Thai curry paste, which is available at well-stocked supermarkets and Asian-foods stores. We call for red curry paste but use whatever type you prefer. This recipe also works with about 4 pounds of mussels. Serve with crusty bread to soak up any leftover sauce.

This flavorful vegetarian Thai red curry recipe matches sweet potatoes with fresh dandelion greens and asparagus, though you can substitute cauliflower florets, cubed Asian eggplant, squash or carrots. If you're using cauliflower or eggplant, add them earlier, when the potato is only partially cooked, as they will take longer to cook than asparagus. Classic Thai red curry is flavored with lime leaves and Thai basil. If you find them, use them, but even without them the vegetable curry will still be a knockout.

A combination of green beans, red bell peppers and sweet mango makes this beef curry recipe colorful. The heat and salt level can vary widely in red curry paste depending on the brand--taste as you go. Serve with noodles and a basil-and-jícama salad.

Ready in under 30 minutes, this noodle bowl is full of vegetables and with the addition of turkey, is a good source of protein!

Red Thai curry paste, which flavors this dish, is a convenient blend of chile peppers, garlic, lemongrass and galanga (a root that's similar in flavor to ginger). It can pack a lot of heat, so be sure to taste as you go. Look for the curry paste in jars or cans in the Asian section of the supermarket or specialty store. Make it a Meal: Ladle the stew over rice to soak up every bit of the delicious sauce.