Warming winter soup recipes

There's something comforting about a hearty soup, and it's no wonder that our bodies and minds enjoy their warmth in bleak weather. But hearty soups are also a great way to pack in the vegetables and other ingredients that help us to ward off or recover from illnesses, like influenza e raffreddori.

How your body benefits from soup:

• Soups are an easy way to up your intake of immunity-boosting vegetables - the green leafy kind are particularly packed with vitamins A, C, E, and K, and many vegetables are also prebiotici which stimulate immune cell activity¹.

• Lots of soups also contain fragrant or fiery spices that have anti-inflammatory properties - such as black pepper, ginger, and turmeric - which help to fight illnesses.

• They're warm and contain cooked soft ingredients, which can be soothing for people with mal di gola.

We've hand-picked five of the best hearty and comforting soup recipes to keep both your taste buds and your immune system happy.

Super greens soup with truffle oil

This green soup is loaded with plant-based vitamins and ferro from a variety of vegetables. Garlic, lemon, and truffle oil pack in more flavour and nutrition, while chickpeas - high in fibra e proteine - make this dish creamy and filling.

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Pumpkin patch soup

Pumpkin soup isn't just for Halloween: the pumpkin gives this nutritious soup its inviting colour and is rich in vitamina A and beta carotenes which are good for eye health. Turmeric and ginger are anti-inflammatory, which helps to support long-term health.

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Tomato and lentil soup

Rich and tasty tomato soup contains antioxidants that help to keep your heart healthy. This particular recipe also includes lentils, which as well as being a great source of protein and fibre help to turn it from a relatively light summer soup to a filling and hearty winter soup.

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Chicken, sweetcorn and noodle soup

When it comes to healing soup recipes, it doesn't get more traditional than chicken soup, the classic go-to food for when you're feeling sick. Although there isn't a lot of scientific evidence to back up this soup's ability to cure winter illnesses, chicken is a good source of protein and is may also be anti-inflammatory, which could help to soothe a sore throat². This twist on the classic adds more excitement and texture by making it a delicious noodle soup.

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Spicy Mexican bean soup

What better way to warm yourself up than a soup with a spicy kick? This Mexican bean soup is packed with nutritious red kidney beans, an excellent plant-based source of protein, fibre, antioxidants, and other health-boosting compounds. Forget crusty bread - serve this punchy soup with crispy tortillas and topped with avocado and feta cheese. Best of all it can be cooked in the slow cooker.

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1. Harvard School of Public Health: Nutrition and immunity.

2. Rennard et al: La zuppa di pollo inibisce la chemotassi dei neutrofili in vitro.