15 Vegetable-Based Soothing Rice Soups for Flu Season

Has flu season got the best of you? Try making one of these plant-based rice soups and you’ll be sure to be feeling better in no time!

We also highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App  — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help you get healthy! And, don’t forget to check out our Soup Archives!

1. Asian Rice Soup

Source: Asian Rice Soup

This Asian Rice Soup by Peffe Stahl is the perfect thing to make for dinner tonight. It’s warming, delicious and easy!

2. Thai Curry Red Rice Soup

Source: Thai Curry Red Rice Soup

This Thai Curry Red Rice Soup by Gunjan Dudani is sure to cure you this flu season. The combination of flavorful Thai spices and healthy sprouted red rice along with mixed vegetables will make you want to eat the whole pot by yourself. A complete weeknight meal is ready in about 30 minutes and is so satisfying.

3. Cream of Wild Rice Soup

Source: Cream of Wild Rice Soup

This Cream of Wild Rice Soup by Ashley Flitter uses one of my favorite Minnesota-grown ingredients: wild rice. I love the creamy texture without the heaviness of a traditional cream soup. Enjoy this on a cold and snowy winter day with a cup of hot tea!

4.  Spiced Up Chickpea and Brown Rice Soup

Source: Spiced Up Chickpea and Brown Rice Soup

Winter is the ideal season for spicy comfort foods. With veggies, chickpeas, and brown rice, cooked in a broth with Indian spices, this Spiced Up Chickpea and Brown Rice Soup by Annie Oliverio is unforgettable. Kicked up with pickled jalapenos and exotic spices, it’ll keep you warm and full on chilly days.

5. Spring Kale and Dill Soup With Rice

Source: Spring Kale and Dill Soup With Rice

Dill has a delightfully fresh and citrus-like flavor which, in this very quick and easy soup, is accentuated with a squeeze of lemon juice added at the end. The beans bring a layer of creaminess as well as a boost of protein. The rice thickens the soup and adds more texture. As for kale, it is always a welcome addition not only because it boosts nutrition, but also because the hint of its bitterness complements the dill. This Spring Kale and Dill Soup With Rice by Zsu Dever is a full circle of flavors.

6. Mixed Herb Lentil and Wild Rice Soup

Source: Mixed Herb Lentil and Wild Rice Soup

A delicious warming and flavorsome chunky soup, this Mixed Herb Lentil and Wild Rice Soup by Taryn Fitz-Gerald fills the spot. With sweet potato, carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, and mixed beans, this soup is filled with wholesome nutritional goodness! Adjust the spiciness level to your liking!

7. Brown Lentil, Bean, and Rice Soup

Source: Brown Lentil, Bean, and Rice Soup

Made with Borlotti beans, brown lentils, brown Basmati rice, tomatoes, and vegetables, this Brown Lentil, Bean, and Rice Soup by Julie Zimmer is delicious. It’s a complete meal that gives you all the plant-based protein that you need.  After a bowl or two, you feel satisfied in a healthy way.

8. Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

Source: Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

This Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup by Julia Winnicki is full of the deep, earthy, umami-rich flavor. Fresh cremini mushrooms and ground dried shiitakes provide a winning combination of meaty texture and flavor, which makes this soup a great dish if you are transitioning to a plant-based diet. It definitely won’t leave you feeling hungry or unsatisfied with your meal.

9. Black-Eyed Pea and Wild Rice Soup

Source: Black-Eyed Pea and Wild Rice Soup

Wild rice is a Minnesota staple, and we are always finding ways to incorporate it into our comfort food dishes. The rice has a wonderfully nutty flavor that adds depth to this Black-Eyed Pea and Wild Rice Soup by Ashley Flitter and the slightly toothsome texture gives it a little something special.

10. White Bean and Kale Soup

Source: White Bean and Kale Soup

This simple White Bean and Kale Soup by Rebecca Blackwell is packed with wild rice, white beans, tomatoes, onions, carrots, and kale. It is both hearty and light, homey and filling without weighing you down.

11. Comforting Shiitake and Kale Congee

 Source: Comforting Shiitake and Kale Congee

Congee is a traditional rice porridge that is popular in many Asian countries. Because it’s easy on the stomach, it’s a perfect dish for children, sick people, and the elderly, but most everyone enjoys it as a side dish or with various toppings for a main meal. This Comforting Shiitake and Kale Congee by Annie Oliverio is made with nutritious ingredients such as brown rice, shiitake mushrooms, kale, and ginger. It’s nourishing, comforting, and a perfectly restorative meal to eat when you’re recovering from an illness or feeling particularly low on energy.

12. Pumpkin Chili With Wild Rice

Source: Pumpkin Chili With Wild Rice

This Pumpkin Chili With Wild Rice by Gina Fontana can be made in just 30 minutes but has such developed flavors that you’d think it had been simmering for hours. You could easily eat this on its own but serving it over wild rice and adding blanched kale leaves takes this dish to the next level. Garnish with pumpkin seeds and you’ll be counting down the meals until you can have this again. The secret ingredient (cinnamon!) enhances the flavor and kicks up the fall vibes.

13. Raw Mushroom Soup with Tumeric Rice

Source: Raw Mushroom Soup With Turmeric Rice

This is Raw Mushroom Soup With Turmeric Rice by Marta Ansalda and Minna Sangiorgio is made from raw Brown mushrooms that are puréed with boiling vegetable broth. Serve each bowl alongside brown rice cooked with a pinch of turmeric to make it more nutritious and hearty. Make this recipe today to create a soup that celebrates the unique umami flavor of mushrooms.

14. Instant Pot Vegan Wild Rice Soup

Source: Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup

One bowl, 30-minutes, and a whole lot of flavor. This Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup by Taavi Moore is creamy and loaded with tender vegetables, nutty notes from wild rice, and an aroma of fresh herbs.

15. Slow Cooker Shiitake Congee (Rice Porridge)

Source: Slow Cooker Shiitake Congee (Rice Porridge)

The base for this Slow Cooker Shiitake Congee (Rice Porridge) by The Vegan Slow Cooker, Kathy Hester gets most of its flavor from the mushrooms, but it’s actually a plain congee that’s dressed up by the toppings that you choose. This is a great get-well-fast soup and is gentle on your stomach. You can serve with soy sauce, sesame oil, and cilantro.

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home!

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental wellbeing, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health and more! Dairy consumption also has been linked many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, prostate cancer and has many side effects.

For those of you interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some great resources to get you started:

• Weekly Vegan Meal Plans
• Plant-Based Health Resources
• Plant-Based Food & Recipes
• Plant-Based Nutrition Resources
• The Ultimate Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition
• Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes
• High Protein Plant-Based Recipes
• Plant-Based Meal Prep

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