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If you’re wondering what to eat when sick, here are 20+ recipes to inspire you, including the best comfort food when sick, and easy meals for a sick family.
On top of the aches, pains, and general discomfort you feel when you come down with a cold or flu, you’re left with the daunting task of feeding yourself and your family.
And it’s more important than it might appear at first glance because eating isn’t only about alleviating hunger. Food is a great way to boost nutrition and bolster your immune system!
Bookmark this article so you can easily refer back to it when you’re feeling under the weather!
Best Comfort Food When Sick
Most of us don’t feel like cooking when we’re sick. And to make matters more difficult, many of us deal with loss of appetite; nothing sounds appealing!
It helps to have a few healthy comfort food recipes up our sleeves. Meals that help nourish us, but take minimal effort to make. Or even better, nutritious recipes that we can pull out of the freezer at a moment’s notice for a home-cooked meal in minutes. Otherwise, the temptation to have Uber or DoorDash deliver dinner right to our front door is just too strong!
Many of the recipes in this list come together in 30 minutes or less, like (better-than-takeout) Tom Kha Gai and Easy Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese. Most of them contain a variety of vegetables, including Polish Dill Pickle Soup, which I think will become your whole family’s new favorite comfort food soup. And there are a few that are perfect for keeping stashed in your freezer for a quick homemade meal with virtually no effort, such as Pelmeni (these homemade dumplings cook from frozen in just 3 minutes!).
Zupa Ogórkowa (Polish Dill Pickle Soup Recipe)
Zupa Ogórkowa (aka Polish Dill Pickle Soup) features the tangy flavor of dill pickles paired with garlic, fresh dill, and a variety of vegetables in a creamy broth. It’s easy to make and perfect for cozying up with!
This Pelmeni recipe for Russian dumplings is cold-weather comfort food that features homemade dough stuffed with a savory meat filling, and is delicious served with sour cream and fresh dill.
In Prague, local legend has it that Česnečka, or Czech garlic soup, is a cure for everything from the common cold or flu to a hangover. With two full heads of garlic, potato, rich chicken stock, crispy rye bread croutons, and a simple seasoning blend, it’s a delicious meal that’s worth eating whether or not it’s a panacea!
Pastina Soup, lovingly referred to as Italian Penicillin, is so comforting when you’re sick. It requires minimal ingredients, and is always just what the doctor ordered!
This creamy Tom Kha Gai recipe (Thai coconut chicken soup) showcases the magic of Thai cuisine! It’s a perfect harmony of sweet, tangy, and savory flavors with a rich coconut milk base, chicken for protein, and fresh, bright herbs and aromatics. Additionally, the best part is that it whips up in just 30 minutes!
Kluski z Serem (Polish Pasta with Cottage Cheese Recipe)
Kluski z Serem (Polish pasta with cottage cheese recipe) combines soft, fluffy egg noodles with buttery caramelized onion, cottage cheese, sour cream, salt, and black pepper. It's an easy comfort food meal that’s similar to macaroni and cheese and tastes like classic cheese pierogis.
Cilantro chicken soup is the perfect comfort meal to dig into when you're feeling a little run down. It comes together quickly, and is always a hit with the whole family.
Easy Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe
Grilled cheese and tomato soup is the quintessential cold-weather comfort food combination! This quick, easy tomato soup recipe whips up in a matter of minutes and pairs perfectly with a gooey 4-cheese grilled cheese sandwich.
Italian Wedding Soup is a match of flavors made in heaven! Ground sausage and beef are rolled into meatballs, then simmered with flavorful broth and pasta, and served with leafy greens in this authentic recipe. You can also easily make a few simple swaps for an even healthier version of this classic comfort food soup!
This easy vegan wonton soup for colds whips up in just 20 minutes. It tastes so authentic, no one will guess it's vegan! Loaded with garlic and ginger, it's a quick and simple flu-busting recipe.
One of the most frustrating things about the cold and flu is how quickly it moves through a group of people. Whether it’s a classroom at school, an office, or a family! Once someone gets sick, it’s seems like it’s just a matter of time before everyone gets slammed with it.
It’s especially challenging when everyone in the family is sick because who’s left to cook dinner?! That’s where these nourishing, easy meals for a sick family with a cold or flu come in handy. They’re all easy to make, cozy and delicious, and loaded with nutrition to help get you back on your feet as soon as possible.
Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup Recipe
This copycat Olive Garden chicken gnocchi soup recipe is full of savory vegetables, tender chicken, and fluffy gnocchi (potato dumplings) in a rich, creamy broth. You’ll save money by making it at home, and it only takes 30 minutes to make! (And it’s just as delicious made with leftover turkey after Thanksgiving!)
Food doesn't have to be complicated to be comforting! Masala Moong Dal Khichdi is an easy one pot meal with rice, lentils, and a few basic spices. It's quick and easy to whip up in under 30 minutes, and it's arguably India's most classic, hearty dish, rooted in Ayurvedic traditions.
This Instant Pot Beef Barley Soup recipe is hearty and satisfying with tender pieces of beef, nutritious barley, and flavorful vegetables in a rich, savory broth that’s brightened with fresh herbs. Let the Instant Pot do all the work; this healthy, delicious soup tastes like it simmered on the stovetop all day!
Inspired by the classic soup, this 30-minute chicken noodle bake recipe is a casserole loaded with chicken, vegetables, and egg noodles in a creamy sauce. It's a budget-friendly meal that uses pantry staples, and is delicious healthy comfort food that the whole family will enjoy!
This Chicken a la King recipe is true to the classic cozy meal with hearty chicken, mushrooms, green peas, and red pimentos in a flavorful from-scratch creamy sauce, and it’s ready in just 30 minutes! Serve it over rice, noodles, biscuits, puff pastry, or toast.
Flavor-packed creamy Instant Pot tortellini soup with sausage and kale is a cozy, nutritous, family-friendly meal that takes less than 30 minutes to make in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop.
Cabbage and Vegetable Soup Recipe with Ground Beef
This simple cabbage and vegetable soup with ground beef is a spin off the iconic weight loss cabbage soup diet recipe! With a few simple changes to make it a little heartier and a lot more flavorful. It's a nutrient-packed soup that makes a cozy and warming winter meal.
This cheesy tuna noodle casserole recipe is budget-friendly and easy to make from scratch for the perfect weeknight meal! For a slight twist on classic tuna casserole, it has Old Bay Seasoning and a buttered toast topping.
Chicken soup is the iconic sore throat home remedy, touted as a panacea for colds and flu. And not for nothing!
We all know there’s no cure for the common cold. But a steaming bowl of chicken soup helps hydrate you, gives you a nutrition boost, and can help ease congestion and soothe a sore throat. (You can read more about chicken soup’s ability to relieve cold and flu symptoms on Science Daily, National Foundation for Cancer Research, New York Post, and BBC Good Food.)
When all we can do is try to help a nasty bug run its course a little faster, there’s nothing to lose by diving into a cozy bowl of chicken soup. I’m sharing three chicken soup recipes that are all different, yet all loaded with nutrition and nostalgia.
This Chicken Matzo Ball Soup recipe is a classic Jewish Passover dish with fluffy matzo balls, tender chicken, and savory vegetables in a rich, flavorful homemade chicken broth. It has all the earmarks of comfort food, so don’t wait for Passover to make it!
You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to make this simple homemade chicken vegetable soup recipe from scratch! And you’ll discover just how much more delicious the homemade version is; not to mention, it’s packed with nutrition.
Nothing beats a cozy, warm, and comforting bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. Save those chicken and turkey bones leftover from roasting to make the best bone broth in the world! Chicken soup for the soul indeed.
We’ve all heard of the BRAT diet when you have tummy troubles, right? BRAT stands for: bananas, rice, applesauce, toast. Basically, they’re all bland foods that won’t upset your stomach even more!
But I’ll do you one better. I have an old Palestinian potato remedy that has worked like a charm to stop vomiting for my family and I every single time. (And I’ve had many people email me through the years telling me that this home remedy is the only thing that has worked for them for a bad stomach bug!)
Here I’m also sharing a recipe for homemade saltine crackers. Because as many of us know, once you stop vomiting, sometimes nibbling saltines is the only thing your body wants to keep down. (I’m speaking from food poisoning experience here!)
And then the question is, what do you eat after you have a stomach flu? Diarrhea and vomiting can lead to not only dehydration, but also your gut flora being out of whack.
I’ve had a couple doctors over the years recommend a natural food source of probiotics (from fermented foods) after a stomach bug, so I’m also including a recipe for vegan miso soup here. Miso is a Japanese condiment made of fermented soybean paste, and is a natural source of probiotics that can contribute to gut health. (You can read more about eating probiotics after a stomach flu on Medical News Today.)
An Old Palestinian Potato Home Remedy for Tummy Troubles (Natural Stomach Flu Remedy)
If you're wondering what to eat when you have a stomach bug or are looking for a natural stomach flu remedy, this Palestinian potato home remedy that has been passed down for generations has a 100% success rate.
When you're not feeling well and need something to nibble on to help settle your stomach, these homemade saltines take those comforting soda crackers to the next level!
This easy vegan miso soup is a 30 minute recipe that packs a ton of flavor and feels comforting and nourishing. The miso brings delicious umami vibes, and the tofu and shiitake mushrooms add great texture and nutritients.
Disclaimer: Please note that I am NOT a doctor, medical practitioner, or nutritionist of any kind. Nothing in this post should be construed as medical or nutrition advice. If you need medical advice you should immediately seek a physician’s care.
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
Faith spent a significant amount of time living in Syria, Jordan, and Kuwait where she immersed herself in Middle Eastern culture and cuisine. Her first cookbook is a celebration of authentic Middle Eastern recipes made approachable for home cooks.
