Healthy and Comforting Soup Recipes

Soup has long been the universal go-to dish for comfort and wellness, especially during an illness. And for great reason too. Homemade soups are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and proteins all of which can help strengthen our immune system.

Including ingredients in your soups such as garlic, spinach, and chicken will not only transform an average soup into a nutritional powerhouse, but it can help deter an illness by serving as an excellent preventative measure.

Below are three of our favourite quick and easy comfort soups that are almost as good as a hug from mom.

Healthy Chicken Vegetable Soup

Servings: 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks Salt and pepper
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery ribs, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
20 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced thinly
1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano
1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme
15-20 fresh spinach leaves
10 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1⁄2 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 bunch kale, chop leaves and remove stems
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 fresh lemon, squeezed

Instructions:

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Using salt and pepper, season the chicken. Add chicken to the stockpot and cook until golden (about 2-4 minutes), then set aside.

Then, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the stockpot, sauté onions, carrots and celery. Cook until tender (3-4 minutes).

Add garlic and mushrooms and cook until browned and tender.

Stir in oregano and thyme. Slowly add chicken stock and bay leaves to the stockpot, bring to a boil.

Stir in orzo, rosemary and chicken and reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender (10-12 minutes). Stir in kale, spinach and cannellini beans until the kale and spinach has wilted (3-4 minutes).

Add fresh lemon juice and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ready to be served.

Avocado, Chicken and Lime Soup:

Servings: 8
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
2 pounds chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1⁄2 cup chopped green onions, thinly chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced (less if you don’t want too much heat) 3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
17 ounces low-sodium chicken broth
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
1⁄2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3 medium avocados, peeled, cored and diced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream for serving (optional)

Instructions:

In a large stockpot, add 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat.

Add and sauté chopped green onions and jalapenos until tender (2-3 minutes), add garlic (1 minute).

Add chicken broth, tomatoes, cumin, salt and pepper and chicken breasts.

Bring ingredients to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium, cover with lid and allow to cook until chicken has cooked well through (10-15 minutes)

Remove chicken from pot, let cool on cutting board (5 minutes), shred chicken, then add it back into the soup. Stir in cilantro and lime juice.

Add avocados to soup just before serving. Serve with tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream for a little treat for being healthy.

Harvest Mushroom Soup:

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
1 large white onion, diced
1 package (10 ounces) white button mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 package (10 ounces) baby portobello mushrooms, sliced thinly 10 stalks fresh thyme, leaves removed
2 cups organic vegetable broth
1 1⁄2 tablespoon tapioca flour (arrowroot or cornstarch also works)
1 1⁄2 dairy free milk (unsweetened) 1 dried bay leaf
1⁄2 tablespoon coconut aminos Salt and pepper to taste1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions:

Add diced onions to a large saucepan and cook over medium heat (4-6 minutes). In the meantime slice mushrooms.

Move onions to the side of the pan and add mushrooms, sauté for 5 minutes. Stir the onions and mushrooms together. Add thyme, cook for 10 minutes longer.

Water will come out of the mushrooms, continue to cook until the volume is reduced by half.

Add your bay leaves, salt and liquid aminos to the mushroom mixture.

Stir in the 1 tablespoon of tapioca starch into the organic broth. Add into the mushroom pan and stir. Add almond milk.

Allow to cook for 15 minutes longer, occasionally stirring. Add salt and pepper to taste.