This Immune-Supporting Soup Is My Go-To Whenever Someone Needs a Bowl of Comfort

My friend’s husband was going through chemo, and I jumped on the Meal Train without hesitation. They had two little ones, she worked full-time, and they were in dire need of a lot of help, mainly in the form of dinner. 

But what to make? It had to be vegetarian, dairy-free, nutrient-dense, chemo-tolerant, easily transportable, effortlessly reheatable and, yes, kid-friendly. It seemed like a tall order, but it was a no-brainer, really, because I knew I had the perfect recipe: Roasted Cauliflower & Potato Curry Soup.

This golden, warmly spiced, vegetable-packed soup is my go-to whenever anyone needs a feel-better-soon kind of meal. Kids and adults devour it, it's vegan so it fits into almost any eating pattern, and it’s packed with ingredients rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, making it particularly welcome to anyone recovering from illness or chemo. 

It’s a recipe I developed for EatingWell back in 2016 as part of a story about a small company in Portland, Oregon, that delivered weekly subscriptions of hearty, healthy soups by bike. To go with the story, I developed six large-batch, freezable soup recipes inspired by a few of the offerings on their menu. I had no idea that one of those six—the one with super unsexy, mild-mannered cauliflower, no less!—would become one of my most beloved recipes. 

I’m not sure when we started putting this particular soup in regular rotation at our house, but the ginger and turmeric had a lot to do with it. Not only do they simply taste amazing together, but they’re both known for their pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory properties. It helps, too, that the other ingredients are just as nourishing—sweet potatoes packed with vitamin A and fiber, cauliflower loaded with vitamin C, tomato sauce bursting with heart-healthy lycopene. 

It’s no surprise we always feel so good after a bowl of this soup—warm and full, never burpy or bloated. I love how roasting the cauliflower with a fragrant blend of spices develops its nutty sweetness and keeps it from getting waterlogged and flabby after a good simmer. And I especially love how the recipe makes plenty of leftovers for healthy lunches to power us through the week. 

But what I love most about the soup is that it makes my friends feel good too. Over the years, I’ve become a veritable soup delivery system myself, delivering it to exhausted neighbors with new babies, post-surgery friends who can’t stomach another takeout meal, courageous cancer fighters and their anxious loved ones, even potlucks where I can ensure the vegans and vegetarians won’t feel left out. It’s my first pick when people ask me what they should make for their friends in need, and it inevitably becomes their favorite feel-better recipe too. 

It’s tempting to cut the recipe in half since it makes eight servings, but that’s actually the beauty of it. Sometimes, people have extra family members staying with them as they navigate a big illness. Or they might need leftovers to make lunch during the week that much easier. Or they might welcome a few containers for their freezer. If not, I give them half and serve the rest to my family, saving me the effort of making two dinners in one day.

But there’s another reason why this soup holds such a special place in my heart—because I found out how much EatingWell readers like it too. You see, whenever I develop a recipe, I aim to create something that at least makes people happy they gave it a try. But my ultimate goal is to create a dish that becomes a favorite, something that gets oft-repeated and riffed on, passed around and handed down. I send recipes out into the world hoping they resonate and very rarely find out when they do. So, thank you, dear EatingWell readers, for all of your kind comments. Knowing you love my feel-good soup has made me feel so good too.