Joy Bauer's Anti-Inflammatory Sippable Soup Is Perfect for Cold and Flu Season
Bauer: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images. Recipe photo: Antonis Achilleos.
If you don't know Joy Bauer from her helpful segments on Today, you might recognize her from her delicious recipes that seem to jump right off your Instagram feed. The dietitian is always sharing tasty dishes on her social media, whether it's a festive holiday treat or an easy cocktail hack. One of her most recent posts heralds a new soup recipe that's perfect for cozy sipping during the chilliest part of the year.
Bauer calls the soup her "daily elixir," and it would definitely be simple enough to make in a big batch and dole out in daily doses. To copy her recipe, you'll need a quart of chicken broth, mushrooms, baby carrots, red bell pepper, garlic powder, ginger powder, turmeric powder, black pepper and oregano.
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The steps are even simpler than the ingredients—just add everything to the pot and bring it up to a boil for 20 minutes, then use an immersion blender to meld now fork-tender veggies and broth into a creamy purée. If you don't have an immersion blender, you could also transfer the soup to your regular countertop blender—just be careful and consider letting the soup cool off a bit before you move it over.
This is definitely one of those recipes where you can toss in other anti-inflammatory veggies if you're cleaning out the fridge or pantry. Some chopped broccoli, cauliflower, spinach or even diced sweet potato would fit into this purée without a hitch. You could even toss in canned beans or chickpeas in for more body and protein, or opt for chopped onion or minced garlic for added flavor.
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Even the seasonings in Bauer's basic recipe—the garlic powder, ginger powder, turmeric powder, black pepper and oregano—pack an additional anti-inflammatory kick. Such spices can help tamp down chronic inflammation in the body, and you can fiddle with the combination, if you like. Trade in fresh garlic, ginger or oregano for the dried stuff, or toss in other research-backed anti-inflammatory ingredients like red pepper flakes, rosemary or citrus juice and zest.
Bauer suggests freezing the soup in an ice cube tray for easy storage. Once frozen solid, you can pop the cubes out and keep them in a bag in your freezer. Bauer suggests dropping a few cubes into a mug and microwaving until your mini serving of soup is piping hot and ready to enjoy. That kind of easy access might be especially helpful when you're feeling sick—even if you're not up to cooking (or even eating a meal) you can get in some veggies and a soothing sip.
Related: Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan for Winter
If you're in the market for other simple recipes worth making even when you're under the weather, anti-inflammatory recipes like our Instant Pot Lentil Soup or Roasted Cauliflower & Potato Curry Soup are great options. You could also opt for something cozy-creamy—soups like our Creamy White Bean Soup and Creamy Mushroom & Orzo Soup with Lemon & Parmesan offer lots of comfort *and* some healthy ingredients.
However you soothe your aching throat (or try to ward off a cold), a hot cup of soup is never a bad idea. And if you still need inspiration, just work your way through our essential soups for winter.
