This Italian penicillin soup recipe tastes like it’s been simmering in Nonna’s kitchen right on her stovetop! Pure comfort, easy to make, and known to cure just about anything. Made with easy-to-find ingredients, this soup is thick and rich. It’s just the thing to whip up during flu season or anytime you want pure comfort in a bowl.
If you’d like to try more chicken soups, I hope you’ll try our chicken and rice soup, velvety chicken gnocchi soup, Italian chicken soup, or my Grandma’s old-fashioned chicken noodle soup.
Bring a little taste of Nonna’s kitchen into your home!
WHAT IS PASTINA?
Pastina is a general term that means, “little pasta”. It’s made in different shapes and is generally about 1.6 millimeters in diameter. It cooks very quickly because of it’s tiny size. In the U.S. it is generally found in the shape of little stars.
I think it just maybe the most adorable pasta available for purchase! It’s always a hit with children.
DO I HAVE TO SAUTE THE VEGETABLES
No, but really YES! You don’t, but I will tell you, your soup will taste much better if you do. Have you seen the TikTok videos where the cook just pops the veggies in broth and then transfer them to the blender. It looks like such an easy way to make this soup. Of course you, too, can make it this way. But give me a chance to persuade you.
Most recipes for soups and soup begin by sautéing vegetables. Why is it important to sauté vegetables when they’re going to ultimately cook for an hour or more in a liquid like soup or stew? Well, it all comes down to chemistry! If vegetables are cooked in a liquid, they’re limited to reaching a maximum temperature of 212ºF (100ºC). This temperature is too low for some of the chemical processes to occur. When cooked in oil, they reach a higher temperature and, like magic, they’re transformed!
Vegetables like onions and garlic will become much less pungent, the flavor will mellow, and they will become sweeter. This is the perfect base for our soup.
If you want to skip sautéing the carrots and celery, go ahead. Since I sauté all the vegetables at once, technically they’re sweating and not doing the carrots and celery isn’t a big deal.
ITALIAN PENICILLIN SOUP INGREDIENTS
- Oil: I use extra virgin olive oil.
- Carrots + Celery: These aromatics add depth of flavor and add great texture. The carrots also add mild sweetness and the celery adds a natural saltiness.
- Onions + Shallots: These add a rich savory flavor and also add depth of flavor.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic only, please!
- Broth: I like to use low-sodium organic chicken broth. You will need to have extra on hand to thin the soup as it sits.
- Thyme + Oregano + Rosemary + Bay Leaf: I love using fresh herbs in this soup. They really give the broth a wonderful herby flavor. Fortunately for me, I’m able to grow these virtually all year long so I don’t have to spend a lot of money on them. If you want to use dry herbs, I’d suggest using 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning.
- Parm Rind: Using parmesan is an old trick that infuses so much flavor in your broth. It adds so many subtle layers of flavor, you won’t believe the soup was made with homemade stock or broth. If you don’t have a rind on hand, you can often find them at Italian grocery stores, cheese shops, or Whole Foods.
- Salt + Black Pepper: Nothing tastes right without the right balance of salt and pepper.
- Pasta: This soup is traditionally made with pastina. This is a small star-shaped pasta that I find absolutely delightful. If you’re unable to fine it, I’d suggest you use acini de pepe.
- Chicken: I use rotisserie chicken in this soup. Any cooked chicken will work.
- Peas: Peas seem to be the most polarizing vegetable on the planet. They add a lovely pop of color and have a nice creamy texture. Omit them if you’re a “pea hater”!
- Parmesan: I liked to add grated Parm rather than shredded. I like how it gently melts into the soup. Be sure to stir down to the bottom of you pot, as Parm will stick and possibly burn fairly quickly. Costco has a great Parmigiano Reggiano they sell in large Wedges. If you don’t think you’ll use the whole wedge, you can freeze it. The wedge is great because you can also cut off the rind and use it in the soup. To grate it, just use the food processor and process with the steal blade until you reach the desired consistency.
- Lemon Zest: Don’t skip this ingredient. It adds just the right acidity to the soup a little pop of freshness.
TIPS
- More Stock: When you first add the pasta to the soup, it will not seem like enough. Just wait. This soup has a good amount of pasta, in fact more than other recipes floating around on the internet. The pastina in this soup absorbs the chicken broth like crazy as it sits. The texture of the dish becomes more like a porridge than a soup very quickly. It eats deliciously either way! If you want it to be more soup like, just add more broth
- More Veggies: This soup is delish with fresh spinach added to it. Add it when a few minutes after adding the pasta.
- Fresh Or Dried Herbs: If you missed this note from above, feel free to sub out the fresh herbs for dried. I’d use dried Italian seasoning, which is a wonderful blend of just the right Italian herbs.
- Olive Oil Drizzle: Traditionally, this is often served with a drizzle of olive oil on the top. Use your best if you drizzle.
SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS
We love this with any of our Medit soups such as Portillo’s chopped salad, 1905 Salad, Mediterranean salad, or pizza salad. Of course, I think garlic bread or Olive Garden bread sticks are an absolute must!!
HOW TO MAKE ITALIAN PENICILLIN SOUP
- Saute the vegetables until tender.
- Add the garlic.
- Stir in the chicken broth and herbs.
- Add the Parmesan grind
- Add salt and pepper. Simmer until the vegetables are tender.
- Blend some soup in the blender.
- Add the pasta.
- Return the mixture and simmer.
- Stir in the peas and cooked chicken.
- Add the grated Parmesan.
- Add the lemon zest.
- Adjust the seasoning. Serve.
***See the full instructions below.
STORING + FREEZING + MAKE-AHEAD
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Your soup will stay good in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Can You Freeze This? Freeze the soup without adding the pasta. Cook the pasta the day you’ll serve it. It’ll last in the freezer for 4 months.
- Make-Ahead Tips: You can prep the veggies and store them in a container or Ziploc until you’re ready for them. That will save you the most time.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
MORE CHICKEN SOUP RECIPES
- Crack Chicken Noodle Soup
- Mexican Chicken Soup
- Chicken Potato Soup
- Lemon Chicken Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Chicken Taco Soup
- Chicken Vegetable Soup
TRIED THIS RECIPE?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Italian Penicillin Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound carrots small diced
- 1 cup onion small diced
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 4 stalks celery, small diced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh garlic , minced
- 8 cups, plus more as need low-sodium chicken broth
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh oregano
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Parmesan rind optional
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 cup uncooked pastina or very small shaped pasta
- 3 cups cooked chicken, cut or shredded into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Add olive oil (2 tablespoons) to a large (6-8 quart) heavy bottom pot and heat, over medium heat, until it shimmers. Add carrots (1 pound), onion (1 cup), shallots, and celery (4 stalks), and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add garlic (1 1/2 tablespoons), and continue cooking, stirring often, digging down with your spoon to the bottom of the pan so the garlic doesn't burn.
- Stir in the chicken broth (8 cups), thyme (3 sprigs), oregano (2 sprigs), rosemary (1 sprig), bay leaf (1), Parmesan rind (1), salt (1 teaspoon), and pepper (1/2 teaspoon). Bring mixture to a boil, immediately reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, until veggies are very tender, about 20-25 minutes.
- Remove soup from heat. Using a long-handled slotted spoon remove and discard Parm rind, bay leaf, and stems of the herbs.
- Using the slotted spoon, transfer about 2-3 cups of cooked vegetables from the broth and place in the jar of a blender. Add enough broth, from the soup, to process the vegetables in in the blender. Before processing, allow the vegetables and broth to cool from hot to warm. remove the center cap of the blender top and cover it with a clean kitchen towel. Process until mixture is smooth then return mixture to soup pot.
- Place the pot on medium heat and bring to a boil. Add pasta (1 cup) and return mixture to a rapid simmer, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain.
- Stir in peas (1 cup), cooked chicken (3 cups), grated Parmesan (1/2 cup), and lemon zest (1 teaspoon). Adjust seasoning, as needed. Ladle into individual bowls and serve. Pass extra Parmesan alongside.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- More Stock: When you first add the pasta to the soup, it will not seem like enough. Just wait. This soup has a good amount of pasta, in fact more than other recipes floating around on the internet. The pastina in this soup absorbs the chicken broth like crazy as it sits. The texture of the dish becomes more like a porridge than a soup very quickly. It eats deliciously either way! If you want it to be more soup like, just add more broth
- More Veggies: This soup is delish with fresh spinach added to it. Add it when a few minutes after adding the pasta.
- Fresh Or Dried Herbs: If you missed this note from above, feel free to sub out the fresh herbs for dried. I'd use dried Italian seasoning, which is a wonderful blend of just the right Italian herbs.
- Olive Oil Drizzle: Traditionally, this is often served with a drizzle of olive oil on the top. Use your best if you drizzle.
My sister and my niece weren’t feeling well last week, so I made this soup instead of chicken noodle soup. They loved it so much, Thanks for this Kathleen! They’re better now and wants another pot of this hahaha
Hey, Ashley! I’m glad they recovered now. Thanks for choosing this recipe for your sick fam! <3
I notice that both steps 4 & 6 say to remove herbs.
Love, love this style of soup. I consider it soulful and comforting. Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
Hey Velva! I love it too. I can never have too many chicken soup recipes. It’s absolutely soul food!!