This immune boosting soup has a wholesome, brothy, filled with spicy ginger and large chunks of vegetables floating in a golden turmeric broth.

This immune boosting soup is the first thing that I crave when a sickness begins to creep on up. And let’s face it- we all get sick. There’s just no way around it. No matter how much you try to prevent that nasty crud that seems to always make its rounds during this time of the year, it’s just inevitable. Now, instead of complaining about it- make this soup!

This soup is the definition of health- if you need some proper evidence supporting how amazing fresh ginger and turmeric are, go ahead and google their benefits. You’ll be overwhelmed with the results.

Now, instead of noodles, I prefer to add spiralized butternut squash to provide another punch of nutrition. The squash becomes tender and succulent while providing that noodle texture we all know and love. Feel free to throw in whatever greens and fresh herbs you like (or none at all). This immune boosting soup is also fantastic with rice or quinoa.

HOW TO MAKE THIS IMMUNE BOOSTING SOUP

This soup starts with a base of aromatics, but with a few little twists for added vitamins and flavor. To start, I use leeks, which can be dirty so wash them carefully! All you have to do is chop them up, discarding the tough dark green parts at the top, and thoroughly rinse them. Once they’re squeaky clean, they’re sautéed along with carrots, celery, shiitakes, and onions to create a wonderful base.

Once the vegetables have a chance to cook down, I add seasonings like cayenne, nutritional yeast, and black pepper along with freshly grated ginger and turmeric, which are really the stars of this dish. I use a microplane for this, but you could also chop the ginger and turmeric and add them as is. Then we add water, the butternut squash, and any greens you feel like using. Finally, at the end, I mix a small amount of broth with lemon juice and miso for an added boost of flavor. This also packs a great punch of vitamin C from the lemon juice and vitamins E and B from the miso, all of which are amazing for your immune system.

ENJOY!

I hope that you enjoy this immune boosting soup! If you do try this recipe, please leave a comment and rating below. It greatly helps the health of my site and makes me oh so happy to read. Thank you for being here and happy cooking, y’all.

-Timothy

P.S. If you are looking for some other delicious recipes to lift your spirits when you’re under the weather, try these comforting dishes!

Vegan Dahl

Lentil Quinoa Stew

One-Pot Vegan Hamburger Helper

5 from 5 reviews

Immune Boosting Soup

Servings: 6 people
Author: Timothy Pakron
A ginger turmeric soup poured over spiraled butternut squash noodles with an optional addition of fresh greens over rice or quinoa.
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Ingredients

  • 3 cups celery, about 5 to 6 stalks
  • 2 cups carrots, 4 to 5 carrots
  • 2 cups chopped leeks, only the white and light green parts* (2 stalks)
  • 2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms, 3.5 oz pack, de-stemmed
  • 3 cups chopped onion, 1 large onion
  • ¼ cup fresh ginger, microplaned or grated + minced
  • 2 tablespoons turmeric, microplaned or grated + minced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped garlic, 3 to 5 cloves
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, or desired oil
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne, or desired amount
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
  • 8 cups filtered water, plus more if desired
  • 4 cups peeled and spiralized butternut squash, 1 small squash
  • A few handfuls of kale, if desired
  • 2 to 3 heaping tablespoons chopped parsley, if desired
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ¼ cup unpasteurized chickpea miso, or desired miso

Instructions 

  • Add the celery, carrots, leeks, shiitakes, onion, ginger, turmeric, garlic, olive oil, nutritional yeast, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt (start with less if you are sensitive) in a large pot. Mix well and bring to medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to sweat, becoming soft and tender but while maintaining some crunch.
  • Pour in the water and bring the heat up to high. Once to a boil, throw in the butternut squash noodles. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the squash noodles are tender. Remove from heat and throw in the kale and parsley. Mix well.
  • In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, miso, and one ladle of broth until smooth. Pour the mixture into the soup and stir to incorporate. Give it a taste and add more sea salt and cayenne pepper if desired. I did. 🙂

Notes

For the leeks, you want to only use the white and baby green parts. The dark green leaves are fibrous and undesirable. One you remove the dark green leaves, slice the stalk in half and you notice loads of dirt. Make sure to rinse all that out thoroughly! I even rinse the leeks once more after cutting because no one likes sand in their soup.
You can buy pasteurized miso if that’s all you have access to, but the good stuff with all of the probiotics will be in the refrigerated section. Adding this to the soup at the very end will help keep them alive. Chickpea miso is a great option for people who try or need to avoid soy.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 234kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Sodium: 917mg, Potassium: 1073mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 17847IU, Vitamin C: 40mg, Calcium: 144mg, Iron: 3mg

Food styling, photography, and recipe by Timothy Pakron
Text by Hannah Kearing and Timothy Pakron