Flu Buster Vegetable Soup for Colds
This easy vegetable soup recipe is my go-to sick-day soup whenever someone in my family has a cold, cough, the flu, or even just a sore throat. It’s the best soup for any time you are under the weather! Move over Chicken Noodle, because the ginger, garlic, and other ingredients in this recipe may help you feel better.
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: Stovetop
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free
- Skill Level: Easy
Many people swear by Chicken Noodle Soup as the best soup when you are sick. Or maybe even Avgolemono Soup for a low-carb version of the classic. But when I am not feeling well, I reach for this creamy “flu buster” vegetable soup recipe.
Technically, I can’t guarantee this will cure you, but a steaming mug full of veggies and spices that tastes amazing certainly can’t hurt. And even if you aren’t sick, a big bowl of creamy vegetable soup is still a flavorful meal with the comfort food factor, especially on cold winter days. Also, the silky texture from blending it all together is soothing inside and out.
Why Is This The Best Soup For When You’re Sick?
- Creamy: Flu buster vegetable soup is smooth and creamy without any cream. So it’s dairy free without the Greek yogurt on top.
- Lots of Veggies: There’s a whole pot of them, like cauliflower, onions, carrots, zucchini, and potatoes, all blended into one smooth bowl. Put them together, and you’ve got soup-er powers. Garlic and ginger are in there too, and the ingredient notes below have what WebMD says about some of the ingredients and colds.
- Easy Prep: Since the soup is going to be blended, you can skip the step of peeling the carrots or potatoes. This makes it less effort, which is key when you are under the weather.
- Diet Friendly: This recipe is gluten-free, vegetarian if you opt for vegetable broth, and vegan if you skip the optional Greek yogurt.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
Here’s what you’ll need to make this creamy vegetable soup. I’ve added notes about some of the ingredients, followed by a recipe overview and some tips. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with the full amounts.
- Olive oil
- Onions and garlic – WebMD notes scientists think garlic may help fight colds, though more studies are needed. And along with the onion, they add great flavor.
- Turmeric – gets its orange color from curcumin, and adds warm, earthy flavor.
- Fresh ginger – WebMD says hot ginger tea can help clear congestion and soothe your throat, and this hot soup has ginger too.
- Vegetables – potatoes, cauliflower, zucchini, carrots, and celery are my choices for this sick-day soup, but you can swap with anything you have on hand.
- Salt and pepper
- Lemon juice – bright flavor, plus a little vitamin C.
- Vegetable broth or chicken broth – helps hydrate you. If you are gluten free, read the labels to be sure you use gluten free broth or stock from a box or that you’ve made yourself.
- Cayenne pepper – while it won’t fight viruses, the heat from capsaicin can help clear stuffy sinuses.
- Greek yogurt – an optional topping for something cool and creamy to balance the spices. If you want to skip dairy, coconut milk or coconut yogurt work too.
How to Make Vegetable Soup for Colds
Here’s a quick look at how to make this soup for when you’re fighting the flu or a cold:
- Sauté the veggies. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and turmeric, and sauté for several minutes until the onions start to soften and become translucent. Add the remaining vegetables, salt, and pepper, and sauté for several minutes longer.
- Simmer till soft. Add the lemon juice and stir to coat the vegetables. Pour chicken or vegetable broth into the pot, along with cayenne and additional salt and pepper, if needed. Bring just to a boil, cover, and boil until the veggies are soft.
- Puree the soup. Use an immersion blender or regular blender to puree the soup until it is smooth and creamy. Return the soup to the pot, and heat it through before serving in soup bowls or mugs. Swirl in some plain Greek yogurt or coconut milk if desired.
Variations
- Make it vegetarian or vegan. Be sure to use vegetable broth, and if you want to add a creamy swirl, try coconut milk or coconut yogurt instead of Greek yogurt.
- Make it low carb. Skip the potatoes and use a full head of cauliflower instead of a half head.
- Make it chunky. Only puree half of the vegetables and add it back to the pot with the rest of the cooked veggies that you haven’t pureed.
FAQs
What is the key to a smooth texture?
You have a couple of options to puree the veggies to make an ultra-creamy vegetable soup:
- Immersion blender – you’ll have fewer dishes to wash when you puree your soup right in the pot you are using to cook it when you use a stick or hand blender.
- Blender – you’ll need to blend it in portions because you don’t want to overfill the blender to avoid spilling hot soup on yourself. Also, to avoid burns, blend slowly to start, holding a towel over the top and venting the steam occasionally so that the hot steam does not build up and cause the pressure to pop the lid off.
What is the best soup for a sore throat?
When your throat hurts, the best soup is whatever goes down easy. This one is smooth and warm with no chunks, since it’s all blended. WebMD says a cup of hot ginger tea can help clear congestion and soothe your throat, and there’s fresh ginger in this soup too. If your throat is really scratchy, you can cut back on the cayenne or leave it out.
What is the best soup when you’re sick?
It depends on what sounds good to you when you are under the weather. WebMD says studies show chicken soup can help clear nasal passages, so you can try my Rotisserie Chicken Soup. But it’s this vegetable soup that I make at my house, and it’s easy to eat when you don’t have much of an appetite.
Can you freeze Flu Buster Vegetable Soup?
Yes, it freezes well, so it’s great to make a big batch and keep on hand for when sickness starts in your house. You can transfer it to smaller containers. I actually like these Souper Cubes for freezing it in portions, but any airtight container will do. It will keep well in the freezer for up to 2 or 3 months. I recommend thawing overnight in the refrigerator before warming it in a pot on the stove or in a bowl in the microwave.
How much soup does this make?
About 8 cups, so 8 servings at 1 cup each. That’s enough for the family with some left over for the freezer.
Is this soup gluten free?
Yes, the ingredients are naturally gluten free. Check the label on your broth and your spices, since gluten can hide in packaged products and brands change. Broth is the main one to watch in this vegetable soup recipe.
Make It a Meal
Here are some serving suggestions to round out your meal.
- Add some crackers. Crush a few of your favorite crackers or make Gluten Free Cheddar Crackers.
- Dunk some bread. Serve it with a piece of Gluten Free Cornbread to round out your meal.
- Have a sandwich. Cut a couple of slices of Gluten Free Bread and pile on your favorite deli meat or other sandwich fillings.
- Serve soup and salad. This vegetable soup would be wonderful with a seasonal Harvest Salad.
- Make a toddy. Mix up a Cold Toddy Whiskey Mule for a comforting adult drink once you are feeling better.
Flu Buster Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 small onion , chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic , peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon peeled, minced fresh ginger root
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric powder
- 2 small potatoes , peeled if desired and chopped (you can substitute another half head of cauliflower for a low carb option)
- 1/2 head of cauliflower , chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 medium zucchini , chopped
- 2 large carrots , peeled if desired and chopped
- 2 stalks of celery , chopped
- salt and pepper , to taste
- juice of one lemon (about 2 Tablespoons)
- 4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust to preferred level of spice)
- Greek yogurt , if desired, for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil over medium heat.
- Saute 1/2 small onion, 2-3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon peeled, minced fresh ginger root, and 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric powder for a few minutes, until the onions start to soften and become translucent.
- Add 2 small potatoes, 1/2 head of cauliflower, 1 medium zucchini, 2 large carrots, and 2 stalks of celery, all chopped, and season with salt and pepper. Saute for several minutes longer.
- Pour in the juice of one lemon and stir to coat the vegetables.
- Add 4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth, 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and additional salt and pepper, if desired. Bring to a boil, cover, and boil for 10-15 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
- Use an immersion blender, or add the contents of the pot to a blender or food processor (in portions, if needed, based on the size of your blender), puree until smooth and creamy.
- Return the soup to the pot, and heat through. Serve with Greek yogurt, if desired.
Notes
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Anyone tried this is the crockpot?
I have not, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t. I would, perhaps, just start with a little less liquid and add more if you need it.
WONDERFUL! I made this tonight and the family loved it! Both teens and husband thought it was a perfect fall soup. I doesn’t make a whole lot– only enough left over for 1 person. Next time I’ll definitely double it and try it in the crock pot. I pureed mine in the Vitamix and we served it with goat cheese and cilantro on top, and naan bread. Full of vegetables and no one knew. I even added a few cubes of homemade bone broth to the veggie broth I used in the recipe. Thank you!
We’re so happy that you enjoyed the recipe, Laurel. What a great idea to make a batch in your Vitamix!
Made the Flu Buster soup and have been having it for lunch all week. It is wonderful and so filling! I work with special needs children who are sick a lot and love sharing germs, so if this great soup helps me fight those germs then so be it! Will make it often this school year.
I’m so happy that you’re enjoying the flu buster soup, Ann. I hope it helps you to stay healthy around those “germy” kids! 🙂
This recipe is not suitable if you’re actually tackling a stomach bug/flu. It’s highly seasoned, acidic, and spicy (not to mention, topped with dairy), and will send you running to the bathroom. Stick to a bland diet (e.g., clear broth, white rice, plain toast or crackers, applesauce, bananas, chicken breast, etc.) if you have a stomach bug and are trying to hold something, anything down.
Could the author please update the description?
The flu and a stomach big are two different things. The stomach “flu” is not actually a flu. This is more for people who have the influenza (aka “the flu”), a cold, or another virus along those lines.
🍲🥣
Do you think you could omit the potato or substitute with sweet potato? I am allergic to the nightshades. Thanks
Thanks for your question, Becky. You can absolutely leave the potato out of the flu buster soup recipe. Potato does help to thicken it, though, so if you’re able to eat sweet potato, I would definitely use a small one in place of the two small potatoes. Otherwise, you could always add some extra cauliflower, or even some butternut or acorn squash would be a tasty thickener.
I eat garlic everyday to try to prevent illness. I’m also a big fan of all the other foods in this soup. Plus, soup is just such a great healthy meal.
Yes, no need to be sick to enjoy this soup!
We love this. Delicious and effective.
Oh great!
Wow, this is delicious! I was a little skeptical that my husband and children would eat it, but we all loved it! Which is great considering my little man is sick. =(
Oh good! Hopefully he is better soon!
Oh, I just made this soup and it’s DELICIOUS! I love how the lemon brightens the flavor and I also love how healthy it is 🙂 Hope it kicks my cold, but either way I’ll be enjoying it. Now if only I can get my kids to try some…
-Dana
The lemon totally makes it! Hope your kids ended up eating it.
Holy heck, I’m not usually this paranoid but this flu epidemic is crazy. I think I will be serving your Flu Buster soup weekly – it’s chockfull of so much goodness (love your IV drip comment above 🙂
I know! And it figures that the last time we had flu craziness was with the swine flu and I was pregnant that winter, too! So I am also paranoid, even though I got a flu shot.
Just wait till 2020-2022 girl
DELICIOUS! Swapped the cauliflower for broccoli since that’s what I had in the house. I added a bit of no salt beef broth to the chicken broth (again, no more broth in the house). I’ll be making this every week!
Oh how I needed this early December!
This looks amazingly delicious & awfully comforting ;0
I think there are lots of people who could use some of this in an IV drip this winter!