Oh, This Is Good.
Like, slurp that savory broth and go back for a third bowl kind of good.
My daughter got sick last week, which means that our whole family got sick last week. And when I get sick, I lose two things: 1) my appetite, and 2) my interest in cooking.
This pastina soup truly SAVED us last week. It is:
- Incredibly easy to make.
- So, so savory and flavorful.
- Light (like, practically drinkable) but nutrient-rich.
- Warm, cozy, and healing.
- Generous – like, every time I make it, I end up freezing half of the broth for our next sick day, or to share with someone when they might need it.
I can’t say enough about how much I loved this last week. I sat down at the table with a steamy bowl with extra parm on top, and found myself repeatedly going back for “just one more scoop” of the broth over those tiny stars, even though I swore I hadn’t been feeling hungry just a moment earlier.
My girls were pretty excited about eating tiny star pasta with olive oil + Parmesan, while Bjork and I ladled the luscious broth over our bowls and finally tucked into some nurturing food for the first time in several days.
Pastina refers to the tiny star shaped pasta, which I found at Target, and the nickname Italian Penicillin refers to the healing nature of the savory broth – almost like a chicken noodle soup, but simpler. (And if I’m being honest, I prefer this to chicken noodle.)
I hope you are healthy and well, physically and emotionally. But if you’re not, this is comfort meal that has been serving our family so well lately!
How To Make Pastina (In Photos)
1
Chop and Sauté the Veggies.
I keep them real chunky, and I give them a quick sauté with olive oil before adding all the liquid just to get things extra fragrant.
2
Simmer with the Liquid.
I use water and Better Than Bouillon broth base.
3
Remove Cooked Veggies.
Transfer to a bowl to cool down for a moment.
4
Blend Veggies.
And then add them right back to the broth pot.
5
This Broth!
Look how vibrant and gorgeous.
6
Ladle over Pastina!
And top with parm. YUM.
Source Notes: “Italian penicillin” is a nickname for pastina soup, or pastina (small pasta) in broth. It is playfully compared to medicine because of its healing vibe, being that it is a warm, nostalgic, nourishing comfort food. It originated with generations of Italian grandmothers and it has moved into the spotlight after becoming a popular trend on TikTok over the last few years. 🙂
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Pastina Soup (Italian Penicillin)
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Description
This soup has become my go-to recipe when my family is sick. The broth is amazing – simple, light, flavorful, and nourishing! It’s absolute comfort food.
Ingredients
For the Broth:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 2 stalks of celery, cut into large chunks
- half of 1 yellow onion, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 10 cups chicken or vegetable broth (I use 10 cups water plus 2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon chicken base)
- 1 teaspoon salt
For Serving:
- 1 1/2 cups pastina (I use Stelline from the Good and Gather brand at Target)
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese for topping
Instructions
- Sauté Veggies: Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chunky carrots, celery, onion, and garlic to the pot. Sauté for 5 minutes.
- Simmer: Add broth and salt. Simmer for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are very tender.
- Remove Veggies: Use a slotted spoon to transfer the vegetable chunks to a bowl. Set aside to cool for a few minutes (you don’t want to add scorching hot veggies to your plastic blender).
- Blend: When the veggies have cooled a bit, blend them with 1-2 cups of broth until very smooth. Add the blended mixture back to the pot; stir to incorporate.
- Pastina: Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and toss with olive oil and a pinch of salt.
- Serve: Put a scoop of pastina in a shallow bowl. Ladle the steaming-hot broth over the top, then top each bowl with freshly grated Parmesan.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: pastina soup, italian penicillin, soup recipe, simple soup recipe
This is simple and delicious. I’ve made it twice now. This past time, I put the broth (sans vegetables) through a fine mesh strainer which helped get a nice and smooth texture.
Also, grocery stores near me sell relatively small carrots. I used a one-pound bag of carrots and found that to be an appropriate amount.
My son and husband woke up not feeling great this morning and I was running to Walmart anyway, so I decided to pick up the few things I needed to make a batch of this soup today!
Sadly, they didn’t have the pastina pasta, so I used bowtie pasta. I also used chicken bone broth instead of the Bouillon. And I also cooked boneless skinless chicken thighs in with the broth and veggies for some extra protein.
This was so simple and so delicious. I have a ton to freeze and a ton in the fridge for my boys to eat throughout the week as they work on feeling better.
Thank you for another winning recipe!
Simply amazing! So much flavor from such simple ingredients. I’m sensitive to garlic and onions so I kept them whole to add flavor to the broth and then discarded them before blending the veggies and the soup still had so much flavor!
Is there any downside to using an immersion blender instead of taking it out and using a regular blender? Thanks!
It won’t be as smooth!
I’ve been rocking a cold for the last 1 to 2 weeks but with pregnancy, you don’t get to take anything helpful; finally got a chance to try this, and this hot silky broth is so so good. I gave it a verrrry generous amount of fresh cracked pepper along with the grated Parmesan.
So glad you enjoyed it, and hope you feel better soon!
Very good! I had to saute longer. The only thing is when I blended, I still got a crunch from the celery.
Recently I’ve been making a version of this on repeat because I love the Progresso Chickarina soup and obsessed with the tiny star pasta but wanted a homemade version without 1000 ingredients lol!
Of course I should have checked here first! DUH! I am 100% going to blend the veggies in next time – what a great idea!
A homemade win!
Delicious as written! Who knew these simple ingredients could make such great soup? It reads to me like a gourmet soup starter at a fancy restaurant….
10/10, would POY Pastina again
What an awesome soup recipe! The family loved it! It will be on repeat in our home especially with the kids asking for more!!! Thank you.
I couldn’t wait to try this soup. It truly did not disappoint. I used orzo because that was the smallest pasta that I had in the pantry. Will be keeping a container in my fridge for quick & healthy lunches. Thank you for the recipe.
This soup + your miracle no-knead bread is my entire personality all fall/winter long!!
Okay, now it’s ours too. Thanks for the rec!
I have made pastina before with broth bu I sure do love the extra step of blended veggies! Brillant. I will make this recipie from now on.
We love the extra flavor it gives!
I’m not sick, but I couldn’t wait to make this. I had everything except celery, so I substituted a bunch of parsley (which I removed before blending) and half of a green pepper. It’s easy and so delicious and comforting, and I usually have these ingredients at home, so it will be in the regular rotation.
Thanks for making the recipe, and appreciate your notes!
LOVE Italian penicillin soup! It is a staple in our house for flu season!!
I add bell peppers into the veggies and feel like it gives an extra depth of flavor. We also do the Parmesan rind trick. I’ve always used an immersion blender and haven’t had an issue with the texture.
Made exactly as written (except used an immersion blender since it’s all I have ) and was absolutely delicious! Love how simple it is.
I don’t think I can wait for someone to get sick!
Hahaha right? Good for sick days AND regular days.
OMG, this reminds me of something my mom would make for me as a child when I was sick. Except hers used condensed cream of celery soup lol. Thanks for bringing the spirit of that dish into the 21st century so that I can share it with my son. 🙂
Cream of celery! So interesting, I’ve never heard of that in a soup like this! Love uncovering those food memories. 🙂
Hi, do you know if I can cook the Stelline directly in the broth? Looking forward to trying this recipe! Thank you!
Okay technically yes, I think you could! But here’s why I prefer not to:
– it will make the broth a bit thicker / starchier, and I prefer a silky, light broth
– the noodles will be more at risk of overcooking and getting mushy since they continue to sit in the hot liquid
– it doesn’t keep as well as leftovers (I prefer to just freeze the broth on its own)
– the experience of pouring the broth over the noodles is really fun. 🙂
Could you use an immersion mixer and keep the veggies in the bowl? Or will that change the outcome? Thank you!
I do think you could! I decided not to because I wanted it to get really silky smooth broth which I felt like my Vitamix could do better. But if you aren’t concerned about a perfectly silky smooth texture then I think it would absolutely work and it would save you the transfer!
Was wondering the exact same thing! My guess is it won’t get quite as smooth?
Do you really use 10 cups of broth? Does look like that much in the pictures.
Yes, 10 cups! Happens almost every time I make this that I start with 8 cups, thinking it will be enough, and then I always end up adding 2 more (at least) for a total of 10 cups to get the level of brothiness I’m looking for!
Some of it will depend on the thickness of your carrots and celery, so if you aren’t sure you could always start with 8 cups and then add to get your desired final consistency.
Throw a parm rind in while it’s simmering and thank me later. 😊
YES! I don’t always have a parm rind sitting around so didn’t include it in the list, but ABSOLUTELY SO GOOD for the flavor. (and would just have to remember to pull it out before blending!)