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When I was growing up and came down with a stuffy nose, chicken soup from the can seemed to make me feel better. But those same mushy noodles and few bites of chicken don’t seem to satisfy any more. I crave something spicy to unclog my sinuses and warming spices like garlic and ginger to soothe my throat.

So a few days ago when I was beginning to feel under the weather (and knowing my family would be catching the same unpleasant symptoms soon enough,) I whipped up this simple soup with as many ‘immunity ingredients’ as I could think of:

Fresh herbs and veggies chocked full of antioxidants
Beef rich in protein and zinc – Zinc has been shown to help shorten the length of colds, and chapped noses and inflamed throats need protein to repair
Ginger and garlic to soothe sore throats
Spicy jalapeno pepper to unclog stuffy noses
Vitamin C rich lime juice rich in vitamin C to help heal

Immunity Soup

Fight off the flu, colds and winter blues with this immunity soup brimming with nutrients from ginger, garlic, lime juice, jalapeno peppers and more!

Author: by Serena Ball, RD

Scale

Ingredients

1 teaspoon canola oil
1 medium onion, about 1 cup
1 inch-square piece of fresh peeled ginger, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 can (14 to 14 ½ ounces) fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
8 ounces lean ground beef
2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Toppings:
Fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped
Shredded carrots and/or bean sprouts
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, chopped
Cooked brown rice

Instructions

Heat oil in large stock pot over medium heat. Add onion; cook 3 to 5 minutes until onion is tender, stirring occasionally.
Add ginger and garlic; cook and stir one minute.
Pour in chicken broth and 3 cups water; turn heat up to high. While water comes to a boil, pinch ground beef into teaspoon-sized free-formed meatballs and place on a plate.
When soup is boiling, slide in meatballs. Stir well, and simmer 3-4 minutes until meat is cooked through.
Stir in lime juice and serve with toppings.

What do you eat to help strengthen your immune system and ward off sickness?