Sick Day Soup Recipe

Sick day soup is exactly what it says it is. A great soup to have on hand when you’re feeling less than your best.

Feeling under the weather? If you have nausea, vomiting, sore throat stuffy, nose, or any other symptoms of a cold or flu, rest and proper nourishment is what you need. What you eat, can make just as much of a difference in how fast you heal, as getting adequate rest and liquids.

A spoon lifts a bit of sick day soup out of a white bowl.

Getting Good Nutrients

With everything going on in the world right now, feel-better food is in high demand. It never hurts to have some good soup, or at the very least, some good broth, stocked in your freezer.

Nobody wants to cook when they don’t feel good. But if you make some ahead of time to keep in the freezer, you’re far more likely to eat something that will actually benefit your body and give your immune system a nice, nutritional boost when it’s feeling at its worst.

Can You Freeze Sick Day Soup?

A Souper Cubes tray sits filled with Sick Day Soup.
Souper Cube trays stacked in a freezer.

You can! Just don’t freeze it with pasta in it. Pasta doesn’t hold up well in a freezer. Other than that, portion this out, if you wish, and freeze it in freezer-safe, airtight containers. Store in the freezer for up to 4 months. It never hurts to have some of this in the freezer for when you feel too sick to cook.

If you are curious about the containers pictured above, Souper Cubes are fantastic for freezing in portions! I use them all the time. The one pictured is the 1 cup measure. Each well holds 1 cup of soup (or whatever you are freezing). Plus, they are dishwasher safe in the top rack! You can find them on Amazon by clicking the image below. (Affiliate link).

Souper Cube freezer soup container sold on Amazon. (Affiliate link)

Other Foods To Eat When Sick

If you want something to serve with this soup, the most logical answer is, of course, toast. But to get the most vitamins and minerals out of your diet, you’ll want to eat a variety of foods rich in high-quality nutrients.

So here are some other ideas as well to generally round out your day nutritionally. You can serve them with the soup if you like, or serve them separately. This is simply a list of foods that always helps me feel better when I’m down for the count. Some are just comfort foods, but most are usually good options nutritionally when you feel yucky.

  • orange juice
  • ginger ale or ginger tea
  • a teaspoon of honey
  • grapefruits
  • any citrus fruits will help thanks to the vitamin C.
  • ginger tea
  • turmeric
  • plain yogurt – this is good when you are sick but not congested. Dairy products make congestion worse. But plain yogurt is great for the gut because it’s full of probiotics. So only eat yogurt if you aren’t congested.
  • hot water with lemons or limes
  • broccoli – it’s a superfood for a reason!
  • crackers or pretzels – not the highest-nutrient foods, but they really well with soup without making an upset stomach worse. (In most cases)
  • coconut water – great for keeping you hydrated!
  • bland foods are typically better than spiced foods. You won’t need a ton of flavor in your food anyway if you are congested and can’t taste much.
  • sweet potatoes – they are easy to bake or microwave and have a ton of good nutrients. Plus they tend to be gentle on your tummy.
  • cereals – as long as they aren’t full of sugar, they tend to be easy to throw together and are usually pretty gentle on your tummy. Just remember, if you’re congested, you may want to use non-dairy milk to avoid further congestion. Your nasal passages will thank you.
  • bananas
  • applesauce
A white bowl filled with sick day soup sits on a wooden surface.

About The Ingredients

Chicken broth – No sugar added (usually as dextrose), low sodium is best. If you are vegetarian, this works with vegetable broth too.

Celery seed

Garlic granules – Garlic powder work great too.

Large eggs – Beated in a bowl with a fork or whisk.

Cooked quinoa – Cooked pasta or rice work too.

How To Make Sick Day Soup

Spices added to broth in a pot.

In a large soup pot, combine your broth, celery seed, and garlic powder. Bring to a boil.

Cooked quinoa being added to a pot of boiling broth.

Add your pre-cooked quinoa or pasta. (Or whatever grain you want to use.) Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes.

Whisked egg being added to boiling broth in a pot.
Whisking sick day soup in a large pot.

When everything is warmed through, turn the heat off, whisk in your eggs quickly and remove the pot from the heat.

Sick Day Soup in a white bowl with a wooden spoon holding a spoonful of the soup.

Season with salt and serve.

How To Store Sick Day Soup

Made with vegetable broth – This will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Made with chicken broth – This will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

See freezing instructions above.

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A spoon lifts a bit of sick day soup out of a white bowl.

Sick Day Soup Recipe

Comforting soup that's excellent when you are sick.
3 from 20 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American, German
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 11 servings
Calories: 98kcal

CLICK TO WATCH THIS RECIPE IN ACTION!

Ingredients

  • 8 cups chicken broth (no sugar added, low sodium is best)
  • 1 tsp. celery seed
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3 cups cooked quinoa (cooked pasta or rice work too)

Instructions

  • In a large soup pot, combine your broth, celery seed and garlic powder. Bring to a boil.
    Spices added to broth in a pot.
  • Add your pre-cooked quinoa or pasta. (Or whatever grain you want to use.) Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes.
    Cooked quinoa being added to a pot of boiling broth.
  • When everything is warmed through, turn the heat off, whisk in your eggs quickly and remove the pot from the heat.
    Whisked egg being added to boiling broth in a pot.
  • Season with salt and serve.
    Sick Day Soup in a white bowl with a wooden spoon holding a spoonful of the soup.

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data given here is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 98kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 664mg | Potassium: 148mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 104IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg

Recipe from the ®Gracious Pantry archives, originally posted 11/23/10.

3 from 20 votes (20 ratings without comment)

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8 Comments

  1. Hi Tiffany. Your website inspires me. I’m just getting started in clean eating and have a lot to learn. Thank you for sharing.

    One question: when you use quinoa, do you add it in Step 2 as already cooked or uncooked?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Heather – Thanks!

      It should be pre-cooked. It needs to go into the pot already cooked because you only want to boil the soup long enough to cook the egg. Plus, adding uncooked quinoa will soak up lots of the liquid in the soup.

  2. trude wofford says:

    I always called my kids “sicky babys” when they were not feeling well, and I would always make a pot of chicken soup! never tried the egg thing but hey- why not!!!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Trude – Eggs are great when you’re sick! Give it a try!

  3. How do you keep the eggs from scrambling in the soup? Or are they sort of supposed to?

    1. Jyme – They are supposed to. Stir very gently and you’ll get pieces that are a bit larger. Stir vigorously, and you’ll get the very fine pieces you see in the photos above.

  4. I wish there was a better picture of the actual soup and not mostly the bowl being served in. Without being able to tell what it looks like I’m hesitant on trying it.