My Famous "Poop Soup" for Release and Replenishment

The cozy recipe my community requests on repeat — and what it’s taught me about letting go, being nourished, and coming back to the body.

There are a few things I’ve become known for in my world, and one of them is apparently this deeply unglamorous, wildly effective, absurdly beloved Poop Soup.

What started as a practical little recipe became something bigger in my community. Women text me calling it the “declutterer." They ask for it when they’re feeling off, backed up, heavy, puffy, disconnected. They request it at gatherings. At this point, it has a reputation. And honestly? I love that. Because beneath the humor, there’s something sooo human here: women are hungry for simple rituals that help them release and feel like themselves again.

Back in January, I made a version of this soup for a friend, and since then I’ve adapted it into all kinds of iterations. That’s one of the reasons I love it so much: the core ingredients remain, but you can tweak it to match exactly the flavor profile you’re craving in the moment.

But beyond that, I think there’s a deeper reason this soup has stuck for me and for the women in my life.

Yes, it helps physically. But it also lands in a deeper place. It reminds us that the body wants support, not punishment. Rhythm, not force. Warmth, not warfare. A sense of home, not hemorrhoids. And for so many women, that’s a radical reorientation.

I’ve come to believe that many of us are constipated in more ways than one. We are holding tension, holding grief, holding stories, holding shame, holding the need to perform, hold it together, be good, be easy, be less. And the body, in her wisdom, is often asking for the same thing over and over again: let it move. Let it go. Create space for something new.

This is the version of the soup I’ve come back to month after month, especially in the luteal phase, when the release of an internal layer is pending and imminent.

To me, release is feminine intelligence. It’s not glamorous, but it is sacred.

INGREDIENTS (8-12 servings, depending on your bowl size and appetite)

• 4 T olive oil

• 1 large yellow onion, quartered and sliced thinly

• 1 package of ground meat (my favorite is turkey)

• 1/2 head of green cabbage, sliced thinly

• 4 tsp beef broth base + 4 C of water (or 4 C of beef broth)

• 3 T white vinegar

• 1 can of white beans, rinsed (my go-to is Great Northern/cannellini beans)

• large bushel of cilantro, chopped

• S+P to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat up a large pot with 2 T of oil to medium.

2. Add your sliced onions and cook down until fragrant and translucent.

3. Form an open circle in the middle of the pot, pour 2 T of oil, followed by your package of meat. Allow it to brown and cook down. Break it down with your utensil so it forms small bits.

4. Add your broth base and water, stir until incorporated, and bring it to a soft boil. Then add your vinegar, enough to create the acidic kick to your liking.

5. Throw in your sliced cabbage, gently incorporating it into the soup. Add your beans afterwards and let the soup temperature warm the beans.

6. Turn down the heat to simmer. Add your cilantro and mix in to incorporate.

7. Grab a bowl, ladle some in, and enjoyyyy.

NOTES FROM MY KITCHEN TO YOURS

• You can swap 2 T of the oil for 2 T of butter if you love buttery onions. So delish.

• I’ve made this with and without meat — turkey and chicken both work beautifully — and both versions still have that release effect, thanks to the beans and cabbage.

• If you’re not dairy-sensitive and want a creamier soup, you can add heavy cream to the whole pot or top your bowl with Greek yogurt.

• You can swap the vinegar for lemon juice, but I prefer vinegar 😌

• I’ve also added a can of giant cannellini baked beans in tomato sauce along with the other can of beans for more of a minestrone vibe. It has more herbs in it and is so good.

• You can swap or add dill or parsley depending on the flavor profile you want. I’ve done all three before and it was aggressively herby in the best way.

• I personally prefer this soup with some spice, so I add a spoonful of Trader Joe’s Crunchy Chili Onion to each bowl.

If you want to make the soup with me / hear me talk about this in real time / go deeper into the connection between release, the body, and feminine work, I shared more in this Instagram Live.

In the Live, I made the soup and ended up talking about something deeper, too: the way release opens us, the way the body speaks, and the six-module journey inside Vaginal Alchemy. If this blog is the cozy kitchen version of the conversation, the Live is where you can feel the wider portal.

If you’re new to my world, Vaginal Alchemy is for the woman who has historically felt “broken” or disconnected from herself below the waist — for any number of reasons — and is now ready to release tension, pain, and shame, return to her body, deepen her sensuality, and feel more joyfully alive.

She’s ready to relate to her body differently — with more reverence, more softness, more truth, more pleasure, more permission. She is done gripping and performing and overriding, and ready to come back into relationship with her sensuality, her sexuality, her voice, her shame, her power.

If Poop Soup is one small ritual of release and replenishment, Vaginal Alchemy is the deeper journey.

You can start with the Instagram Live here, and if you’re feeling the pull toward deeper body-led transformation, you can explore Vaginal Alchemy Self-Paced here.

I'd love to welcome you into this work. Either way, may this soup be one small, delicious way you soften, clear, and come home to yourself.

xx, Brittney