Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
Ever heard the saying “A bowl of garlic soup a day keeps the doctor away”? Ok, maybe that’s not exactly how the saying goes, but in my book, this garlic soup is one case where good health and good taste unite!
Garlic is a wonderful herb and culinary ingredient that I always keep in the kitchen in some form. Cultures across the globe have prized garlic for thousands of years both for its flavor and its powerful medicinal properties. I often reach for garlic when illness strikes and even take it raw by the spoonful when I feel an illness coming on.
Swallowing raw garlic might not always sound the best, so I set out to come up with a hearty and healing garlic soup that was pleasing to the palate also.
Tasty and Healthy Garlic Soup in a Snap
Garlic soup is a traditional recipe found in several different cultures (Spanish, French, Polish, and Mexican). It’s prized for its ability to ward off sickness. Knowing the health benefits, I wanted to recreate a garlic soup I had in a restaurant (probably with not the healthiest ingredients) for the upcoming cold and flu season. I based this adaptation on a recipe I found in an old French cookbook.
What surprised me most is the delicious and savory flavor of this soup. I expected an overpowering garlic taste, but the added step of roasting the garlic creates a rich and almost slightly sweet flavor. I roast several heads of garlic at a time, so I frequently have roasted garlic in my fridge, which makes this recipe even easier. It’s a simple recipe to make though if you don’t have any on hand.
I’m a pretty practical cook and not a fan of complicated recipes (hence the low prep, one-pan recipes in my cookbook). This blended soup fits the bill. Roast garlic cloves (I do mine ahead in batches and freeze) and add chicken broth, herbs, and a little canned coconut milk (or regular milk if that’s an option) for creaminess. Blend in the pot with an immersion blender (this is one tool I couldn’t live without) and serve.
Serve with a side salad and you have a super healthy lunch or dinner, done!
Immune-Boosting Benefits of Garlic
It turns out using garlic to ward off illness isn’t just in folklore (or in the mind of a crunchy mama). Science backs up garlic’s claims to fame!
This soup is a great way to consume more garlic especially in cold and flu season, but here are some other great ways to get the benefits of garlic:
- Add dried garlic powder or granules to soup, sauces, dips, or dressings.
- Roast garlic cloves, mash, and mix into butter or ghee mixed with herbs. Serve on roasted veggies or cauliflower rice.
- Mince 2-4 cloves of raw garlic and let sit for 5-10 minutes for best benefits. Consume by taking a small spoonful at a time and washing it down with water.
- For kids, mix finely minced garlic into a little raw honey to “help the medicine go down.”
- Don’t like garlic? (Hard for me to imagine!) I like these garlic capsules and take them occasionally when I need an extra boost (although not when pregnant or nursing).
Here’s how to make a healthy garlic soup the whole family will enjoy:
Garlic Soup Recipe
Servings
Ingredients
- 4 TBSP butter (or ghee)
- 2 medium onions (sliced)
- 1 tsp thyme (or 2 tsp fresh)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ batch roasted garlic (equivalent of 4-5 bulbs of roasted garlic)
- 1 quart chicken broth
- 2 cups canned coconut milk (or other milk of choice)
For Garnish (optional):
- 2 TBSP fresh parsley (minced)
- ¼ cup fresh chives (chopped)
- 1 fresh lemon (cut into wedges)
Instructions
- In a large pot, melt the butter.
- Add the sliced onions.
- Saute over medium heat, stirring constantly until onions are translucent and golden.
- Add the herbs and spices and saute for an additional 2 minutes
- Add the roasted garlic and stir to combine.
- Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low and add the coconut milk.
- Using a stainless steel immersion blender, carefully blend the soup until smooth.
- If desired, garnish with fresh parsley and chives and squeeze a lemon wedge over each bowl. Serve warm.
Nutrition
Notes
Other Healthy Soups to Enjoy
- Creamy Spring Greens Soup – A combination of leeks, onion, garlic, asparagus, and healthy fats from cream make a deliciously comforting healthy soup!
- Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Soup) – My go-to soup when we’re in a dinner rut. The exotic flavors are never boring!
- Easy Miso Soup Recipe (With Veggies) – We always have a jar of miso in the fridge. I’ve even had this for breakfast!
- Asian Inspired Zoodle Soup – Not mine, but right up my alley.
Like this recipe? Check out my new cookbook, or get all my recipes (over 500!) in a personalized weekly meal planner here!
Do you use garlic when you’re feeling under the weather? Have you tried garlic soup? Please share your favorite garlic remedies and recipes!
I made the soup this morning, followed the recipe exactly, and it is fabulous!! Thank you so much, the flavor is so earthy and delightful – how much can I eat in a sitting before I get a garlic tummy ache?! Haha! I’ll find out, cause it’s too delicious!! Thrilled to try your other recipes, hope you have a carrot soup. 🙂
We had this for dinner and the whole my family loved it, even the kids! Threw in some chicken and kale and it was a meal!
This looks delicious! There is a similar Spanish soup, but without the milk and each bowl is topped with a poached egg. All good and nourishing 😉
I love your garlic soup! It’s the best I’ve tried yet! My current freezer is small so do you think this could be canned instead?
I’ve never tried so I’m not sure
If you leave out the coconut milk until you are ready to heat and eat, you can can the rest of the soup. Since there is chicken broth, I’d treat it like a meat broth and can for the time and pressure for your altitude. Herbs sometimes taste off when canned, so you may want to leave them out and add a note to add them when reheating. You don’t have to fully cook the soup, but the broth should be hot and follow the directions for hot packing your jars. If you quadruple the recipe, you should get 4 quarts or 8 pints. HTH
Amazingly delicious
Loved the soup. Hubby and I were both were coming down with a bug and knowing garlic makes a huge difference to health, I began making your soup. I did make a couple of mins r changes though. I am vegan so I used olive oil instead of butter or ghee, and I used homemade vegetable stock. Instead of chicken stock. I also soaked some dried shiitake mushrooms in hot water for about 15 mins, then chopped the reconstituted mushrooms up and added to the soup along with the soaking liquid and then added some fresh shiitake mushrooms chopped up too. Shiitake mushrooms are an excellent source of selenium, a known antioxidant that plays a vital role in boosting the immune system. And mushrooms, garlic and thyme are so good together, the oregano gave this soup extra depth too. Great soup, and I made enough to freeze as well so next time a bug arrives, we won’t have to do much more than heat it up. Since hubby is a university lecturer, he is always bringing bugs home, so always best to be prepared. The coconut milk gave the soup an extra silky smooth quality that was very comforting. Thank you!
This was really really good. Instead of milk, i chopped up a potato and added it to the broth when simmering. Turned out nice and creamy without the dairy.
I’ve been using your blog for years and love all of your recipes, especially those for deodorant and toothpaste! But, back to the recipe! I’ve been sick for a few days and was looking for something garlic fueled and OMG, this soup is sooooo good!!! I could lick the bowl and eat the entire pot by myself! Thanks for everything you do!!
Thx. I’m a firm believer in garlic and eat it everyday. Not just for flu, but to help prevent cancer and many other things. I’m a guy and not really a cook.
Every day I have this soup (in a 12+ oz+ cup):
1. (2) rounded tbsps rice
2. fill 8 oz cup w/ 1/3 tomato sauce + 2/3 V-8 juice
3. Add 2-3 tbsps chopped vegetables (green pepper, red pepper, radish, brocolli)
4. Add chicken or turkey or shrimp
5. Cover and microwave for 3 minutes
6. Whlle microwaving, press 4 cloves of garlic
7. After microwaving is done, add garlic and stir in.
That’s it. It’s really pretty good and a easy way to eat a large amount of garlic. IMO, its best not to cook the garlic – that tends to reduce its medicinal properties
This is DELICIOUS. And relatively simpler to make. I have a sore throat right now and this was truly soothing going down. The garlic flavor with the broth and herbs – it’s truly just right. I don’t have an immersion blender, so I blended two small batches in the magic bullet, and even with some chunks leftover it was delightful.
The soup is tasty, but I added a bit more garlic and…does anyone know a remedy for the after-effects? I never have digestive issues or gas pains, but I sure had them that night. And most of the next day. Maybe there should be a black box warning NOT to eat this the day before getting on an airplane or going to a fancy party? Just adding my two scents.
Prep time is more than 5 minutes. Cook time is definitely more that 1 hour ten minutes. All told this recipe once taking into account an hour to roast the garlic, then 5-10 minutes letting it cool, then peeling the roasted garlic, Then simmering for 15 minutes, then adding the coconut milk and blending is closer to 2 hours than the 1 hour 15 minutes claimed. The flavor was great, but incorrect cook times are a total buzz kill in our fast paced life.