Immune-Boosting Soups & Stews: Comforting Dishes for Cold Season

The Kind of Nourishment That Holds You

Cold season always comes like a guest that overstays—slinking in with the wind, settling into your bones, and asking you to slow down whether you planned to or not. And the kitchen becomes the place you return to. Not because it fixes everything—but because it’s where you remember what care feels like.

In my family, we didn’t run from colds—we cooked through them. I can still picture my grandmother in her wool socks, leaning over a pot of garlic-heavy broth, a wooden spoon stirring circles that felt more like prayers than instructions. The smell of ginger rising with the steam. The snap of parsley stems. The way even the sound of a pot bubbling on the stove made us feel safer, somehow.

We didn’t call it “immune-boosting” back then. We just knew it helped.

The recipes that follow aren’t modern trends. They’re slow, healing meals made from what’s always been good for us: bones, roots, garlic, herbs, and a little time. These aren’t quick soups. They’re layered. Built. And they hold.

Bone Broth Chicken Soup with Ginger & Garlic

This is the soup I make first when anyone in the house starts to look pale or quiet. It’s not fancy. It doesn’t need to be. The broth carries it—it’s the kind that’s been simmered for hours, maybe days, made from leftover roast chicken bones, a splash of vinegar, and a handful of onion skins. You can taste the minerals in every spoonful.

Ingredients (serves 4–6):

1 tbsp olive oil or ghee
1 medium onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, crushed—not minced
1-inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
2 celery stalks, chopped
6 cups good-quality chicken bone broth
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (dark meat is best)
A handful of chopped greens—spinach, kale, or parsley
Juice of half a lemon
Sea salt and cracked pepper, to taste

To make:

Warm the oil or ghee in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add the onion and cook it slowly, until soft and sweet. Stir in the garlic and ginger, letting them bloom gently without browning. The smell should catch in your throat a little—that’s how you know it’s working.

Toss in the carrots and celery, stir to coat, then pour in your bone broth. Bring it all to a slow simmer, not a boil. Let it go for 30–40 minutes, uncovered. Add the chicken toward the end, just to warm it through.

Right before serving, stir in your greens and squeeze in the lemon juice. The lemon brightens it—cuts through the depth and wakes everything up.

Ladle into warm bowls and serve with something soft: a slice of sourdough, a hunk of roasted sweet potato, or just a quiet place to sit and breathe.

Red Lentil Stew with Root Vegetables & Turmeric

This stew is the color of comfort—deep gold, flecked with bits of orange and green. The red lentils melt into themselves, making it thick and velvety without needing cream or flour. It’s plant-based, yes—but it has heft.

It’s also my favorite thing to eat when my body feels inflamed or overstimulated. It calms. It warms. It feeds.

Ingredients (serves 4):

1 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced
¾ cup red lentils, rinsed
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
A handful of chopped kale or chard
Juice of half a lemon
Salt, pepper, and a pinch of chili flakes

To make:

Start by heating the oil and sautéing the onion until soft. Add the garlic, ginger, and spices and stir until your kitchen smells like something worth stopping for.

Stir in the carrot, sweet potato, and lentils. Pour over the broth and bring it all to a slow simmer. Cover, and let it go for 25–30 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the lentils have broken down and everything feels like it belongs together.

Stir in the greens at the end, letting them wilt gently. Finish with lemon juice, a few turns of the pepper mill, and a taste for salt.

I like this one with a dollop of coconut yogurt or a spoonful of tahini drizzled on top.

Miso-Ginger Healing Broth

This one is for the evenings when you don’t really want to eat, but you know you should. It’s light, but steady. The kind of broth that goes down easy and does good work along the way.

The miso brings depth and probiotics. The ginger clears your head. The garlic keeps you warm inside.

Ingredients (serves 2):

4 cups filtered water
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1-inch piece ginger, sliced
½ cup shiitake mushrooms, fresh or rehydrated
2 tbsp white or mellow miso
2 cups chopped bok choy or spinach
Green onion and sesame oil, for topping

To make:

Simmer the garlic, ginger, and mushrooms in water for 10–12 minutes. Don’t rush it. Let the broth take on their character. Remove from heat and scoop out a bit of the hot liquid into a small bowl—whisk in the miso paste until smooth, then stir it back into the pot.

Add the greens and let them wilt in the warm broth. You don’t need to cook them fully—just let them surrender a little.

Pour into mugs or small bowls. Top with sliced green onion and a drop or two of toasted sesame oil. Sip slowly, wrapped in a blanket or your own quiet.

Soup as a Way of Life

None of these dishes are complicated. But each one carries something that the body recognizes as medicine. Not just because of the ingredients—though garlic, ginger, turmeric, and broth are deeply wise—but because of how they’re made. Slowly. By hand. With patience and presence.

You stir. You taste. You add a pinch more salt. You let it simmer while you clean the counters or sit quietly by the stove. And by the time it’s ready, you’re not just fed. You’re steadier. More yourself.

That’s what this kind of cooking offers. Not just food, but grounding. Not just healing, but a return.