15 Easy Foods for When You’re Sick (Other Than Soup)

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Isn’t there anything we can eat while sick other than chicken noodle soup?

Don’t get us wrong, we love a warm bowl of chicken soup. But if you’ve ever been sick for more than a few days, you know eating the same thing for every meal gets old fast. Even different varieties of soup can become monotonous.

To be clear, we didn’t choose these foods because they’ll speed up your recovery, although they can help nourish your body and immune system. We chose these foods because they’re cozy and easy to eat when you’re not feeling great, giving you something to enjoy besides soup.

Oats or Congee

Oatmeal, overnight oats, porridge, and congee all feel soup-adjacent in texture. They’re soft but filling, with plenty of carbohydrates to give your body energy. Congee can even help keep you hydrated, which is essential for getting better.

These dishes are also highly customizable. You can add different seasonings, sweeteners, and toppings to create delicious flavor profiles and keep things interesting. Fruit, maple syrup, honey, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and nuts are some of our go-to additions to oats and porridge.

Ice Cream and Milkshakes

People tend to gravitate toward hot food when they’re sick, which makes sense if you have the chills. However, when fighting a sweaty fever, a bowl of ice cream or a thick milkshake can hit the spot. It’s also ideal for a sore throat.

We recommend avoiding flavors loaded with mix-ins, like most Ben and Jerry’s flavors and many Talenti ones. However, classic flavors, like plain vanilla, chocolate, and coffee, are perfect.

Bananas

If you live by yourself, preparing meals while sick can be daunting. The last thing a sick person wants to do is stand over a hot stove or chop onions. So you need some ready-to-go items that can nourish you without demanding any effort.

Our answer is bananas! The mushy texture, mild flavor, and easy-to-digest carbs make it sensational for people under the weather. Supplying your body with potassium can also replenish your electrolytes.

Spicy Chili

Our favorite remedy for a stuffy nose is spicy food. However, we don’t usually feel like housing some Buffalo wings when we’re ill. On the other hand, a five-alarm chili sounds marvelous.

Chili is like soup’s bolder cousin, so it’s easy to eat and chew, but has way more flavor and heat than most soups. Of course, you can enjoy a hearty bowl of mild chili, but we love how spices like cayenne and chili powder can clear our sinuses. The meat, beans, and tomatoes also supply your body with helpful nutrients for recovery.

Chili is great for a stuffy nose, but now for stomach distress, so avoid if your illness is tummy-centric.

Mac and Cheese

When you’re tired of slurping soup and living on a diet of liquids, we recommend breaking open that box of Kraft. Mac and cheese can be high in protein and carbs, making it beneficial, but we really only love it because it’s comforting.

A gooey, creamy bowl of cheese sauce mixed with tender pasta is easy to eat and enticing. This indulgent dish gives you a taste of how life was before you caught this cold but is soothing enough for you to enjoy in your current state.

Mashed Potatoes (And Gravy)

In the same vein as mac and cheese, we also love an oversized bowl of mashed potatoes when we can’t manage a sandwich or piece of pizza. Mashed potatoes are supremely comforting and one of the easiest foods to eat.

Go for a perfectly creamy bowl or leave the potatoes chunky for more texture. And it never hurts to add hot gravy to the bowl for that savory, sumptuous flavor. However, we also adore the simplicity of mashed potatoes with melted butter on top.

Scrambled Eggs

Scrambled eggs are an excellent sick meal, as they provide a boatload of nutrients and protein but are gentle on your stomach and throat. Scrambled eggs are particularly wonderful for people experiencing stomach issues, as they can remedy diarrhea.

The mild, buttery flavor is inoffensive to most people, and the fluffy, light texture has more bite to it than soup. But it’s still mushy enough that it won’t agitate your throat. You can tip-toe back to richer flavors too, adding hot sauce, seasoning, ketchup, and other toppings.

Hot Curry

As a hot, creamy, and spicy dish, almost every kind of curry can be a magnificent sick food. Whether you want Thai, Indian, Nepalese, African, or Turkish curry, they’ll all deliver the creamy texture and hot spices that can soothe your throat and open your sinuses.

Curries typically have more texture and ingredients than soup, often featuring proteins and vegetables. We find curry to be a wonderful transition meal to pull you out of the tail-end of your illness and reintroduce robust flavors to your diet.

Risotto

Considering risotto requires almost constant stirring to perfect, this idea is best if you have a loved one willing to cook for you. However, you can always order takeout risotto!

This Italian dish is easy to chew and swallow, and typically easy on your stomach and digestive system. It’s a great choice for almost any illness, gently supplying your body with fiber and carbs.

You can also make risotto as plain or flavorful as you want, adding or removing spices, herbs, liquids, vegetables, meats, and other ingredients as you desire.

Pasta

Yes, we know that mac and cheese can fall under the pasta category, but mac and cheese is a specific comfort food we wanted to highlight. As far as other pastas, there are far more options.

Sick people often prefer soft, comforting pasta recipes. Yummy options include lasagna, ravioli, tortellini, and Alfredo. We recommend cooking pasta fully, not al dente, so it’s easier to chew.

Generally, we suggest avoiding acidic tomato-based recipes, as they can be harsh on the stomach. However, a spicy Arabiatta sauce might be just the thing you need to clear your sinuses.

Rice and Quinoa

If you’re over the mushy foods, rice and quinoa are a decent option. These foods have more bite and texture than pasta, oatmeal, or mashed potatoes, but are still comfortable to chew and digest. Like curry, these can be transitional meals that help you ease back into your normal diet.

Brown rice and quinoa are top-notch sources of fiber and other nutrients, which can aid your body in recovery. While these two foods might not be the most exciting, they’re ideal if you want something to chew and not just sip.

Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd’s pie is a hearty and satisfying dish that is unlikely to agitate your throat, upset your stomach, or make you feel worse in other ways. For many, this is the ultimate comfort food, featuring rich beef, creamy mashed potatoes, tender vegetables, and a rustic flavor.

It’s a high-calorie meal, which can give your body the energy to fight off the illness. The various vegetables and herbs deliver a diverse supply of nutrients, helping you fill in any nutrition gaps caused by your sick diet.

Smoothies

Along with ice cream and milkshakes, smoothies are also a fabulous treat when you’re sick. Have you ever had a sore throat in the middle of a hot summer? The last thing you want is a steamy bowl of soup, but you crave something that will relieve your throat pain.

A smoothie or smoothie bowl might be the perfect solution. There are no wrong answers here; you can put any type of fruit, juice, dairy, and other ingredients you want in it.

Soft Tofu

Most of us buy the extra firm tofu for baked and fried recipes. However, we want to remind you of soft and silken tofu! You can do so much with tofu, whether you use it in a smoothie, make ice cream with it, or soak it in soy sauce for a salty snack.

The bland flavor and mushy texture make it an easy and versatile food for sick folks. While we recommend soft tofu for when you’re struggling to eat firm foods, even extra firm tofu is gentle on your throat and stomach.

Yogurt or Cottage Cheese

Some people say you should avoid dairy when sick because it can increase mucous production, but this isn’t heavily supported by science and isn’t true for all people. So, if that applies to you, maybe skip this one. Otherwise, yogurt and cottage cheese can be great snacks while your body heals.

The probiotics in yogurt can boost immunity and reduce symptoms, and cottage cheese can offer similar benefits. They’re mild in flavor, smooth in texture, and gentle on most people’s stomachs, but please avoid them if you’re lactose intolerant.