Cancer-Fighting Soup
This post may contain affiliate or sponsored links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Cancer-Fighting Soup (aka Immune-Boosting Soup) is chock full of vegetables, lentils, and black beans that helps fight inflammation in the body. Whether you’re wanting to help someone with a diagnosis or just eat as healthy as possible yourself, this big-batch, freezer-friendly soup fits the bill.
Darcie’s Cancer Story
Cancer. No one expects to hear that diagnosis from their doctor, even though one in three Americans will get cancer at some point. You especially don’t expect it when you’re a 38-year-old seemingly healthy mom of four children.
My long-time and dear friend Darcie received that diagnosis in Fall 2014, after finding a lump in her breast. It was a shock to all of her friends, family and church family to say the least.
Her friends and family quickly gathered like a small army around her and her family. You see Darcie is widely known as one of the most generous, thoughtful, bleeding-heart people around our area. Many lives have been touched by her and her family in some way. Everyone loves Darcie.
A small group of her closest friends gathered a few days after her diagnosis to pray and plan for her. I was awed as I saw each friend in our group using her own particular gifting to serve and encourage her. It’s humbling to watch the church at work as the hands and feet of Jesus during a time of crisis like this.
(Below: Living it up 80’s style with Darcie (on right), me (center) and our friend (Kelley). Can you handle all that blue eye shadow and crimping?)
And what do you think was my first inclination when I heard the news about my friend? To cook!
My mission in the days to follow her diagnosis: How can I make my friend the most nutritious, delicious, cancer-fighting soup possible?
Ingredients
After deep-dive researching the best foods to fight breast cancer and what to eat when you have breast cancer, I came up with these phytochemical-rich, protein-rich, and fiber-rich ingredients for the soup…
- Onion, celery, carrots, garlic – The key to the complex flavor is to saute these ingredients to kick-start their flavor.
- Chicken or vegetable broth – We have three ways to make your own chicken broth.
- Crushed tomatoes and tomato paste – If you want to kick up the flavor more, used fire roasted diced tomatoes instead of crushed.
- Lentils – We used dried quick-cooking lentils (any color will work). If used canned, cooked lentils, just stir them in towards the end of the cook time.
- Black beans – I used pre-cooked, canned black beans.
- Bay leaves, red pepper flakes, Italian Seasoning – All of these pantry ingredients kick up the flavor.
- Zucchini – You can leave this out if you want.
- Mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach – I learned in my research that these veggies along with lentils and black beans are some of the best for fighting breast cancer.
- Frozen green peas
IMPORTANT! Please keep in mind that I am not a dietician or licensed medical practitioner, so please ask your doctor if the ingredients included in this soup are ok for you if you’ve been diagnosed with cancer and/or are receiving treatment. I’ve read that some foods like grapefruit and even garlic can interfere with certain medications.
Pro Tip!
Be sure chop all of the vegetables about the same size so they cook evenly and are bite-sized. It’s actually a pet peeve of mine when vegetable soup contains pieces that are too big to enjoy in one bite. It’s worth taking the time to chop them perfectly.
How to Make Cancer-Fighting Soup
It’s important for you to know that this makes a BIG batch. I did that so you can have leftovers to put in the freezer for later. But, feel free to cut the ingredients in half you want.
- Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat.
- Saute the onions, carrots, and celery for about 4-5 minutes, until tender. Add in the garlic and stir for 1 more minute. Season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes (to your preferred heat level), and Italian seasoning.
- Stir in the chicken or vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, black beans, lentils, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer (slight bubbling), stirring occasionally. Season again lightly with salt and pepper. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
- Stir in the zucchini, mushrooms, cauliflower, and broccoli and simmer another 5-10 minutes.
- Stir in the spinach and frozen peas and turn off the heat (or turn to low), so they don’t overcook. Remove bay leaves. Taste and adjust seasonings. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
- If you like, serve with freshly shredded Parmesan cheese and/or whole grain crackers or crusty bread.
Freezing Soup
This soup is perfect for making ahead and taking to a friend. If you want, just change the name to “Immune-Boosting Soup” if your friend has a cold. 🙂 It has been tested from fresh, reheated from the fridge as leftovers, and reheated after being frozen. It is delicious and works great in all these situations
Freeze For Later: Follow steps 1-5. Let the soup cool completely. Suggestion: divide soup into some shallow pans to put in the refrigerator to cool it more quickly. Divide soup into gallon-sized freezer bags or containers or into 2-cup Pyrex glass containers, squeeze out excess air, seal, and freeze.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw using one of these safe thawing methods. Then reheat gently over low heat on the stove or in a crock pot. Another option is to put the frozen soup block over low to medium-low heat on the stove top or in a crock pot. Add about 1-2 cups of water or broth over the top. Gently warm over low to medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Follow step 6 for serving.
If you want to deliver it to a friend as a fresh meal or freezer meal, you can deliver it in a freezer container with lid or mason jars. I love using mason jars, since the soup can be divided into single servings. Just be sure to leave at least 1 inch of headspace at the top if freezing.
My hope is that you can make this recipe for yourself and/or take it to anyone else who is battling cancer or an illness. This Cancer-Fighting Soup fights inflammation in the body and provides warmth and comfort when healing.
More Encouragement for Loved Ones
You may even want to add a word of encouragement to the container you deliver it in, too. I quickly scribbled out a few favorite encouraging Bible verses in sharpie on the freezer containers of the soup for Darcie.
Or you may want to include a set of our printable Truth for Trials verse cards.
I hope this recipe is a blessing to you or someone else. Please leave a comment for me, and I’d love to pray for you or a loved one who is battling cancer.
P.S. Thanks to Darcie for letting me share some of her story. She said to me, “Share on, sister. Hoping it makes a difference, inspiring someone to change one small thing about their lifestyle.”
P.P.S. In case you’re wondering, here is the story of Darcie’s Head-Shaving Party and more about how she’s doing. It’s so encouraging!
P.P.P.S. This post was originally shared February 2015. It has since been updated and reposted. At the time of updating this post on 10/17/24, Darcie is now 9 years cancer-free (“no evidence of disease”) and doing great! Also, her beautiful thick blonde hair is back.
More Vegetarian Recipes You’ll Love
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Cancer-Fighting Soup
This hearty, big batch soup brings a nutrient-dense, tasty dose of vegetables to the table. Make ahead and freeze for later using our freezing instructions.
Ingredients
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2–3 celery stalks, sliced
- 2 cups carrots, diced
- 3 garlic cloves
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4–1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (use less if you don’t like heat)
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 12 cups (or three 32-ounce cartons) of chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 28–ounce can of crushed tomatoes (look for BPA-free cans)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (15-ounce) can cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup dry, quick-cooking lentils (any color will work; rinse first)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1 cup mushrooms, diced
- 1 cup cauliflower, chopped finely
- 1 cup broccoli, chopped finely
- 2–3 cups spinach, chopped
- 1–2 cups frozen green peas
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
Make It Now:
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat.
- Saute the onions, carrots, and celery for about 4-5 minutes, until tender. Add in the garlic and stir for 1 more minute. Season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes (to your preferred heat level), and Italian seasoning.
- Stir in the chicken or vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, black beans, lentils, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer (slight bubbling), stirring occasionally. Season again lightly with salt and pepper. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
- Stir in the zucchini, mushrooms, cauliflower, and broccoli and simmer another 5-10 minutes.
- Stir in the spinach and frozen peas and turn off the heat (or turn to low), so they don’t overcook. Remove bay leaves. Taste and adjust seasonings. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
- If you like, serve with freshly shredded Parmesan cheese and/or whole grain crackers or crusty bread.
Freeze For Later: Follow steps 1-5. Let the soup cool completely. Suggestion: divide soup into some shallow pans to put in the refrigerator to cool it more quickly. Divide soup into gallon-sized freezer bags or containers, squeeze out excess air, seal, and freeze.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw using one of these safe thawing methods. Then reheat gently over low heat on the stove or in a crock pot. Another option is to put the frozen soup block over low to medium-low heat on the stove top or in a crock pot. Add about 1-2 cups of water or broth over the top. Gently warm over low to medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Follow step 6 for serving.
Notes/Tips
- It’s a good idea to chop your veggies all about the same size, so they cook evenly and they are bite-sized.
- These sturdy reusable freezer bags work well for freezing and gifting the soup in.
I love stocking my freezer with soups for winter and will definitely add this recipe
To it.
Enjoy!
I have made this recipe for a few years now. I always double it and freeze it. It has been given to many friends and family.
Love hearing how this recipe has been a blessing to others. Thanks for the feedback and review, Karen.
I made this for someone with oral cancer. They could only eat very small pieces. I put all the veggies in a mini chopper. The only mistake I made is putting spinach through the chopper. It made soup bitter. I added a pinch of sugar and all was good. It was a big hit!
Good idea to chop up the veggies finely. I know some people who have made this for similar cancer patients have blended it into a bisque type soup, too. Good idea to add a pinch of sugar to counter balance the bitterness. Thanks for the feedback and your generous heart to serve(!).
I make this for myself then deliver the excess to my elderly friends who don’t cook for themselves but would like a healthy home cooked meal once in a while.
Bless you for sharing this soup with your friends! Love that so much.
Absolutely delicious. I made it for a friend who has cancer but it made such a big batch that she only wanted half of it. I popped the other half in the freezer. We defrosted and had it after about a month and it was just as good if not better than when freshly made. Will be making this all the time from now on.
What a wonderful friend you are, and I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it after freezing. Thanks for the review and feedback, Jane.
Thank you. It is as you say, you hear a friend’s diagnosis and immediately wonder how you can support them. This is the first time the idea of making soup popped into my head, and just to prove that I am not going mad, you have already trodden the path and paved the way for me to support my latest friend to be diagnosed. Thank you and continued blessings to you all.
Ruth, I’m thrilled you found this recipe and can help your friend in this small way. Sure hope it’s a blessing to him or her. Hugs.
Lovely recipes . Please pray for my sister Laura Audene Javin. This is her 3rd battle with cancer. She has been a brave warrior who has overcome cancer so many times before even turning 30 she has had to fight and still does today 5 Feb 2022.
Oh, God bless your sister! What a strong young woman. Praying right now that the Lord will give her strength to keep fighting and that she will experience hope and joy from God in the midst of her trial, Kuraisha.
Hi Rachel,
Just wondering if you could blend this soup and it would taste okay?
Hi Christie. You aren’t the first person to ask me this. I need to test it, but my gut shot says it would be fine to puree. I think it would taste like a vegetable bisque, although the color may not be very pretty. If you or the person you are making it for can tolerate some butter or milk stirred in after blending, that would give it more richness. I’ll also email you a Tomato Bisque recipe that I think might work well for you (it’s not on the blog), so check your inbox.
I made this in search of healthy recipes. I made it last night and it was absolutely delicious. All the vegetables were so good together. Only addition I made was using Quick cook barley, peas and lentils (which were dried). I didn’t have lentils solo, just in this handy mix by Full Circle.
Thanks for the feedback, Barbara. Really happy to hear you enjoyed it. Love the idea of those additions, too.
Is this recipe in your cookbook?
No, it is not.
Absolutely delicious! Im a soup lover and was looking for something different than I usually make as I have been eating soups for 4 days due to a bad cold.
I literally just made it and finished my first bowl – It is very flavorful and I can definitely tell it’s good for me !
Thank you for sharing and lots of love and prayers to everyone below fighting against cancer.
I’m so thankful you enjoyed the soup, Eva! I hope it helps you feel better soon.
I just found this page I’m going to make it for my grandfather whom has stage 4 lung cancer lol hope to find more of your recipes
I’m so glad you found this recipe, Mariah. Wishing your grandfather comfort, hope, and healing during this time. You are so very kind to make this for him.
Hello,
I’m making this soup for my 63 year old mother who started treatment today to battle stage 4 lung cancer. She’s already been a breast cancer survivor for the past 12+ years so I’m a firm believer she will push through. She’s a strong woman! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I know you stated that you’re not a nutritionist/dietician , but is there any other recipes on your blog that you recommend making for chemo patients?
God bless!
Hello Loretta. I’m so sorry to hear this. Your mom is one strong lady, and I’m glad you are there to help her.
Here are some other recipes she might enjoy and that are full of good-for-you ingredients, but please check with her doctor about any ingredients to avoid (you don’t want them to interfere with her medication):
– Vegetarian Tortilla Soup – One of my favorites and very easy to make. I leave it in the fridge and eat on it all week for lunches or freeze in small portions. Very good when topped with diced avocado and a squeeze of lime! https://thrivinghomeblog.com/meatless-monday-anything-goes-tortilla-soup/
– 7 Smoothie Recipes – I’m thinking the Green Machine Smoothie and Very Berry Smoothie might be best since they have lots of antioxidants. You can make the freezer packs ahead for her, so she just has to dump them in the blender and add liquid. https://thrivinghomeblog.com/how-to-make-freezer-smoothie-packs-7-printable-recipes-shopping-lists/
– Tomato Bisque – Full of veggies and so flavorful. Freeze in individual 1 1/2 – 2 cup portions and she can warm them up anytime. You can leave the dairy out at the end, if she is avoiding dairy. https://thrivinghomeblog.com/tomato-bisque-recipe-panera-bread-fake-out/
– Fiesta Chopped Salad – Could make her a batch of this to eat on all week. It holds up well in the fridge. https://thrivinghomeblog.com/chopped-fiesta-salad-gluten-and-dairy-free/
– Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo – https://thrivinghomeblog.com/lemon-chicken-orzo-soup-for-crockpot-or-instant-pot/
– Pumpkin Chili – Super flavorful, easy to freeze in small portions, full of veggies/beans, vegetarian. https://thrivinghomeblog.com/20-minute-freezable-pumpkin-chili/
I bet if you made her a few soups in individual portions and those smoothie packs for the freezer, that would help her have healthy food on hand in the coming weeks. I use these Pyrex 2 cup glass bowls for freezing and reheating soup, but mason jars work too if you leave at least 1 inch of head space at the top. https://amzn.to/3oCY3MF (this is an affiliate link)
One other idea is to get her some Pique Tea or some other high quality tea with antioxidants. It might be a comforting drink during these colder days or when she doesn’t feel well. We wrote a review about Pique Tea here: https://thrivinghomeblog.com/pique-tea-this-may-be-the-worlds-healthiest-beverage/ .
I hope that gives you a good start!
Hello Rachel, I’m so glad to have found your post with the inspiring story of your friend and this recipe. I’ve just been diagnosed with breast cancer in the past month so I will be making this soup in the next few days, and will be sending some along to my friend whose husband has just completed treatment for throat cancer. I find it really helpful to read the stories of others, thank you for sharing. Kelly
I’m glad you found this recipe and Darcie’s story and that it was encouraging to you, Kelly. Wishing you many blessings on your journey ahead!
Dear Rachel,
May I say a heartfelt thankyou for sharing your recipe for a yummy cancer fighting soup.
I hope your dearest friend Darcie is still keep in good health.
I am just at start of my breast cancer journey,treatment will probably commence in mid December.
So I,with my beloved family and friends around me need any helpful guidance in nurturing us all,but especially me.
Thankyou again Rachel,take care,
you are…
A lovely stardust….
Kindest wishes,
Judy X
Thank you, Judy. I’m grateful that this soup is being used in so many homes across the world and really do hope it brings comfort and healing. Praying for you as you begin your own journey with breast cancer. Big hugs!
I was looking for healthy foods for my husband who is doing chemo for stage IV pancreatic cancer which is also on his liver. He doesn’t hold food down well so we try everything. Nux vomica, a homeopathic medicine seems to help. I have read many of the responses and I hate there is so much cancer out there. You have more than a soup here. As a prayer warrior I can see all the miracles and blessings in others lives occurring just from your thoughtful words and encouragement over a recipe. Cancer and chemo is tough for the patient and the loved ones, but with faith in God and believing his words we all can get through it with the strength he gives us. My family also listens to healing scriptures. I love the idea of adding scripture cards to a meal for someone. I will definately be using your advise very soon as well as trying this soup for my family. Praying for all the families here and for you and yours. Thank you for your gift and obedience.
Hi Sandy. Thank you for taking the time to leave a kind message when your family is going through so much right now. I’m so sorry to hear that your husband is suffering like this. And, I know caring for him and watching him suffer must bring you great pain and stress, as well. I’ll pray right now for him and your family. May you experience God’s promises from Lamentations 3 in a palpable way during this time, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is (the Lord’s) faithfulness.”
Wow, that was the inspiration I needed this morning. I’m on my first round of chemo with breast cancer. Not alot of fun is it. I found your recipie and story. Just what I needed. I pray that I will have the courage that Darcie has to fight whatever god has instore for me. I’m such a weenie. I do thank you for sharing and showing your strength although I’m sure it wasn’t always easy.
This makes my heart so happy to know that you found this recipe/story and it encouraged you today, Paula. I know that was not a coincidence. May the Lord give you His strength and courage to fight this battle. He is in this with you. I hope you can remember his promise to you in Isaiah 43:2, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”