The Ultimate Immune-Boosting Soup

2021-10-05

Feeling under the weather? Kick that cold or flu to the curb with the ultimate immune-boosting soup. Packed full of vitamins and minerals from delicious ingredients like turmeric, kale and bok choy in a mushroom broth for a healthy vegetarian soup recipe.

You know those people who pride themselves on never getting sick? I’m not one of those people.

No matter how hard I try, if there’s a chance of catching a cold from someone or contracting some strange stomach-turning bug in a foreign country, I am pretty much guaranteed to be the one who gets it. When it comes to sickness, I have the worst luck.

I literally do everything in my power to stop it from happening (eat a healthy diet, exercise, wash my hands frequently, essential oils etc…) but it still happens nonetheless. However, refuse to give up! I one day will be that person who declares that they “haven’t been sick in 3 years!” (this coming from a girl who is currently laying in bed at a wellness resort after succumbing to dehydration…wtf).

I honestly believe in the healing power of food. No truer statement has ever been shared than when Hippocretes wrote “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. When I’m starting to or are feeling under the weather, my first thought is to turn to my kitchen, not the medicine cabinet.

Don’t get me wrong, I firmly believe there is a time and place for Western Medicine, but only when it is necessary. As a society we are too quick to reach for advil instead of water when we’re feeling any kind of pain, but essential oils won’t cure cancer. There is a time and place for both.

And sometimes you just need some superfoods to kick your immune system into high gear. This is especially true during the Winter months where if you’re anything like me, you feel like you’re coming down with a cold weekly.

RELATED: Try this Detox Vegetable Soup

Last year I shared a tutorial on How To Make Bone Broth In Your Slow Cooker. If you read the post you can learn about all of the amazing benefits offered from bone broth, but especially if you find yourself battling sickness. But for those of you who are vegetarian or vegan, there are tons of plant-based options out there that are amazing for recovery or prevention, like this Immune-Boosting Soup!

Before I set you free to make this recipe, I wanted to share why I chose to use certain ingredients. I’m totally fascinated by the health benefits of various foods, so I hope you geek out to this stuff too!

What’s In This Immune-Boosting Soup Recipe:

Mushrooms– the soup is made in a mushroom broth (simmering mushrooms for an hour+) and mushrooms are a power food that contains Ergothioneine, a powerful antioxidant that helps to eliminate free radicals. They’re also a powerful source of Vitamin D.

Coconut Oil – contains two important anti-viral compounds, lauric acid and caprylic acid. Together these help ward off bacterial and viral infections.

Garlic – eating garlic can actually boost the number of virus-fighting T-cells in your bloodstream. It also contains alliin which converts to allicin, which is believed to be the major antibacterial compound in garlic.

Turmeric – probably best known for its ability to fight inflammation, turmeric contains a powerful antioxidant called curcumin which is responsible for this decrease in inflammation that is oftentimes found to be related to various illnesses.

Bok Choy – it is very high in Vitamin A, which is essential for a properly functioning immune system, while also containing high amounts of vitamin C, an antioxidant that shields the body from free radicals.

Kale – I don’t even know where to begin with the powerhouse that is kale. It’s packed full of iron, which is essential for your body working at its ultimate level, along with being a great source of vitamins and antioxidants. When they say “eat your kale”, EAT YOUR KALE!

The Ultimate Immune-Boosting Soup

Yield: 6-8 bowls 1x

Scale

Ingredients

1 T coconut oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 lb shitake mushrooms
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp turmeric
12 cups water
4 heads baby bok choy, bottoms chopped off
1/2 head kale, chopped
optional: 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

Instructions

Chop off the bottom of the stem from your mushrooms and discard. Seperate stems from tops and slice tops and remaining stem if necessary, into large pieces. You will only discard the very bottom of the stems, not the full stems as they contain many nutritional benefits!
Heat up coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes or until translucent.
Add in garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
Add in celery and mushrooms and sautee for about 10 minutes or until mushrooms have wilted.
Add in spices (including ginger, if using) and water and bring to a boil.
Then let simmer, covered for 1 hour or as long as you want (the longer you leave, the better!)
Add bok choy and kale in the last 10 minutes of cooking to wilt.
Serve warm or store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.