15 Soothing Soups for Cold and Flu Season

This light but filling soup calls for homemade shrimp stock, but you could substitute low-sodium chicken broth if you'd like. "Yum! my mom makes this all the time on cold days," says bsour001. " I love the spicy/sour combination. Really works if you have a cold!"

If you love ginger and garlic, you'll love this chicken soup. To make it vegetarian or vegan, you can sub vegetable broth and use tofu instead of chicken. "So good, so comforting, so easy." —ROCKES

"I made this with kelp, which when cooked a bit becomes soft. I also added a tbsp each of fresh ginger and garlic, which I minced. Altogether it makes a very nutritious (and hopefully cold-fighting) soup, " says rfairman.  France C went a little further and added thinly sliced mushrooms to hers.

"This recipe rocks! I've had the flu for a few days now and made this recipe earlier today. It is so good, and the ginger is great for the tummy problems." —christine

Try this gluten-free version of chicken soup made with rice instead of wheat noodles. "Quick and easy. Perfect for when everyone starts getting the colds and the weather starts to turn yucky." —SusieHomemaker

Chicken broth, coconut milk, ginger, garlic, chicken, mushrooms, and a few other good things come together in a quick 15-minute prep, and simmer for about an hour. "It is especially nice if you are feeling a bit under the weather," says Maxine

If you're in the mood for a more substantial soup but without heavy, fatty ingredients, give this soothing recipe a try. "FANTASTIC! Best squash soup I've ever had, and love that there's no fattening cream involved," Victoriaren says.

Here's another hearty soup that'll fill you up without heavy ingredients. "The soup was delicious and perfect for a cold winter's night," says LynneinVA.

"I made this soup for its healing benefits, but I ended up loving it so much I'd make it anytime! It truly is 'healing' and not just for cold/flu season." —Heather

"It is somewhat spicy and is very, very good for if you have a cold, would like to warm up in the winter, or want to clear your nose." —K.Hamel

The "long rice" in this soup refers to the thin bean thread noodles that make this easy soup so satisfying to slurp. "This IS very comforting, nutritious and low in calories...not to mention economical," says Carla Cleary.

Recipe creator Clarissa Leigh says, "I was not feeling well one evening and wanted soup. But I only had chicken broth and that sounded boring. I'd made egg drop soup before and thought that sounded perfect, so I started looking up recipes. Since I couldn't quite make any of the ones I found, I combined them to make this. It helped settle my stomach and was super easy to make."

"This soup hit the spot and is great when you have to feed a family who is suffering with colds," says NPINCEK.

"More comforting than chicken soup with our current terrible head colds!" —Queen Llemon

"This is a traditional recipe good for anything that ails you. It's the absolute best when you've got the flu, and it's great the second and third day. Note, these matzoh balls are 'sinkers'. These are traditional matzoh balls, as this recipe was passed down from my great-grandmother who needed to make them as heavy as possible to feed a hungry family during lean times. Cut the matzoh meal by 1/2 cup to lighten the load." —Layla