Italian Pastina Soup

5 from 3 votes

Italian Pastina Soup is a classic comfort food made with tiny pasta, tender vegetables, savory chicken broth, and plenty of parmesan cheese. Also known as “Italian penicillin.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Course: Lunch or Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: chicken soup, italian pastina soup, pastina soup

Servings:

Author: Modern Honey® - www.modernhoney.com

Ingredients

1 to 2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 to 1 Onion (finely diced)
2 Carrots (finely diced)
2 Celery Stalks (finely diced)
4 Garlic Cloves (finely minced)
6 cups Chicken Broth (use 8 cups for brothy soup)
3/4 cup Pastina Pasta (stelline or stars pasta)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese (freshly grated, plus more for garnish)

Optional:

1 to 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice (or zest from 1 lemon)
Fresh Italian Parsley or Basil
Shredded Chicken

Instructions

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add extra virgin olive oil, finely diced onion, carrots, and celery, and cook for 8-9 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Stir in chicken broth or chicken stock. If you want this to be a soup, add more broth. If you want it to be creamier and less brothy, use less chicken broth. Increase heat to medium-high.
Add in pastina (or stelline) pasta. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often since the pasta will stick to the bottom of the pot.
Once the pasta is done cooking, reduce heat to low and add in salt and pepper. Stir in freshly grated parmesan cheese, a little at a time, to avoid clumping.
If you want to brighten the flavors in the soup, add a touch of lemon zest or lemon juice. Optional -- top with fresh Italian parsley or basil or stir in shredded rotisserie chicken.

Notes

Tip: For extra finely diced vegetables, put the vegetables in a food processor and pulse until desired size.

I found stelline pasta at Target.

Nutrition