These Thai Red Curry Beef Bowls are a great way to change up your ground beef recipe routine! Ground beef, potatoes and Thai-inspired flavors come together to make this incredibly healthy, hearty and Whole30 compliant dish! This delicious twist on traditional Thai red curry is great for busy weeknights and weekly meal prep! These flavors are going to blow your mind!
My love for Thai food began about a decade ago during my brief (year long) stay in Oak Island, North Carolina. The locals in Oak Island make quite a fuss over the local Thai spot, so I figured I'd give it a whirl. At the time, I was no stranger to Asian-inspired cuisine. I grew up on Chinese food take-out and I've been slurping up bowls of Vietnamese pho religiously for as long as I can remember. Asian flavors just do it for me, so naturally my first experience eating Thai food was a great success. I ordered a red curry dish with Thai basil and holy moly -it was good. The aromatics happening in that dish were incredible. My taste buds were in heaven.
Flash forward to today: I have Thai food delivered to the comfort of my home once a week, which is the main reason it's taken me so long to develop a Thai-inspired recipe. Why make it when I can have it delivered? Even food bloggers hate cooking sometimes, but lo and behold I finally did it! I created a Thai-inspired recipe that is also really, really, really good for you! This dish is dairy-free, gluten-free, Paleo-friendly, Whole30 AND can be easily tweeked for the low carb/Keto folks! I don't consider this dish traditional whatsoever, but it does a wonderful job of recreating the sweet and spicy flavors of Thai red curry while also being super good for you.
Jump to:
- Are Thai-inspired Dishes Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free?
- Ingredients For Whole30 Thai Red Curry Beef Bowls
- Whole30 Thai Red Curry Beef Bowls Can Be Prepared in 35 Minutes or Less!
- Serving Whole30 Thai Red Curry Beef Bowls
- These Bowls are Great to Meal Prep Once and Eat All Week
- Can I use an Alternative Ground Meat?
- Adjusting Thai Red Curry Beef Bowls for a Low Carb/Keto Lifestyle
- 📖 Recipe
- Whole30 Thai Red Curry Beef Bowls
Are Thai-inspired Dishes Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free?
Since transitioning into a gluten-free and mostly dairy-free lifestyle, I've obviously had to swap out a lot of my old favorites for their gluten/dairy-free counterparts. It hasn't always been easy, but I've learned to navigate menus and adjust accordingly. With Thai food, in particular, I've found that few modifications need to be made. Always, always, always double-check with the restaurant staff, but Thai restaurants offer DELICIOUS options for gluten-free and dairy-free diners. The staple of many Thai dishes is rice or rice noodles, plenty of vegetables and most curry dishes are made with coconut milk. That being said, this recipe didn't need a complete ingredient overhaul to make it Paleo and Whole30 because most Thai-inspired cuisine is naturally gluten and dairy-free!
Ingredients For Whole30 Thai Red Curry Beef Bowls
- 2 to 3 tablespoons Avocado Oil or Olive Oil
- 1 pound Ground Beef
- 1 tablespoon Red Curry Powder (like McCormick), Garlic Powder, Salt and Pepper
- 1 pound Red Potatoes
- 1 large Yellow Onion
- ½ cup Fresh Basil: if you can get your hands on a bunch of Thai basil, use that!
- 2 cloves Fresh Garlic
- 1 cup Beef Broth
- 1 cup Coconut Milk
- 2 tablespoons Red Curry Paste
- 1 tablespoon Coconut Aminos (or gluten-free soy sauce if not Paleo/Whole30)
- 1 tablespoon Almond Butter
- 1 teaspoon Fish Sauce: Redboat Fish Sauce is Whole30 compliant and pretty easy to find in most grocery stores these days!
Whole30 Thai Red Curry Beef Bowls Can Be Prepared in 35 Minutes or Less!
This dish is super quick and easy to prepare making it a great weeknight dinner! With my guidance, you can have this meal on the table in 35 minutes or less, so let's get started.
In a large skillet, over medium heat, warm your cooking oil until hot but not smoking. Add the ground beef to the skillet and season with the red curry powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook the ground beef for 4 to 6 minutes or until browned and just cooked through, breaking up any large pieces. Remove the ground beef from the skillet and set aside.
While the ground beef is browning, go ahead and prep the potatoes, onions and aromatics. Chop the red potatoes into 1 inch pieces, rough chop the onions, slice the basil into thin strips and mince the fresh garlic cloves. By the time you're finished chopping, the ground beef should be almost finished browning. Look at you multi-tasking like a champ!
To the same skillet used for the ground beef, if dry, heat up a bit more cooking oil until hot but not smoking. Add the potatoes to the skillet and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until browned and fork-tender. Next, add the onion and the garlic to the skillet and cook until fragrant (2 to 3 minutes).
Return the browned ground beef to the pan along with the beef broth, coconut milk, red curry paste, coconut aminos, almond butter and fish sauce. Stir everything together well and bring liquid to a simmer. Lower the heat a bit, cover the skillet and simmer for about 10 minutes or until most of the liquid has absorbed. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the fresh basil and season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
Serving Whole30 Thai Red Curry Beef Bowls
My favorite way to enjoy this dish is piled high on a bed of fluffy cooked cauliflower rice. You could also serve it with your favorite spiralized vegetable. If you're not following a grain-free diet, this dish is great with white rice or rice noodles!
I love a bit of crunch with my curry, so I top mine with fresh jalapenos, sliced almonds and green onions.
These Bowls are Great to Meal Prep Once and Eat All Week
This dish will last for 4 to 5 days in the fridge, so it's a great option to include in your weekly meal prep routine. If you're using any of the optional toppings, store those separately and then sprinkle them on top of your meal after you've reheated it.
Can I use an Alternative Ground Meat?
Of course! Ground chicken and turkey will work just as well! I've actually made this exact recipe with ground venison and IT WAS AMAZING!
Adjusting Thai Red Curry Beef Bowls for a Low Carb/Keto Lifestyle
The ingredients in this recipe are inherently low carb except for the red potatoes. You can omit the potatoes all together or swap them for a naturally lower carb vegetable. Turnip, rutabaga and butternut squash are great options!
Whether on a round of Whole30 or not, I really hope you add this nutritious and delicious dish to your recipe rotation. This is a minimal effort, maximum flavor meal that I am so excited to share! If you make this dish and you love taking photos of your food as much I do, tag your hearts out on social media with #paleoishkristaeats! Dig in! 🙂
PIN NOW! COOK LATER!
DID YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE? HERE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE QUICK & EASY ONE-PAN RECIPES I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE!
- Paleo Curry Chicken Meatballs
- Whole30 Salisbury Steak with Gluten-Free Mushroom Gravy
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken Skillet | Paleo & Whole30
📖 Recipe
Whole30 Thai Red Curry Beef Bowls
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef or ground chicken/turkey
- 1 tablespoon red curry powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 pound red potatoes
- 1 large yellow onion
- ¼ cup fresh basil plus more for garnish
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
Optional Ingredients
- cooked cauliflower rice or your favorite spiraled vegetable
- jalapeno slices
- sliced green onion
- slivered almonds
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat until but but not smoking. Add ground beef to the skillet and season with red curry powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Brown meat, stirring frequently, for 4 to 6 minutes or until just cooked through. Remove beef from skillet and set aside. Do not clean the pan.
- While the ground beef is browning, prep the vegetables. Chop the potatoes into 1 inch pieces, chop the onion, slice the basil into thin strips and mince the garlic cloves.
- If dry, add another tablespoon of oil to the same skillet used for the ground beef. Reheat over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add the potatoes to the skillet and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until browned and fork-tender. Add the onion and the garlic to the skillet and cook until fragrant (2 to 3 minutes).
- Return the ground beef to the skillet along with the beef broth, coconut milk, red curry paste,coconut aminos, almond butter and fish sauce. Stir and bring liquid to a simmer. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the liquid has absorbed. Remove from heat. Stir in the fresh basil and season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
- Serve with cooked cauliflower rice or your favorite vegetable noodle and garnish with optional toppings (see notes).
Notes
- These bowls are great topped with fresh basil, jalapeno slices, sliced green onions and slivered almonds!
- This dish will last for 4 to 5 days in the fridge.
Nutrition
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