Pastina Soup, also known as Italian Penicillin, is a traditional Italian comfort food used to alleviate cold and flu symptoms similar to what we believe about the remedy of chicken noodle soup. Its preparation is fairly simple and the end result is nourishment disguised as a soup to encourage kids to eat their vegetables without them realizing it, of course!
The Prep:
- 2 carrots- washed, peeled, cut and quartered
- 1 medium yellow onion- peeled, cut into chunks
- 2 stalks of celery- washed, ends cut into chunks and sliced horizontally
- garlic- finely diced
- chicken broth-6 cups
- Parmesan Cheese Rind- cut off from outer edge of a wedge
- small pasta- 1-1/2 cups
Pastina Soup
Also known as Italian Penicillin, this soup blends the vegetables cooked in chicken broth before adding the little star pasta. Then, it's topped with some grated Parmigiano-Reggianno cheese. Shhhh! Don't tell the kids there's vegetables; they will never know!
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Ingredients
- 6 c Chicken broth I used Better than Bouillon brand. Fresh chicken broth would be perfect!
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced into chunks
- 2 medium carrots. peeled, cut into chunks and quartered
- 2 celery ribs, cut into chunks and halved lengthwise
- 1 t finely minced garlic-optional
- 1 rind of Parmigiano-Reggianno cheese
- 1/2 t Kosher salt
- 1-1/2 c pastina- small pasta stars, ABCs, orzo, acini di pepe...
Garnish
- grated Parmigiano-Reggianno cheese to taste
Instructions
- Place chicken broth in a medium saucepan with the prepared veggies.
- Bring to a boil on HIGH heat. Cover pot and reduce heat to SIMMER for about 30 minutes.
- Remove from the heat source and strain out the vegetables and place them into a food processer, blender or use an immersion blender in batches along with some broth and puree.
- Add pureed vegetables and broth back into the pot along with the small pasta of your choosing. Boil for about 3 minutes.
- Serve in bowls and season with salt and pepper to your taste along with a heaping of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to your liking.
