By Nick Polizzi
- January 18, 2024
- 80 Comments
Home » A Savory Folk Healing Soup [Recipe]
![A Savory Folk Healing Soup [Recipe] (1)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thesacredscience.com/wp-content/uploads/vegetable-herb-soup2.jpg "A Savory Folk Healing Soup [Recipe] (1)")
No matter the weather, my family and I are pretty committed to going outside and having a blast year round.
But when you’re out under the open sky during the colder months, it’s vital to nourish your system with the best herbs, foods and fluids that your budget allows. With that in mind, one thing we LOVE to make in our house is a nutrient-rich,herb-infusedsoupfrom the old country.
You can’t really go wrong with broth-based soups when you’re sick, but there are some that work faster and more effectively than others because of the healing nature of their ingredients.
The healingsouprecipe below is a real crowd-pleaser that is super tasty and extremely good for you…
Cornucopia Soup
TheItalian herbsin this recipe are famous for their ability to open up your respiratory system while soothing the lining of your throat and any chest congestion. Theturmeric and black pepperduo work together to bring down inflammation all over your body and both thegarlicandgingerhelp to fight off the presence of any bacterial or viral infections!
Meanwhile, the whole veggies provide a wide range of vitamins and minerals to nourish your body back to health quickly. (While that’s not a guarantee, it has been our experience. We make a big pot full and eat it during any mealtime.)
This delicious soup packs a serious healing punch!
Ingredients
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp sage
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cloves of garlic
• Ginger (measured to your liking)
• 1/2 onion diced
• 2 carrots chopped
• 2 zucchini chopped
• 12 oyster mushrooms quartered
• 3 medium potatoes chopped
• 1 bunch of kale
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Water
• Sea Salt (to taste)
Preparation
Sauté onions, garlic and ginger in olive oil until fragrant
Add mushrooms, carrots, and zucchini. Cook until zucchini is soft enough to pierce with a fork
Add all herbs and the potatoes. Fill the pot with water, until vegetables are fully covered. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for about 45 minutes
Add kale. Cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes
- Salt to taste
Grab a bowl and spoon and eat up all the healing benefits this wonderful soup has to offer!
Stay curious,
Nick Polizzi
Host of Healing Kitchen: Let Food Be Thy Medicine
& Founder of The Sacred Science
Related Posts
- Filed Under: Herbalism
Nick Polizzi has spent his career directing and producing feature length documentaries about natural alternatives to conventional medicine. Nick's current role as executive producer of the docuseries "Healing Kitchen: Let Food Be Thy Medicine" and "Remedy: Ancient Medicine for Modern Illness" stems from a calling to honor, preserve, and protect the natural healing knowledge and earth-based medicines that our ancestors passed down to us.
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80 Responses
Awesome recipe!! Thank you!!
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Hi Nick, this looks great. Are the measurements for dried herbs, or fresh? Also, is it safe to assume you meant a bunch of kale, rather than a bushel? 😉
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Can’t wait to try this! Are the herbs supposed to be fresh or dried? And thank you so much for sharing!
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A bushel of kale? Are we making soup for an army? If so we need more onions and carrots…
I think perhaps you meant a bunch of kale.
Looks really good! Thanks for posting.Reply
Nick, this soup looks really great, but I’d like to double check the amount of kale. Did you mean to add a bunch of kale instead of a bushel ?
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Love Soups,
I wrote your recipe down but, I am new to this and I do not know what Cremine Mushrooms are and where can you get them?? Also did you mean a whole bushel of Kale?? I have never brought Kale so I don’t know how it comes.Reply
About how much water gets added? Looking forward to trying this, thanks!
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With all dur respect, sir, I would implore you to have SOMEONE, ANYONE, proof-read your texts!!!
You are a professional health promoter, your texts go out to hundreds of thousands of people, and your texts NEED TO REFLECT YOUR COMMITMENT TO GIVING US PROFESSIONAL-LEVEL WORK!
i would add that your texts are among the least afflicted with typos, etc. Some of your cohorts put out work that is very frustrating to read because almost ALL of their texts show that they do not care about their professional image or the quality of their online work. Please, sir, you are doing a world of good for our world, go just one tiny step forward with it, and have SOMEONE, ANYONE! read through your work before you present it to us!
Thank you so much for all you do for us, and thank you for your consideration (and hopefully, your ACTION) on this matter.Reply
How much water to add?
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As I”m not an “intuitive” cook, I’ve got NO IDEA how much water to add. Gads only know how much water the potatoes will suck up, as well as the kale! Ack! the rest of the veggies will too… Fresh herbs probably not so much (?), but dried herbs, maybe more, less(?)? (That would let me know WHAT size pot I’m supposed to use to make this!) I’m likely gambling when I figure you can scale this recipe up or down , again based on how much water and pot size….. HELP!!! It sounds delicious, but until I KNOW, will have to let it go…. *sigh* Help, Help, Help!!!!
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Would love to try this recipe today. About how much water should be added when making this soup?
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I am so surprised to read how the readers who provided the following comments cannot figure out themselves how much salt, how much oii and and how much kale to be used in this simple, useful but powerful recipe!! Have you ever done any cooking at all? Please try to use your judgment and try if you want. We should be thankful to Nick for providing this information to so many of us. Please be respectful to him and not belittle his generosity. If you find spelling mistakes just correct it yourself. making the recipe or not is your decision. I am so saddened to note how senseless questions the readers below have posted!!
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This message is for J. Darnell….. Sorry, tried the reply button, but it didn’t seem to work??? Any way…. Cremini mushrooms are simply “baby” Portobello mushrooms. (Their “cousins” are the “White/Button” mushrooms/ milder flavor, may not be a good substitute!) Then they grow into the lovely, “honking-huge” monster mushrooms the MIGHT fit in the palm of your hand, depending on their (and your hand’s!) size. And there are so many recipes for them too!!! You’ll find them at just about any supermarket. Be aware they can be labeled as “Cremini Mushrooms” OR “Baby Portobellos” (mushrooms). They can be dried or fresh as well. You can wash fresh mushrooms under water (in a colander), especially if it’s a large amount required for the recipe. Just DON’T let them sit (wet) for longer than 10-15 minutes, the texture will begin to suffer. Small amounts can be wiped off (gently!) with a damp cloth. {All credit to America’s Test Kitchen book: Kitchen Smarts… Page 31, for this mushroom info!!! THANK YOU!} I really hope this helps!!! 🙂
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Well Ms. M., I’d wager that the comments are coming from people who are trying to learn how to actually cook with raw food. Not something that came out of a box, bag, pouch, or pre-frozen. ALL of which have VERY specific directions I might add! Which unfortunately a goodly portion of Americans (and who knows how many others) depended on (and still might!!) to feed themselves. Lucky you to have had someone to teach/show you what to do and HOW to do it!!! Bless whoever taught you, and bless the rest of us for giving it a shot, questions and all!!! 🙂 And bless you Mr. Nick, for sharing what seems to be a “family favorite” recipe, typos, ???’s and all. You’re the “bestest” Good Sir!!! 🙂
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Thank you Nick. This looks yummy!
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READ…… IT DID SAY BUNCH BOTH OF YOU CAN’T SPELL
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Stephen Bailey,
The irony in your comment is too much for me to ignore. With as much passion as your capital letters convey, I would think you might proofread yourself.Reply
IMHO, in the recipe you should add potatoes earlier in the sequence, before vegetables such as mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, because potatoes need more time to cook Vs the veggies and you don’t want the veggies to be totally mushed.
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Thank you for all your careing and informational videos with KP and now recipes too; awesome.
I failed the detox program but, am pleased I had a chance to understanding detoxes better.
Thank you again,
pam
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It clearly states that you cover all the vegetables with water. If it looks like it needs more throughout the cooking process, add more.
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Why do people, multiple people, comment & say “a bushel of kale, I think you meant a bunch”. If you know that’s what he meant then do it & save your comment.
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What is a suggested amount of ginger for this soup?
The recipe looks great. I’m looking forward to making (and eating) it!
Thank you 🙏🏼Reply
Delighted to receive your great broth recipe. Here in Ballymacaramery co. Down N. Ireland, We dairy farm, grow veggies for our own use. The Irish weather this year has undergone dramatic changes. Stormy wet conditions in Spring hindered farming every which way. Planting, sowing grass seed impossible. Ground prepared had to stand idle as it was too wet to even get into the fields. Cows housed all winter could normally get out for a few hours to sport about. The rhyme The cow jumped over the moon must have had an insight to turn out time of cows. Once the gate to the fields is open, those cows…90 cows all wait and watch as the maitraich leads the herd out, then the magic happens, the cows take off running like the wind, jumping into the air and calling at the top of their moo moo moos. This year they got out later and while they ran about, something has changed in the atmosphere because my husband Jim left the gate back into the yard and lying in sheds open so that after they got tired running about they had access to the yard etc.Most of them came back in themselves and headed to bed. Our veggies have responded poorly too as stormy conditions caused damage to the tender plants unable to recover. Today started out with a grass frost, cold and now it’s like a summer day. Yesterday’s pot of bone broth has been eaten, so will make potatoes and leek shortly after I make some griddle bread. Thanks for your recipe which I will make after I make a few pavalovs with fresh berries, a favourite with our extended family Kind regards Pat ☘️☘️☘️
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Hi Nick, this recipe reads pretty much like our Irish farm recipe for winter broth made with end piece of steak, this time of year we normally get wet, windy days which have us scurrying inside, pot of broth made in the early morning alongside the griddle soda and wheaten Farls. Bread is still warm which has the lovely Irish butter melting on contact, good with a soup bowl full of broth.Fresh parsley on top adds to the experience. A warm farmhouse on a wet day, the smell of the fresh baking as you sit down and listen to the local radio station, a must in most homes, the banter sets the scene, the craic enjoyed by all. Good food, good company and it raining cats and dogs. No hurry, take your time as the kettle reaches the boil, teapot warmed, a good measure of Irish tea in the pot, fill it to the brim,lid on, we all sit sharing the latest chat, from who’s born to who’s dead, wakes to attend, dying is part of the life cycle in the rural communities. Many new relationships are begun through attending a wake. Here food is important. People attending will bring all kinds of homemade faire. A great way to be introduced ……the homemade cake, buns, apple tarts, biscuits, flans and sandwiches of all types of fillers. Homemade food is in the middle of Irish life. We make it, we eat it and talk a lot about it and the weather of course.
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Love the way you implicitly encourage a good “glug” of our own intuition to add to this AWESOME soup Nick. Feels like alchemy to me. So grateful. I did leave out the zucchini (we call them courgette over the pond) as I felt that would go a little watery. Genuinely feels like the soup helped to fast forward me through a bout of flu recently. I am sharing with my friends. At the risk of gushing, it reminded me of the Hippocrates quote … let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. This is not only medicine. It actually is Cornucopia soup for the soul! Love and blessings.
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Really good!
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Thank you for this recipe! I needed one without a broth or meat. This one looks perfect.
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I made this recipe for my mother who is 74 years old., has COPD/Emphysem, she loved it, and has requested me to make more! My mother said that this soup helped open up her airway and she could breath better. Thank you for sharing this healthy and delicious recipe.
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There seems to be a lot of fear for people making this soup….take a deep breath and trust the process…you will be having moment to moment relationship with the process…trust your intuition and taste buds as to how much salt and ginger….if you don’t want as much kale in it then don’t put in a lot…if you want more water then put in more…if less then put in less….you can always throw the end result in a blender to chop it all up to have a creamed version of this soup…I’m assuming the length of boiling is to insure the medicinal qualities of the herbs that they are well infused into the soup itself…so having crunchy vegies is not the point….I look forward to experimenting with this soup…I will follow instructions first time through..blessings for sharing…those that are struggling and frustrated..wonderful! you are willing to try.!!!..again trust the process, and you will begin to learn how to let go into the joyful mystery of culinary art and healing…
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Thank you so much for this soup recipe.
I just can’t get enough of it! It’s so good! My husband is not a fan of kale but he really enjoys this soup with a baguette as well.
I substitute yams for the potatoes and add red pepper flakes. Thanks again 🙏Reply
I would love to do so many things in nature’s gifts! Heartfelt days 🌅
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It clearly says water enough to cover the veggies & a BUNCH of kale. If you feel you need more water always have extra on the side & add as you go. That’s what a lot of soup or stew recipes call for.
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Always glad with your posts: Thanks!
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Thank you for what sounds like a Wonderful recipe! I’m going to try it! For those mentioned “how much water”?. Here is what I’ll do. I’ll put all the veggies/ingredients in a big pot, fill with clean water till veggies are covered. Probably a large soup pot 3/4 full w water. Cook on high to a boil. Then bring down to simmer (very low temp) for an hour or two. Then I’ll put in freezer containers after dinner, that what is left over for those days needed and voila it’s it’s ready!
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Awesome comments, thanks for sharing with the community!
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Great recipe but if I may using homemade bone broth made with nettles, etc instead of plain water might work better. Just a thought.
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Absolutely, great modification! Please adjust the recipe and ingredients as you see fit.
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On soup making: chard can be substantiated for kale. Using a pot 6 qts size gives room for veggies to boil w/out crowding. Cover veggies with enough water.
Herbs can be fresh or dried. Summer squash can be yellow or zucchini or patti pan variety. Most soup is better using broth of vegetables in place of water. Good luckReply
Great comments, thanks for sharing with the community!
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It would be great if you would present a “print” feature to the recipe. Looks good, but copying that is time consuming…
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Thanks for your feedback!
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This receipe looks so good, I’m making it tonight! And i think I already have all these ingredients.
Thanks a bunch.Reply
Awesome, hope you enjoy it!
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The recipe clearly says a “bunch” of kale, not a bushel!
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How much water? 4 cups? my taste would include 1 cup+ of cooked and mashed butternut or other winter squash as a way to thicken the broth (and what about parsnips?)
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Please adjust the recipe as you like – to your tastes, resources, et cetera. Use enough liquid to bring to the level of the veggies, just enough to cover them.
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This looks delicious! Agree with others that it would be really helpful to know approximate amount of water to add (what is enough water- barely covering the vegetables, covering them by a few inches, covering more than that, or a specific amount/ cups of water? Whether to use dry or fresh spices, what is a suggested amount of ginger, etc.) I know for a lot of people cooking is an intuitive process and they can use their judgment to figure it out, but I am only just now figuring out how to cook and have no intuitive knowledge on what to do at all. I’m willing to wing it through trial and error, but it would be really appreciated to have more guidance in a recipe so I don’t end up wasting food by messing it up. Just my thoughts! Will probably still do the recipe but if more detail can be added to it that would be great. Thanks!
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Thanks for the feedback! Yes, the recipe calls for dried herbs. If using fresh, you may increase the ratios by a factor of 2-3. Once you add the veggies to your cooking vessel, you may shake it to allow them to settle, from there add water that covers them. Cover means bringing the water to the level of the veggies. More liquid for a soupier soup, less for more of a stew. This recipe is difficult to mess up, and we hope that cooking is an enjoyable experience. Cooking is a way to get your hands in the medicine and explore a bit. No firm rules here, just nourish your body. Hope this helps!
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I’m assuming water is added but how much?
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Use enough water to cover the veggies. A little more if you prefer a soupier soup, less if you prefer more of a stew.
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p.s. from experience; these types of guisos only improve with age….rest in frig for at least 24 hrs before consuming….at 86 I’ve had a bit of experience…
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Great insight, thanks Ken!
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How much water? What is the ratio?
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Please use enough liquid – water, broth – to cover the veggies. Less for more of a stew, more for a soupier soup.
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I made this the other day and we loved it 🙂 I did scale up the recipe to feed 8, added some brewer’s yeast, used some dried porcini from last years forage instead of cremini because that’s what I had, and tweaked the order of adding the ingredients (waited until the last 10 min of simmering to add the kale and zucchini), which made it look a bit more like this:
1 onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon ginger root, grated
3 carrots, chopped
8 ounces Cremini mushrooms, quartered (used 2 ounces dried porcini)
3 medium potatoes, chopped
8-10 cups water or broth
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon basil
1 bay leaf
2 zucchini, chopped
1 large bunch of kale, destemmed and chopped
Sea Salt (to taste)
¼ cup brewer‘s yeastThanks for a lovely recipe!
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Great adjustment for feeding a group of 8! And nice modifications – please do modify the recipes we offer as you see fit. No firm rules here when cooking, allow yourself to explore the ingredients and enjoy the experience. Thanks for sharing!
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First of all, I’m assuming the original recipe said “bushel of kale” and was later corrected to “bunch.” Second of all, there ARE people who are afraid to cook anything without an EXACT recipe! Third of all, if a “try it and see” experiment doesn’t turn out edible (it happens!) this recipe has a lot of expensive ingredients that would be wasted!! And lastly, I too see a lot of articles with atrocious typos (SpellCheck is useless compared to actually re-reading a post to make sure everything makes sense!). This recipe sounds good, but I’ll not be trying it since I’m one of those scaredy-cat cooks afraid to experiment and waste food. Thanks anyways, Nick!
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All good, and thanks for the feedback! The recipes are tested by the team before posting, though there are no hard and fast rules about it. Cooking is meant to be fun, immersive, and a healthy experience. It is a way to get your hands in the medicine and begin healing yourself from within. Thanks for being a part of the community!
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I revised the soup. I am allergic to onions so those were omitted. I added some other spices and substituted yams and butternut squash for the potatoes. I also substituted bone broth for the water.
½ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp cumin, ½ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp coriander, 1 tsp rosemary, 1 tsp thyme,
1 tsp marjoram, 1 tsp basil, 1 bay leaf, 3 cloves of garlic, Ginger (measured to your liking),
2 carrots chopped, 2 zucchini chopped, 7 Cremini mushrooms quartered, 3 medium yams chopped,
1 butternut squash chopped, 1 bunch of kale, Bone broth, Sea Salt (to taste)
Instructions: 1. Sauté garlic and ginger until fragrant 2. Caramelize the carrots and butternut squash
3. Add mushrooms and zucchini until soft enough to pierce with a fork
4. Cover all vegetables with bone broth and bring to a boil 5. Add all herbs
6. Add yams, cover and allow to boil for 30 minutes
7. Add kale, cover and boil for 10 minutes 8. Salt to taste
Grab a bowl and spoon and eat up all the healing benefits this wonderful soup has to offer!Reply
Great modifications! Yes, please feel free to adjust any recipes we offer as you see fit. The recipes are great stand-alone or as a base to work off of from there.
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I have copied this recipe and look to try it as I am already familiar with the ingredients as well as their nutritional values.
I have just finished the “PROVEN” series and would enjoy a personal conversation with you about a possible addition to the vast knowledge you shared in this series. I have studied nerves for years to the point that I have gained a new perspective on life energy which ties in closely to all into the things related in “PROVEN”.
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Hi Bob, thanks for connecting! Hope you like the recipe when you try it and glad you enjoyed the Proven series. Feel free to contact our Community Support Desk directly at support@thesacredscience.com, we’d love to hear from you!
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How much broth?
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Hi Lisa, please use enough liquid to cover the veggies. More liquid for a soupier soup, less for a stew-like soup.
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Just enough to cover the veggies – bring the liquid to the level of the vegetables in your cooking vessel.
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Hello Nick,
Thank you for the emails, Docuseries, and blogs. It is fun connecting with people that are interested in eating healthy, and making healthy lifestyle choices. The soup recipe sounds delicious.
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Thanks for connecting! Glad our work resonates with you. Hope you try and like the recipe!
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Glad our work resonates with you! Thanks for being a part of the community!
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it clearly says….”cover all vegetable with water and bring to a boil” that’s how much water. It will also be plenty for the soup.
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I just made the soup and it’s great!
Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂Reply
Thanks for trying the recipe! Glad you liked it!
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So glad you enjoyed it!
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How much water should be added to the Cornucopia Soup?
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Hi there, please use enough water to cover the vegetables. You may add more for a soupier soup, or less for more of a stew-like consistency. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
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Just curious why you don’t use bone broth or any broth in this soup. Anxious to try this. Thank You!
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Hi Paula, you absolutely may use broth instead of water. Please feel free to adjust the recipe to your liking and experiment with different ingredients that are local and seasonal to you. Hope you enjoy the soup!
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This looks great! Can’t wait to try it
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Great recipe! Thank you!
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I’ve unintentionally deleted the email on healthy skin using calendula, lavender, coconut, plaintain and tea tree oil with beeswax. Can you please resend that email. I need to know how to make it with the double boiler. That email was permanently deleted. Thanks for your time & consideration in expediting this request.
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Thank you so much! Do you have a recipe book, please? Thanks again and blessings!
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![A Savory Folk Healing Soup [Recipe] (2024)](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mP8/h8AAvMB+NzmkbcAAAAASUVORK5CYII=)