show that cold who’s boss
What is better than cozying up on a cool October day with a steaming bowl of homemade soup loaded with gut-healing, anti-inflammatory, immune boosting veggies??? I can’t think of much!
We all know that, unfortunately, with the colder months also comes cold and flu season. I’m sure some of you have been hit by it already. This soup is the perfect go-to to nourish your body and aid your immune system in getting you back to good health! It’s also great to pack for lunch or eat alongside your dinner for a healthy dose of veggies, herbs, and spices that can help prevent you from getting sick in the first place. I like the sound of that, don’t you?
Veggie Packed With health in mind
This soup is specially made and has ingredients selected with the following things in mind:
Low Fodmap - instead of the usual garlic and onion, I used turmeric and ginger, which are gentler on the gut and less likely to cause bloating and other undesirable digestive symptoms.
Low Histamine - Histamine is a chemical released by the body in allergic and inflammatory responses. Those who are sensitive to or unable to properly digest histamine from food may experience adverse effects from eating foods containing or producing high amounts of histamine. The veggies selected in this soup are all low-histamine for this reason.
Gut Healing - If you haven’t already heard, gut health is crucial for a healthy immune system, disease prevention, and healthy body functioning as a whole. Conditions like leaky gut, IBS, and even just mild inflammation in the gut can be significantly improved by eating a gut-friendly diet full of veggies, fermented foods, and inflammation-fighting herbs and spices.
Anti-Inflammatory - Inflammation can be a vicious cycle. When we eat diets full of processed, low-quality foods, our bodies get inflamed - think bloating, headaches, joint pain, fatigue, skin problems, and more. This, in turn, leads to a compromised immune system, which causes us to get sick more easily. So, in order to break the cycle, we need to support our bodies with whole plant-based foods that help fight inflammation rather than adding to it. Herbs and spices like turmeric, ginger, black pepper, thyme, and cinnamon are especially powerful in aiding this process.
Recipe notes
Don’t let the long list of ingredients deter you! All of these ingredients add to the complexity and beautiful immune-boosting properties of this soup. Plus, the best part is that it is all done in the Instant Pot, which makes for fast, hands-off cooking and easy cleanup.
As far as the ingredients go, you can simplify if you would like! You can always swap out the herbs and spices based on what you have available or use different veggies if you would like, but keep in mind that this will produce different flavors as well as varying health benefits and effects.
Soups are a great way to use up the extra produce in your fridge that you didn’t get around to using yet. I also love using the whole plant in soups, including the parts that often don’t get used in regular cooking (i.e. stems, stalks, and leaves).
To add some protein to this soup and make it more of a meal, I tried adding both sprouted tofu and tempeh to different batches. I did this at the end of cooking rather than cooking the protein in the Instant Pot with the veggies. Tougher proteins like tempeh would probably be able to withstand the Instant Pot, but tofu may get mushy. You could also try adding cooked pasta at the end for a veggie noodle soup version. Feel free to experiment!
Instant Pot Anti-Inflammatory and Gut-Healing Vegetable Soup
INGREDIENTS
*Note: I recommend using organic ingredients whenever possible
First:
2 tbsp olive or avocado oil
1 cup carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 whole fennel with stems, chopped
2 leaves kale with stems, chopped
2 leaves swiss chard with stems, chopped
Stems and leaves of one beet, chopped
2 tsp sea salt
Second:
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp ginger paste
2 tsp ginger powder
2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 cup water
Last:
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, fresh
2-3 tsp thyme
2 tsp dried basil
7 cups water
Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Turn Instant Pot on sauté setting and add olive oil.
Once olive oil has heated, add chopped vegetables and salt. Sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the nutritional yeast and spices, stirring into the sautéed veggies using a wooden spoon. Add and mix in 1 cup of water. Stir in the herbs and then the remaining 7 cups of water - take care not to fill Instant Pot past max fill line (about 2/3 full).
Put lid on Instant Pot and set Pressure Release to Sealing. Press Cancel to reset Instant Pot and then cook on the Soup/Broth setting for 10 minutes at high pressure. Allow about 20 minutes for Instant Pot to reach full pressure before cooking.
After the 10 minute cook time is up, leave pot to sit for about 30 minutes, allowing for a natural pressure release. After 30 minutes switch Pressure Release toVenting* to release any remaining steam.
*Always take care when switching Pressure Release to venting and when removing lid! Ensure face and hands are away from venting area to avoid burns from released steam.
Carefully remove pot using oven mitts. Allow to cool slightly and serve right away. Top with sea salt and pepper if desired.
To store soup for later, allow soup to cool and store in airtight containers in refrigerator (up to 3 days) or freezer (up to 6 months).
Enjoy!