Serves: 4 | Total Time: 20 Minutes
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This get will soup recipe was born while I suffered through a bad bout of bronchitis in – of all seasons – summer!
Bronchitis in summer may seem like an odd occurrence, but it can happen. The last thing you feel like doing while sick is cooking (especially in the hotter months) but cooking is necessary if you want a good soup for when you are sick.
The good news is that this healing soup is easy to make and only takes 20 minutes if you keep a few items on hand.
The four healthy ingredients for sickness that make this a perfect soup for healing colds and flu are:
- cayenne pepper
- dried wakame
- sesame oil
- garlic
- (Garlic with the skins left on, I must add. Those garlic skins have lots of immune boosting power!)
Dried wakame and sesame oil will keep indefinitely when stored properly, and the rest of the ingredients are easy to get if you need to make a quick run to the grocery store when not feeling well.
Since I am plagued with a compromised upper respiratory system and have had bronchitis and pneumonia more times than I can remember, I always have these healthy ingredients on hand… just in case. The tortellini will fill you up, so pick any kind you like, and bone broth is just yummy and full of healthy stuff. Both tortellini and bone broth can be kept in the freezer for weeks – or until you need them. If you don’t have bone broth, simply use beef, chicken, vegetable, whatever you have on hand. I just like using bone broth because it is so rich, perfect when your appetite might be as under the weather as you are. But hey, you gotta eat and this seaweed stew will go down easy – which makes this the best sick soup recipe ever!
I make a big batch of this immune boosting meal when I need it and because it is so flavorful, trust me… you won’t get tired of it if you eat it every day for a week. Serve it piping hot, and if you can, inhale the steam in between bites. The rest of the soup will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week, (and believe me, you will want to have it every day until you are feeling better.)


Healthy Tips:
- Did you know that the skins of garlic are rich in nutrients and have many health benefits? So, don’t throw them away! Click the link to read more about the health benefits of garlic skins (and the many other interesting ways you can use garlic and onion skins).
- Wakame is also packed with all kinds of good things for you. Click the link to learn more about the health benefits of wakame seaweed.
- There is a reason sesame oil has been used for centuries in Asian cuisine. Click to find out how the health benefits of sesame oil can help you.
- But wait… there’s more! Cayenne pepper has all kinds of feel good properties, too. Click to read about the health benefits of cayenne pepper.




Soup For When You Are Sick
Equipment
- dutch oven or large pot
- large ladle
- heat-proof soup bowls
Ingredients
- 5 cups bone broth
- 2 cups water
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 head organic garlic cut in half crosswise with skins left on
- 2 tablespoons dried wakame
- 2 cups frozen tortellini of your choice
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil for drizzling
- red pepper flakes for garnish
Instructions
- Bring the bone broth and water to a rigorous boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the cayenne, garlic, scallions, wakame, and tortellini. Allow to simmer for another 5-8 minutes, or until the tortellini is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Use a ladle to spoon the soup into small crocks or heat-proof bowls. Drizzle with sesame oil and red pepper flakes. Serve immediately, you want this soup to be piping hot.
I’ve always known cayenne pepper and seaweed are so healthy for you but I had no idea about the garlic skins! Wow that’s so amazing to learn that thank you.
You’re welcome! Kind of like potatoes, the skins absorb a lot of nutrients from the ground and get stored there. Plus, boiling them out makes for an earthier broth, it mellows the sharp flavors a bit. So healthy, and yummy, too!
Yumm! Soup is one of my favorite things to make…especially with tortellini. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome!
Soup is really comforting when I am sick, will add this in my list to make
Awesome! you’ll have to let me know how it turns out when you make it. 🙂
I think I will definitely need this kind of soup when I am sick. Thanks for sharing the recipe. It looks delicious and simple to make
You’re welcome! Yes, it is sooooo easy to make. The first time I made it, I actually had bronchitis and the last thing I wanted to do was cook with a fever, but I had to eat something. It worked so well on relieving the symptoms, too.
I enjoy soup all the time even when I am not sick, it is so comforting.
I agree! I’ll even have hot soup in the summer on a rainy day. It just makes everything better.
This soup looks really easy to make and healthy. Love that it takes only 20 minutes to make. I bet it’s good on a day that the weather is bad too!
Oh yes, it sure does chase out the chill on a dreary day (and we get a lot of those around here because we live so close to Lake Michigan).
A wellness soup is a great idea any time of the year. Yours is a little different from the one I usually make so it I will have to give it a try!
I’d love to see your version! 🙂
I’m not sure I can find wakame here in Italy, but I have all the other ingredients so am going to give this soup a try|
You may be able to get wakame online. If not, spinach or kale will work well, too. Even without the greens, the soup still has great health boosting benefits and feel good properties. Hope it works out for you!
Next time when I am sick I will try this and by the looks this is such a mood lifter
It is very comforting, indeed!
Adding the wakame to the broth is such a great idea! And I know my family will appreciate lots of garlic in a soup like this — though we’ll be making a gluten-free alternative to the tortellini, of course.
That sounds wonderful! Yes, the tortellini isn’t necessary as far as the health benefits go, so you’ll be all set without it. 🙂
Its summer here so its best time to try this soup.
It’s a great soup for all seasons… because we all know how sickness can come at any time!
This really sounds a great soup while we need some comforting when sick. Love that we can freeze this for later use
That is my favorite thing about this soup (with the exception of how it makes me feel better). I know that when I don’t feel well, the LAST thing I want to do is cook. You can just pull it out of the freezer and pop it into a saucepan to reheat it. Easy!
I love having it not only when I’m sick but I love having soup before the main meal for our dinner.