Italian Pastina Soup
A bowl of Italian comfort food, this Italian Pastina Soup combines tender pastina pasta, savory broth, and hearty vegetables for a quick and nourishing meal.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter or extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, large roughly chopped
- 5 carrots, large roughly chopped
- 5 celery stalks roughly chopped
- 3-4 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- fresh herbs (optional, but recommended) like rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, and/or sage
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 tbsp chicken bouillon (optional)
- 1 parmesan rind (optional, but recommended)
- 2 cups chicken meat (optional)
- 1 lemon half or whole, depending on your taste
- 1 cup pastina, uncooked
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese, freshly parsley, pesto optional, for serving.
Instructions
- Melt butter over medium heat in a large soup pot or Dutch oven.
- Add chopped onions and saute over medium heat for 3 minutes.
- Add carrots, celery and garlic and saute for another 5 minutes, stirring occassionaly to prevent burning. A little browning is O.K.
- Add herbs and saute for 1 minute more.
- Add chicken stock, stirring to deglaze the bottom of the pot if necessary.
- Add parmesan rind, if using.
- Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes, until carrots are soft.
- If you used a parmesan rind, remove it now.
- With a slotted spoon, transfer all the veggies to a blender. Add a cup or two of the stock and blend until smooth. When blending hot liquids, let it cool just a bit, start your blender slowly, and use the minimum amount of liquid to avoid hot liquid venting from the blender.
- Return the soup to the pot and taste. Add salt and pepper as desired. If your broth seems flat, add 1-2 teaspoons of good chicken bouillon for added flavor.
- Add chicken pieces to warm up in the soup broth.
- Cook pastina according to package directions.
- Add lemon juice to taste right before serving to keep the flavor fresh.
- Pour broth to bowls and add cooked pastina. Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese, chopped fresh parsley, and/or a dollop of pesto.
Nutrition
Serving: 1.5cupsCalories: 280kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 22gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 423mgPotassium: 688mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 8645IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 49mgIron: 2mg
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