Pastina Soup is a simple Italian soup of tiny pasta cooked in a golden broth that has been simmered with aromatic vegetables, then thickened by blending those vegetables smooth and stirring them back in. A Parmesan rind in the pot adds savory depth, and a little grated Parmesan and olive oil finish each bowl. It is often called “Italian penicillin.” It serves 4 and is ready in about 27 minutes.
How to make it: Simmer the roughly chopped vegetables in broth with a bay leaf and a Parmesan rind for about 20 minutes. Scoop out the vegetables, blend them smooth with a little water and stir them back into the broth. Bring it to a boil, add the pastina and cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring every minute or so, until tender.
Why You’ll Love It
- Silky, golden broth: the blended vegetables give body without cream.
- Almost no prep: the vegetables are only roughly chopped because they get blended.
- Pantry ingredients: broth, a few vegetables and a box of tiny pasta.
- Meatless as written: use vegetable broth, or chicken broth if you prefer.
Ingredient Notes
Pastina: 1 cup of pastina, the Italian word for tiny pasta. Stelline is the shape used here, but any tiny pasta works, including acini di pepe, alphabet pasta or orzo.
Vegetables: 1 brown onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks and 4 garlic cloves, all roughly chopped.
Broth: 6 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth or chicken broth. Either works; season it well with salt and pepper.
Flavor boosters: 1 bay leaf and 1 Parmesan rind, both optional. They come out before blending.
Water: 1/2 cup, to help the vegetables blend smooth.
To finish: chopped parsley, grated Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil, as much as you like.
Ingredients
- 1 cup pastina (any tiny pasta)
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 1/2 cup water
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
- 1 Parmesan rind (optional)
- Chopped parsley, grated Parmesan cheese and olive oil, for garnish (optional)
How to Make Pastina Soup
1. Chop the vegetables. Roughly chop the onion, carrots, celery and garlic cloves. They do not need to be precise.
2. Simmer the broth. Pour the broth into a large pot and add the chopped vegetables, the bay leaf and the Parmesan rind if using. Season well with salt and black pepper, put the lid on and simmer for about 20 minutes over medium-high heat.
3. Check the vegetables. Check the vegetables with a fork; they should be soft and tender. Remove the bay leaf and rind, then strain out the vegetables with a slotted spoon or colander.
4. Blend. Add the cooked vegetables to a blender with 1/2 cup of water and blend until smooth.
5. Return to the pot. Pour the blended vegetables back into the pot with the broth and stir through. Taste for seasoning.
6. Cook the pastina. Bring the soup back to a boil, then add the pastina. Stir every minute or so so the pastina does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Pastina usually takes about 5 to 6 minutes to cook; it is done when it is tender.
7. Serve. Serve in bowls, garnished if you like with chopped parsley, grated Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.
Blending safely: If you use a regular blender, let the vegetables cool a little first, take the center cap out of the lid and cover the opening with a folded kitchen towel so the steam can escape. An immersion blender can blend them right in a bowl.
How Much Pastina for How Much Broth?
This is where pastina soups differ most. This recipe uses 1 cup of pastina to 6 cups of broth for a soup that is brothy but hearty. Other ratios in use:
| Pastina | Broth | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 cup | 4 cups | A simple broth-and-Parmesan soup, no vegetables |
| 1 cup | 6 cups | This recipe: brothy with plenty of pasta |
| 1 1/2 cups | 6 cups | Thicker, more pasta than broth |
Keep it from sticking: add the pastina only once the soup is boiling, and stir every minute or so while it cooks.
Other tiny shapes: cook them to their package time and taste; acini di pepe, for example, takes about 9 minutes.
For leftovers: tiny pasta keeps soaking up broth as it sits. If you plan to store or freeze the soup, cook the pastina in its own small pot, drain it when it is just tender and add it to each bowl as you serve.
Why Is It Called Italian Penicillin?
“Italian penicillin” is simply a nickname for this bowl of broth and tiny pasta, the kind of soup people make on a cold day or when they want something light. It’s comfort food, not medicine, and the recipe is the same pastina soup either way.
Variations
- Simple broth version: skip the vegetables. Simmer 4 cups of chicken broth with a Parmesan rind for 2 to 3 minutes, cook 1/2 cup pastina in it, remove the rind and stir in 4 tablespoons of grated Parmesan and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- With chicken: stir shredded rotisserie or leftover chicken into the finished soup and heat it through.
- More herbs: fresh rosemary or thyme and cracked black pepper at the end.
- A little heat: extra garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes in the broth.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow covered containers and eat within 3 to 4 days, per USDA FSIS.
Freezer: Freeze for 3 to 4 months, ideally without the pastina; cook fresh pasta when you reheat it.
Reheat: Cover and bring it to a rolling boil on the stove, adding a splash of broth if it has thickened. Don’t reheat it in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with warm butter biscuits or crusty bread. For more comforting soups, try creamy chicken noodle soup, slow cooker lemon chicken and rice soup, slow cooker Amish tomato noodle soup, slow cooker pasta fagioli or slow cooker lasagna soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the ingredients for pastina soup?
Tiny pasta, broth, and a base of onion, carrot, celery and garlic, with salt and pepper. A bay leaf, a Parmesan rind, grated Parmesan and olive oil are optional extras.
How much pastina for 4 cups of broth?
About 1/2 cup of pastina for 4 cups of broth makes a light, brothy soup. This recipe uses 1 cup to 6 cups for a heartier bowl.
What kind of broth is best for pastina?
Low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth. Chicken broth is the most common choice; vegetable broth keeps it meatless. Season it well.
Can I use a different small pasta?
Yes. Acini di pepe, alphabet pasta or orzo all work; cook them to their package time.
Final Notes
Blend the vegetables, stir while the pastina cooks, and serve it right away while the pasta is tender. If you make it, tell me in the comments which pasta shape you used.
Pastina Soup
Want This Recipe Later?
We'll send this recipe straight to your inbox.
Ingredients
- 1 cup pastina stelline shape used; any tiny pasta works
- 1 onion brown, roughly chopped
- 2 carrots roughly chopped
- 2 celery stalks roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or chicken broth either works
- 1/2 cup water for blending the vegetables
- salt and black pepper to taste; season the broth well
- 1 bay leaf optional
- 1 Parmesan rind optional
- chopped parsley, grated Parmesan cheese and olive oil optional garnish
Instructions
- Roughly chop the onion, carrots, celery and garlic cloves. They do not need to be precise.
- Pour the broth into a large pot and add the chopped vegetables, the bay leaf and the Parmesan rind if using. Season well with salt and black pepper, put the lid on and simmer for about 20 minutes over medium-high heat.
- Check the vegetables with a fork; they should be soft and tender. Remove the bay leaf and rind, then strain out the vegetables with a slotted spoon or colander.
- Add the cooked vegetables to a blender with 1/2 cup of water and blend until smooth.
- Pour the blended vegetables back into the pot with the broth and stir through. Taste for seasoning.
- Bring the soup back to a boil, then add the pastina. Stir every minute or so so the pastina does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Pastina usually takes about 5 to 6 minutes to cook; it is done when it is tender.
- Serve in bowls, garnished if you like with chopped parsley, grated Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.
