Chicken pastina soup is an Italian home remedy for the chills, or the blues. Made with homemade chicken broth (and pastina!) this Italian pastina soup will warm you like your favorite blanket - a delicious and comforting dish to get you back on your feet in no time!
Nostalgia and Comfort
Saying the words chicken pastina soup, I instantly recall the comfort of this dish on a cold day, or when I had the flu.
I remember it well. The bowl, full of pastina with chicken broth. The steam, guiding the aromas to you make you feel better. It was like a dose of medicine, or your nonna wrapping her arms around you.
Many times, when a family member was sick, feeling down, or coming in from the cold, pastina soup would be waiting. With a hot bowl, you believed it had the power to cure any ailments you suffered. Yes, pastina soup is nostalgic, and delicious.
It’s why so many Italians (and Italians in North America) have fond memories of this pastina recipe. It reminds them of their childhood, and the comfort they found in every spoonful.
The flavors of the broth are rich, warm, with hints of the vegetables, chicken, and herbs. When combined with pastina, you get a seriously satisfying soup. It's truly a reminder that when you’re seeking comfort, pastina chicken soup is just a bowl away.
Why you should make it
- It's a nostalgic dish - It’s an incredibly comforting soup to remind you of days gone by, and when you can make the broth, it makes it so much more enjoyable.
- It has amazing flavors - the broth has such a fantastic richness, and combined with the vegetable, herbs and spices, make it irresistible.
Ingredients
- Italian chicken broth - a hearty and warming chicken broth gives this dish its incredible flavor.
- Parmigiano reggiano - an aged, hard Italian cheese that adds some more flavor and complexity to the dish.
- Extra virgin olive oil (optional) - the oil provides a silky finish to the pastina soup.
- Salt - for additional flavor.
- Pastina - Small pasta, and oftentimes, literally the "star" of the dish!
What is Pastina?
Pastina are small shaped pastas (in Italian, pastina means "small, or tiny pasta"). It's not the finished dish, but rather a category of pasta.
It comes in many shapes, like ditalini (small thimbles), anellini (little rings), acini di pepe (peppercorns) and of course, stelline (little stars)!
Indeed, many North Americans are so familiar with the stelline shape, that it is synonymous with the word pastina. In other words, if you asked someone to describe pastina, they would describe stelline!
This is likely because in North America, the stelline shape became the most popular pastina shape.
For example, Ronzoni, a historic Italian-American pasta company, recently discontinued a product it labeled "pastina" , which, you guessed it, is little stars!
So, while pastina may be closely associated with stelline in the hearts and minds of many, pastina is a broader category of pasta, and there is no particular pastina shape.
However, what's most important is using a tiny pasta shape that you love, whether its stars, rings, peppercorns, or thimbles!
On that note, orzo is a small pasta shape in North America, which could technically be classified as a pastina shape. However, orzo in Italian means "barley", as in the grain, which can make things confusing!
Pastina in Brodo
When the dish is complete, and ready to serve, you now have a beautiful bowl of Italian pastina in brodo, which means "little pasta in broth".
How to make it
Place the chicken stock in a small pot, and bring it to a boil on the stovetop.
Add in your pastina of choice (photo 1), and continue to boil until cooked.
Ladle the cooked pastina and chicken broth into a bowl (photo 2), and top with olive oil (optional) and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano! (Photo 3)
Storage
To store pastina soup, place the remainder in an air-tight container, and make sure to fully seal the lid. The pastina soup can be stored in the fridge for up to three days. To re-heat, place in a small pot, and re-heat on stovetop until warm, or in a microwave until desired warmth.
If you want to keep the pastina soup for longer, for best results, you could also freeze the remainder of the broth in an air-tight container for up to three months. Then, use fresh pastina in the future when re-heating the broth.
Top tips
- You can use any pastina for this recipe (we used stelline, of course!)
- You don’t have to make homemade chicken broth - store bought works well too!
- For the adventurous, add some dried chili flakes for a little spice
- If you do make a homemade broth, you can add the shredded chicken and/or carrot to the broth. But a traditional pastina in brodo is just the broth and pastina (garnished with parmigiano reggiano)
More Italian soup recipes
- Pasta e Ceci (Italian Chickpea Soup)
- Swiss Chard Soup with Lentils and Cauliflower
- My Go-To Chicken Soup
- Italian Brodo Recipe – Easy Homemade Chicken Broth
Recipe
Chicken Pastina Soup - The Authentic Italian Way!
Ingredients
- 1 litre Italian chicken stock
- ½ cup pastina such as stelline
- grated parmigiano reggiano
- extra virgin olive oil optional
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Place the chicken stock in a small pot, and bring it to a boil. Season with salt if needed.
- Add the pastina and continue to boil until cooked.
- Plate, and top with a small bit of olive oil (optional) and grated parmigiano reggiano. Enjoy!
Mahleah Chicetawn says
What is Italian Chicken Broth.
Daria says
Hello Pina ,
My name's Daria would like to make Zuppa di pastina in brodo , but i'm wondering how many gramms is 1/2 Cup of pastina .Will you be so kinde to help me please
By the way i wish you a Happy new year !!!!
Raul says
Simple yet powerful. It reminds me of my Cuban grandmother's sopa de pollo, with one exception: she used fidellini instead of pastina. Since we had chickens in the backyard she would slaughter the chicken and use it for the broth.
Pina Bresciani says
I love it! My family in Italy has chickens in their yards that they use as well.
-Pina