Immune Boosting Onion Soup

Onion soup to fight illness

Whether you're already feeling under the weather, or just trying to keep illness at bay, a nice bowl of hot soup is always an appealing option, and this onion soup is ideal for strengthening your immune system and keeping you healthy.

Onions contain a multitude of nutrients, and have been used for centuries for their medicinal properties. They are a good source of folic acid, dietary fibre, and surprisingly given their strong bitter taste, natural sugar.

Serving up vitamins A, B6, C and E, and minerals such as sodium, potassium and iron, onions are renowned for their anti-inflammatory and healing properties. The combination of vitamin C and phytochemicals boost your immune system (and your mood) helping you to avoid getting ill.

Garlic is a cousin of the onion, and shares it's medicinal properties. Like onions, it boosts the immune system due to a compound called allicin, which gives it it's pungent smell. It's low calorie, full of nutrients, and highly flavoursome, so it's ideal to season a variety of dishes.

The addition of cholesterol-busting celery, and molybdenum-heavy butterbeans, also mean you can pack in even more goodness, without adding very many calories.

This onion soup recipe will make a superb lunchtime meal to help keep you physically strong, so you don’t succumb so readily to illness.

Ingredients

2 tbsps rapeseed oil

2 large onions, finely chopped

1½ pints Bouillon vegetable stock

3 stalks celery, finely chopped

3 large cloves of garlic (unpeeled)

30g butterbeans

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Place the unpeeled garlic cloves in the oven and bake for 15 minutes (180°C), meanwhile heat the oil and fry the onions and celery on a very low heat until soft (approximately 10 minutes)

Allow the garlic to cool, then peel

Place the garlic cloves in a large pan, then add the onions, celery, butterbeans and stock and bring to the boil

Simmer gently (adding more water if necessary) for 20 minutes

Add salt and pepper to taste, allow to cool and then blend smooth

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