AIP anti-inflammatory turmeric cabbage soup - one-pot gut-friendly main

The soup this is adapted from leans on tomato sauce for its base, and tomato is a nightshade, excluded for the elimination phase this recipe is written for. Turmeric, ginger, and a splash more broth step into that gap instead, and the color that results, a deep gold rather than red, if anything tastes fuller for it.

Turmeric is where the gold color and most of the interest come from. Its curcumin is tied in early research to steadier, lower-grade inflammation, though a bowl of soup holds a modest amount next to a concentrated supplement dose, worth knowing plainly rather than expecting too much from a spice jar. Cabbage is a source of fiber the gut can put to use, and ginger works alongside the turmeric toward that same calming aim.

Build this on a slow morning and lean on it all week. It only gets better after a day or two in the fridge, which makes it one of the more forgiving things to have on hand when the energy for cooking runs low. Let a bowl of it be the easy dinner on a night when deciding feels like too much.

Ingredients

• Avocado oil
• 1 onion, diced
• Garlic, minced
• Fresh ginger, grated
• Celery, sliced
• Carrots, sliced
• Green cabbage, chopped
• Chicken broth
• Nomato sauce (in place of the tomato sauce), or extra broth for a lighter soup
• Apple cider vinegar
• Turmeric powder
• Sea salt (black pepper omitted for AIP)
• 14 to 16 oz cooked shredded chicken
• Fresh parsley, to finish

Method

This is the stovetop baseline. Warm a little avocado oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion turns translucent. Add the celery and carrots and cook another 3 to 4 minutes to soften them slightly. Stir in the cabbage and let it cook down 2 to 3 minutes.

Pour in the broth, the nomato sauce or extra broth, the apple cider vinegar, turmeric, and salt, then fold in the shredded chicken. Bring it to a low simmer and cook 25 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the flavors have come together. Taste and adjust the salt, then serve topped with fresh parsley.

For a meat-free version, use vegetable broth and leave out the chicken.

Instant Pot variation

The Instant Pot turns this into a near hands-off pot. Use the saute setting to soften the onion, garlic, and ginger, then add the rest of the vegetables, the broth, nomato sauce, vinegar, turmeric, salt, and the cooked shredded chicken, staying below the max-fill line. Seal and cook on high pressure for about 8 to 10 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before venting. Stir, taste for salt, and finish with parsley. This soup freezes well and only gets better over a few days in the fridge.

*Adapted from unboundwellness.com*