Dying in a pile of tissues? A comforting bowl of vegan soup for flu & cold eases inflammation & steams the sinuses… just add your favorite blanket.

My family cannot seem to escape the germs this winter… colds, sinus infections, strep and ear infections. UGG. Despite our best efforts (and my near-obsessive surface cleaning), someone is always coming down with something. We’re burning through the cough drops and nobody is allowed to touch anything! OK, not really. But close.
Your Grandma Is Right: Soup for Flu
Every Grandma, Gammi, Mamaw, Nonna, Abuelita, O baachan and Bubbe around the world knows what you need: a hot bowl of soup when you’re sick. Soup is comforting, hydrating, sinus-steaming and healing. When it’s a one-pot-wonder, it’s an even bigger help for sick parents taking care of sick kiddos.
The magic ingredients are turmeric and ginger, which ease inflammation and tummies. Hot broth, garlic and onions are perfect for congestion. So, snuggle up with a book, a sick kiddo, and two bowls of soup.
I recently brought this soup to one of my besties who is IN IT with morning sickness. She loved that it was gentle on her tummy, too.
Let’s Make Soup for Flu & Cold!
Saute onions and veggies in a little oil. When the veggies have softened, add broth, chickpeas and noodles. Simmer until the pasta is cooked. That’s it.

Open a can of chickpeas. Give a few veggies a quick chop.
Tip: Substitute whatever veggies you have in the fridge. I chose carrots, celery and cauliflower because they take about the same amount of time to cook. Diced sweet potato would be a nice addition. Please adapt to fit your family’s tastes!
Onion, garlic and ginger saute in a little oil Add veggies

Vegetable Broth Tip: My favorite broth is made with Better Than Bouillon “Vegetable Stock Concentrate” paste. The umami / deep flavor is incredibly rich because it contains yeast extract.

Simmer Your Soup
Turmeric gives food a distinctive yellow color. It also helps with inflammation… and if you’ve got a stuffy head, you’ve got inflammation. Let the broth simmer until the pasta is cooked (8-10 minutes).


Hungry For More Soup?
Vegetarian Tortellini Soup is cozy & easy in the Instant Pot


Soup for Flu & Cold Congestion (Vegan)
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
Description
Dying in a pile of tissues? A comforting bowl of vegan soup for flu & cold eases inflammation & steams the sinuses… just add your favorite blanket.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 tsp minced or pureed ginger
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 5 cups vegetable broth (I recommend 4 tsp Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Stock Concentrate + 5 cups water)
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup ditalini pasta
- salt & pepper to taste
- cayenne, optional
Instructions
- Chop veggies.
- In a soup pot, add olive oil and heat over medium.
- Add onion, garlic and ginger. Saute for 3-5 minutes.
- Add carrots, cauliflower and celery. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until beginning to soften. Stir ocassionally to prevent burning.
- Add chickpeas, turmeric, ditalini and broth.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce to medium, and cook until pasta is al dente.
Notes
Vegan: This recipe is vegan.
Vegetarian: This recipe is vegetarian.
Gluten Free: Substitute small gluten-free pasta.
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 368
- Sugar: 10.1g
- Sodium: 1000mg
- Fat: 5.4g
- Saturated Fat: 0.8g
- Carbohydrates: 61.2g
- Fiber: 12g
- Protein: 20.6g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: flu fighting soup, cold and flu soup, soup for a cold, soup for the flu, vegan noodle soup, vegan flu fighting soup