5 Soul-Warming Soups That'll Boost Your Health This Winter

Ant-inflammatory: Curried Carrot Soup

This vibrant, curry soup is a great way to stay warm this winter, with the curry powder providing some strong anti-inflammatory compounds, which help with reducing oxidative stress, boosting heart health, and more.

Makes: 1.1 L (3 servings)
Total Time: 21 Minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 365 g (6) carrots, cut into 5cm pieces
  • 80 g (1) onion, peeled, sliced
  • 480 ml (2 cups) vegetable stock
  • 120 ml (½ cup) soy milk
  • ¾ teaspoon curry powder
  • ⅛ lemon, peeled
  • ½ teaspoon salt, optional
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Place the onions and carrots in a pan set over medium heat. Add a splash of water and allow to cook until onions are tender, about 5 minutes.
  2. Place all ingredients into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure the lid.
  3. Start the blender on its lowest speed, then quickly increase to its highest speed. Blend for 5 minutes 45 seconds or until heavy steam escapes through vented lid. Serve immediately.

Vitamix

Antioxidants: Apple Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin soup is a winter classic. Add some apple, and you’ve got a new, exciting twist on the soup staple, which is packed with vitamins and antioxidants.

Pumpkin is one of the best sources of beta carotene, providing orange vegetables with their vibrant colours as well as being a powerful antioxidant. Consuming high levels of beta carotene may help to reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer, offer protection against asthma and heart disease, and decrease the risk of age-related macular degeneration.

Makes: 2 Servings (720ml)
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 420 g Jap pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2.5cm pieces
  • 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, optional
  • 60 g (½ small) small onion, peeled
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled
  • 90 g (½ ) medium apple, cored
  • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt, optional
  • 500 ml (2 cups) low sodium vegetable broth, stock

Directions

  1. Steam pumpkin in a steamer or microwave until fork tender. Sauté onion and garlic in oil until onion is clear and tender.
  2. Place all ingredients into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure the lid.
  3. Start the blender on its lowest speed, then quickly increase to its highest speed. Blend for 3 to 5 minutes, or until heavy steam escapes the lid plug opening.

Vitamix

Immunity Booster: Thai Ginger Soup with Cashews

The ginger and chilli in this soup lend a zesty flavour, however both of these ingredients are well-known for their immunity boosting properties. Ginger has powerful antiviral and antibacterial properties and can aid the body in its immune response, and chillis have long been known to serve as powerful immunity boosters due to their high contents of vitamins A and C. Separately, cashews have their own benefits in boosting heart health and helping to lower cholesterol levels.

Makes: 1.4 L (4 servings)
Total Time: 15 Minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

  • 480 ml (2 cups) water
  • 100 g (1 ) carrot, halved
  • 100 g (1 cup) cabbage, chopped
  • 100 g (1 ) celery stalk, halved
  • 140 g (1 ) red bell pepper
  • 150 g (1 ) zucchini, cubed
  • 10 g (1 ) green onion
  • 15 g (1 ) lime
  • ½ garlic clove
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger root
  • 1 red chili pepper
  • 125 g (1 cup) cashews
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1 teaspoon honey, optional
  • 1 vegetable bouillon cube

Directions

  1. Place all ingredients into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure the lid.
  2. Start the blender on its lowest speed, then quickly increase to its highest speed.
  3. Blend for 5 minutes 45 seconds or until heavy steam escapes from the vented lid. Serve immediately.

Notes
Add 1/2 cup (120ml) of coconut milk at the end of the blending cycle to give the soup a richer flavour. If you do not like spicy food, you may leave the chili pepper out of the soup.

Vitamix

Gut booster: Minestrone Soup

Minestrone soup is a beloved Italian favourite, featuring a combination of leafy greens, vegetables, and beans, and has always been a symbol of the Mediterranean diet. Minestrone is especially rich in fibre, which helps the intestines and inner gut lining stay healthy. The soluble fibres present in the ingredients act as prebiotics, nourishing and helping to maintain healthy intestinal flora.

Makes: 960 ml (2.7 Servings)
Total Time: 55 Minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 480 ml (2 cups) vegetable stock
  • 240 g (4) Roma tomato
  • 40 g (½) carrot
  • 80 g (½) onion, peeled
  • 50 g (½) celery stalk
  • ¼ teaspoon dried basil
  • ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 Tablespoons tomato paste

Directions

  1. Place all Soup Base ingredients into your Vitamix blender in the order listed and secure the lid.
  2. Start the blender on its lowest speed, then quickly increase to its highest speed.
  3. Blend for 5 minutes 45 seconds or until heavy steam escapes from vented lid.
  4. Reduce speed and remove lid. Add chickpeas, zucchini, kidney beans, corn, and cheese through the opening. Secure lid plug. Blend for an additional 10 seconds. Serve immediately.

Vitamix

Vegetarian protein punch: Spinach and Vegetable Soup

This vegetarian option is packed with green goodness, and the chickpeas combined with the spinach provide a great protein alternative to meat for vegetarian and vegan diets. Spinach is recognised as a superfood for its wide variety of benefits, including cancer preventing, weight loss, and anti-inflammatory properties, among many others. Chickpeas are also recognised as a superfood and are arguably the most environmentally friendly legume because of their ability to fix their own nitrogen from the atmosphere and leaving extra nutrients in the soil for future crops.

Makes: 1.25 L (5 Cups)
Total Time: 35 Minutes
Difficulty: Advanced

Ingredients

  • 1 garlic clove
  • 65 g (½ ) medium onion, halved
  • 100 g (1 stalk) celery, diced
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil, optional
  • 500 ml (2 cups) vegetable broth
  • 40 g (⅓ cup) carrots, halved, steamed
  • 80 g (2/3 cups) zucchini, chunked
  • 60 g (2 cups) fresh spinach
  • 1 (130g) medium russet potato, cooked, halved
  • ⅛ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon salt, optional

Directions

  1. Sauté garlic, onion, and celery in olive oil until soft, about 3 minutes.
  2. Place broth garlic, onion, celery, carrots, zucchini, spinach, half of the potatoes (130 g), thyme and salt into the Vitamix bleander in the order listed and secure lid.
  3. Select Variable 1, or the Hot Soups program.
  4. Start the machine, slowly increase to its highest speed blend for 5:45 seconds or allow machine to complete programmed cycle.
  5. Select Variable 2.
  6. Start the machine then remove lid plug and add remaining potatoes (130g) through the lid plug opening. Blend for 5 – 10 seconds, or until desired consistency.

Vitamix

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