Bone Broth + Coconut Gut Healing Pho

Skip the chitchat - Take me to the recipe, please!

When the leaves start changing (and then really when the snow flurries finally start to hit the ground)… I get fully into “Soup Season” - one of the best times of the year, if I do say so myself!

Before getting married and moving down to Littleton, I lived in downtown Denver. Well, across the bridge in LoHi (the Lower Highlands). And I swear, once the temperature drops, everyone in the Highlands has the same idea - Uncle for Ramen.

Being gluten-free though… this soup season phenomenon gives serious FOMO.

They do have some GF options, as basically every Denver restaurant does nowadays (anyone who says we don’t have good food options in Denver can fight me lol), but they usually recommend a curry for GF. Thus, myself and a couple friends (and colleagues) made this as a girls’ night dinner one chilly evening years ago, and I’ve never stopped eating it!

So what happens when a functional medicine doc, a chiropractor, and a physical therapist cook dinner together? A delicious, gut-healing bowl of warmth that is not only gluten-free, but also paleo, blood-sugar friendly, and absolutely nourishing to your hormones.

Prep time: 15-20 minutes, depending on your ingredient choices
Cook time: 60 minutes (again, depending on ingredients, mostly your protein choice and simmer time)

I literally despise it when recipes lie and say “dinner in 15 minutes flat” and then 75 minutes and 27 dirty dishes later, you’re sitting down to dinner at nearly 9 pm thinking “where in h-e-double hockey sticks did I go wrong in that recipe?!” - let’s call it what it is. It’s the food bloggers, not you.

So this recipe? It can be as quick & simple or as you like. The

Paleo Pho - Ingredients & Shopping List:

Broth:

1-2 inch knob fresh ginger, grated (depending on how much kick you want)
1 sweet onion, large, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (if you don’t own a garlic press, what are you waiting for? You will not regret it!)
1 lime (to zest and juice - zest first, there’s no going back)!
3 scallions (of course you can’t ever buy just 3, so you can use more if you like or chop extra for garnish)
6 cups bone broth of your choice (homemade if possible, otherwise we love the Bonafide brand, we’ve used both beef and chicken)
2 tablespoons organic coconut sugar (add an extra tablespoon for a little extra sweetness)
2 tablespoons Tamari
1 can full-fat coconut milk (try to find an organic option in a BPA free can and without gums like guar gum)
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp fish sauce (optional, if you don’t use this regularly and don’t want to buy a whole bottle - we have Ocean’s Halo and it is medium-healthy, not perfect, but it is GF and organic)
Ground or flaked red chili pepper (optional - I like 1/8 teaspoon for mild heat)

Vegetables (organic whenever possible) & Noodles:

1 cup cabbage, thinly sliced (green cabbage make
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup of shitake mushrooms, sliced
1 sleeve of organic rice noodles** cooked as directed (I love the Lotus Foods Pad Thai ones in the green package, but their Pho noodles are, of course, totally logical for this recipe - see below if you’re avoiding rice or pasta to support your hormone healing via blood sugar balance)

Blood-Sugar Friendly Option for Pho Noodles:

If you’re wanting to avoid the noodles, or are watching your blood sugar, slicing the zuccini with a spiralizer to make “zoodles” can be a great option. You can also sub the rice noodles for Shirataki noodles (commonly sold by the brand “Miracle Noodles” - I like the fettucini ones), which are made of Konjac flour and are very high in fiber and have almost no affect on your blood sugar. This is my favorite swap because I don’t feel like I’m missing out on the “pasta” part of Pho!

Protein:

Shredded chicken breasts or thighs if using Chicken Bone Broth (organic, heritage, free range)
Sliced beef if using Beef Bone Broth (grass-fed, grass-finished, organic)
You could also play around with this with other meats, we’ve just only done chicken & beef - if you try something else, please let us know so we can share!

Garnish:

1 Lime
Fresh mint
Fresh cilantro
Peanuts, crushed

Directions:

In a large pot, heat 1 tsp of coconut oil. Add onion, garlic, and ginger and sauté on medium-low until fragrant for 3-5 minutes (but not to the point of browning, no caramelized onions here). Add in the broth, scallions, tamari, the zest of 1 lime, and fish sauce. Bring to a boil, then simmer and cover for 30-60 minutes.

While the broth is simmering, cook the rice noodles as directed on the package, slice up your veggies, and prep your protein. You don’t want to add the protein in too early in the Dr. K version of this preparation.

This is a recipe that makes it easy to use leftover protein (hello meal preppers - I can’t be the only one, right?), but even if I’m not, I usually will cook the meat separately from the broth, as this isn’t an area of expertise for me. I know the real Pho places use the hot broth to cook thinly sliced protein. I’ve had it, I love it, I don’t trust myself to do it. If you have those skills in the kitchen and feel confident and food-safe… I salute you! As for me, I just cook the meat fully and add it in at the end with the noodles when we go to serve it.

Once broth has simmered, turn off heat and add in the can of full fat coconut milk. Mix this well, add in all the sliced raw veggies and bring it back to a slow simmer. Let it simmer for 3-5 minutes, or until vegetables are bursting with color and are al-dente (or as tender as you’d like them).

Now you get to taste test (don’t burn your tongue)! This is your change to tweak our recipe; you can add more coconut sugar, hot sauce (we also had sriracha when we made this), lime, or sea salt (if needed) so your bowl of Pho is perfect. We typically leave the big pot of Pho “as is” per the recipe, and doctor our own bowls individually so everyone gets just what they want.

For serving up, wrangle a heap of cooked rice noodles into a soup bowl, pile on the protein and ladle in a generous portion of vegetables and broth. Garnish with fresh herbs, crushed peanuts, and some fresh lime squeezed over the top. Serve immediately and ENJOY!

From our kitchen to yours, I hope this bowl warms you from the inside out! In love & light.

XX, Dr. K