When I'm craving something comforting that feels like a warm hug in a bowl, Italian Pastina Soup always hits the spot. Often called "Italian penicillin", this cozy dish is a go-to when you're feeling under the weather-or just want something warm, creamy, and nourishing on a chilly day.
Made with tiny pasta, broth, blended veggies, and love, this recipe is both simple and soul-soothing. It's one of my favorite soups when I feel a cold coming on, and it's a great way to sneak in veggies for picky eaters or anyone needing a little extra goodness. If you're craving something with the same spoonable, cozy feel but a little more richness, you'll love my Italian sausage and kale soup with ditalini for hearty comfort.
It's creamy, cozy, and endlessly adaptable-I love adding extra spices, shredded chicken, or veggies straight from the fridge. Whether you're feeling under the weather or just want an easy comfort meal, this pastina soup always hits the spot.
When you're in the mood for more cold-weather comfort food, my bone-in chicken soup that simmers low and slow or stuffed shells with ricotta and beef for a cozy baked dinner are both great options for chilly nights.
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Ingredients
- Yellow onion. Onion adds a savory depth to the broth.
- Carrots. Carrots add a natural sweetness and color to the soup.
- Celery. Celery brings a freshness to balance out the savory onion and sweet carrots.
- Chicken Stock. I like to use low-sodium chicken broth and add my salt in later. You can use your favorite chicken, vegetable, or homemade bone broth.
- Parmesan on the rind. For this recipe, I use the parmesan rind during cooking and freshly grated parmesan for garnish before serving.
- Pastina pasta. Pastina or small pasta can be found at most grocery stores. Use any small pasta you can find. I used acini di pepe. If you love tiny pasta in a cozy broth, this tomato pastina with guanciale is creamy, spoonable, and full of savory flavor.
Quick Tip: Want to speed things up? Use pre-chopped mirepoix (onion, carrot, celery) and an immersion blender to blend directly in the pot. This shortcut can bring your total cook time down without sacrificing flavor!
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
Instructions
Step 1
Roughly chop your yellow onion, carrots, and celery stalks and add them to a large pot with chicken broth and the parmesan rind. Bring the broth to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. The veggies should be tender after simmering.
Step 2
Carefully remove the onions, celery, and carrots and add to a blender with ½-1 cup of broth. Blend until you have a smooth vegetable puree.
Step 3
Add the pureed vegetables back into the pot and add in the pastina. Simmer the soup for 7-9 minutes until pasta is cooked. Serve with parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, and a sprinkle of fresh parsley. Enjoy!
Sarah's Favorite
Immersion Blender
I love using my immersion blender to blend soups and sauces and to make mayo!
Tips for the Best Pastina Soup
- If you're making this ahead or planning for leftovers, I recommend cooking the pastina separately and adding cooked pasta (cook according to package directions) to each bowl before serving. This prevents the pasta from absorbing all the broth or becoming too soft.
- For a kick, add a dash of red pepper flakes, a sprinkle of Italian seasoning, or a touch of garlic powder. Just a little goes a long way in amping up the flavors.
- Turn your soup into a heartier meal by adding leftover rotisserie chicken, browned Italian sausage, or even a soft-boiled egg on top for extra protein.
Serving
I make this soup without fail every fall (usually a few times) and serve it up with some warm crusty bread or my roasted whole chicken and potatoes for a full cozy dinner. Top each bowl with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese for a creamy, savory boost, and add a touch of fresh parsley or basil for a pop of color and freshness.
Feeling under the weather? Pair this soup with a light Arugula Pear Salad for a restorative meal.
Storage & Reheating
To store Italian pastina soup, let it cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container. If you anticipate leftovers, it's best to keep the cooked pastina separate from the broth to avoid it absorbing too much liquid and becoming mushy.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below-I'd love to hear how it turned out! THANK YOU!
Italian Pastina Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 yellow or white onion, roughly chopped
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 Parmesan rind
- 1 cup pastina pasta, or other small pasta like acini di pepe or stelline
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Chop the vegetables roughly; you don't need to be precise.1 yellow or white onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery sticks
- Add them to a large pot with the broth and Parmesan rind. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil.6 cups chicken or vegetable broth, 1 Parmesan rind
- Once boiling, turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 15-18 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Remove the vegetables from the pot using a strainer and add to a blender with ½-1 cup of the broth. You can also add to another pot and use an immersion blender. Blend until smooth. Be careful when blending hot liquids.
- Pour the pureed veggies back into the pot and add the pastina. Simmer for 7-9 minutes until the pasta is cooked.1 cup pastina pasta
- Turn off the heat and season with Parmesan cheese, salt and black pepper to taste.½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, Salt and pepper
- Serve topped with some freshly chopped parsley.2 tablespoons fresh parsley
Sarah's Tips
- Storage tip: If you expect leftovers, cook the pastina separately and store it apart from the soup. Add cooked pastina to each bowl before serving and ladle the hot soup over it. This helps keep the pasta from absorbing too much broth.
- For a kick, add a dash of red pepper flakes, a sprinkle of Italian seasoning, or a touch of garlic powder. Just a little goes a long way in amping up the flavors.
- Turn your soup into a heartier meal by adding leftover rotisserie chicken, browned Italian sausage, or even a soft-boiled egg on top for extra protein.
- To store Italian pastina soup, let it cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container.
- I leave the parmesan rind in especially if I plan to have leftovers but you can remove it just before serving if you prefer.
Molly Willis says
Great and easy to follow — I’ll make it again! We love this soup! I have made it a few times and it tastes best with our home made broth. Everyone I shared it with loves it!
Jodi says
Tasty soup. Easy prep. Will make again.
Eliza says
The soup was delicious but the tip to add dry pasta to the serving bowl and pour hot soup over it did not work, “crunchy” soup was not appetizing and hard on the tooth
Sarah Hill says
Hi Eliza, I’m so glad you enjoyed the flavor of the soup! Thank you for letting me know about that note, I can see how it wasn’t super clear. The pastina should be cooked first before adding it to individual bowls, so I’ve updated the tip to make that clearer for future readers.
Holly says
So happy to have found this recipe!! It’s absolutely delicious and so easy. Thank you!
Mary says
Delicious!
Paige Pearson says
This hits the spot when you’re not feeling well! I emulsified the carrots, celery and onions for a smoother taste. Added a little heavy cream and more shredded parm. So good!
Sarah Hill says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!!
David says
This turned out perfectly –thank you!
Ann Arnold says
This turned out perfectly –thank you!
Lisa Flinn says
So simple to make and so comforting! I added a few cloves of garlic to the veggies and it was perfect. Thank you for sharing ❤️
Sarah Hill says
Thanks Lisa! I need to add garlic next time.
Christy says
I'm making this delicious comforting soup for the second time today! The first time I made it with ditalini pasta, but this time I have the stelline. I'll try adding garlic, as suggested in one of the comments. I can't wait to enjoy it again!
LA says
Such a cozy comfort food!
Candy says
When it’s 18 degrees outside , this the best comfort soup to make.
Thanks for recipe
Sarah says
Not to be dumb but do you remove the Parmesan rind at some point? I didn’t see that step so want to be sure!
Sarah Hill says
Hi Sarah, not a dumb question at all! Tbh I just leave it in especially if I make enough for leftovers so it continues to add flavor but you can remove it. I'll add a note about this!
Kaitlyn says
Oh my this was divine. I added 1C shredded cooked chicken and 1T bragg’s sprinkle and probably 2t salt — it was perfection.
Jen says
Just used my immersion blender
Rather than moving the veggies out of the pot. Added some
Chopped Garlic with the veggies while simmering. Added 2extra cups of broth.
Liz says
What if I do not have a parm rind?
Sarah Hill says
You can make the soup without it but the soup will need extra salt and you may want to add extra grated parmesan. The rind adds a lot of flavor to the broth so you will just need to make up for it in other ways.
Tara says
My whole family has been battling colds for a week. I made this tonight and it was so soothing. It was exactly what we all needed. Thank you!
Sarah Hill says
You're welcome, hope everyone feels better soon!