Easy Italian Pastina Soup

Easy Italian Pastina Soup is made with homemade chicken broth and tiny pasta stars. Just one bite of this cozy Italian chicken noodle soup that warms the soul will bring you right back to nonna’s kitchen. A rich chicken broth made with carrots, onions, and celery. This comforting soup is ready in an hour.

This pastina soup recipe is straight from my childhood. Nonna would make this soup all winter long or whenever anyone was under the weather. If you grew up in Italian-American home, you are probably being taken back to your childhood. Nonna made this for my kids and their favorite part was my favorite part from my childhood: formaggino melted right in it.

This Italian chicken noodle soup is gluten-free, paleo, and keto friendly (without the pastina).  If you happen to find a tiny gluten-free pasta, add that in the soup (for gluten-free).

Formaggino is a soft cheese (they have the Laughing Cow brand in the States)or even cream cheese was melted in it. So you had this creamy and dreamy homemade chicken broth with the melted soft cheese, and tiny little star pasta and soft bites of carrots. What kid could resist it?

Some other soups that I love making for my family are my Pasta e Ceci soup, Immune boosting turmeric chicken soup, and my Italian lentil soup.

Why you'll love this homemade Italian soup?

• Very easy- The best thing about chicken pastina soup is that it can be put together in no time.
• Made with pantry ingredients- you probably have some sort of small or tiny pasta in your pantry and some chicken broth in your freezer (or store-bought in your pantry).
• Very flavorful
• Super healthy and nutritious soup- great to have if your feeling a little sick
• Made with wholseome ingredients

What is Italian pastina soup AKA pastina in brodo?

Pastina in brodo in Italian translates literally to tiny pasta in broth (usually, a chicken broth). Pastina soup is a soup made with a comforting broth full of chicken, onions, carrots, celery and fresh herbs. I like to use fresh dill and fresh Italian parsley. This soup recipe is made with chicken wings, so it cooks up pretty fast. The actual pastina is the the stelline (the little start pasta) that gets cooked up with the soup (or aside from the soup).

If you grew up in an Italian American house, you maybe pronounced it "pasteen". And that just referred to chicken soup with tiny pasta. 

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 quarts water (about 8 cups water, or as needed)
• 3 ½ pounds chicken wings chopped at the joints
• 1 small yellow onion peeled and left whole
• 4 medium carrots peeled and cut in half
• 4 medium celery stalks cleaned and cut in half
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• fresh parsley
• fresh dill
• 1½ cups pastina pasta

How do I make this easy pastina soup (STEP BY STEP)?

1. Place chicken in large soup pot with cover (I used my 7 quart nonstick Dutch oven). Add enough water to cover the chicken (about 8 cups).
2. Add in the onion, carrots, celery, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a low boil and begin to skim the fat (some foam should be floating to the top) off. Do this until most of the foam has been removed (could take 20 minutes more or less). Add in the salt and pepper (if using).
3. Add in the fresh dill and parsley (if you’re using). Continue to simmer gently for about one hour.
4. Taste soup and add additional salt, pepper.
5. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve or strainer into a large bowl. Reserve the carrots. Reserve the chicken (take off the bones) if you're serving the broth with chicken.
6. If you’re cooking the pastina in the broth:
7. Strain the broth (reserve the carrots and take the chicken off the bone, if you’ll be serving it with the pastina). Bring 6 cups of chicken broth to a boil.
8. Add the pastina and reduce heat to a simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until al dente. Ladle into bowls and serve with pieces of the carrots. Add on some grated cheese if you like.
9. The other option is to cook the pastina in a pot of boiling water. Reduce heat to a simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until al dente. Strain the pastina and portion directly to bowls and ladle the broth on top.

Expert tips to make the best pastina soup

1. Use high-quality broth or stock: Homemade chicken broth is the most nutritious and wholesome, but you can use a store-bought version too. Just make sure to choose the highest quality available.

2. Use cooked, leftover chicken: When following my recipe for homemade chicken broth make sure to use cooked, leftover chicken. This will give the best flavor and texture to your soup.

3. Use small-sized pastina: For this soup, look for tiny shapes made specifically for soups and stews, as they cook quickly and won’t turn mushy when reheated.

4. Cook only what you are going to eat right away: Pasta soup doesn’t store well because the pasta swells and turns mushy. Only cook enough pasta that you’re going to eat immediately.

5. Store chicken broth or stock correctly: You can store chicken broth or stock in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze it for months. Be sure to label your containers so you know what’s inside.

6. Add your favorite vegetables: Feel free to add in some of your favorite vegetables, such as carrots, celery and onion, for extra flavor and texture.

7. Adjust the seasoning: Taste your soup before serving and adjust the seasoning if necessary, adding more salt and pepper or other seasonings as desired.

8. Add a few herbs: A sprinkle of fresh parsley, oregano or basil gives the soup bright flavor and color.

9. Garnish with Parmesan cheese: Top off each bowl with freshly grated Parmesan cheese for extra richness and flavor.

What types of pasta can I substitute the pastina with?

Any tiny pasta could be used in place of the actual pastina (AKA stelline tiny star pasta). You can use acini di peppe, alphabet pasta (the kids love that!), orzo or the anellini.

Could I make pastina with store-bought chicken broth?

Yes! But I suggest finding the most natural and better quality broth. Low sodium and without any thing added is best.

Can I make vegan pastina soup?

Yes! Make a homemade vegetable broth (or use a nice store-bought one).

Can I spice up Italian pastina soup?

Yes! If you are not cooking this for the kids, go ahead and spice it up with your favorite hot pepper or hot pepper flakes.

What kind of chicken is used to make pastina soup?

So for this recipe, I used what I had on hand, and it was chicken wings. As soon as the temperature cools down, I am making this chicken soup once a week. I used up all the broth I had on hand so I had to make something fast and the chicken wings worked perfectly. 

If you use rotisserie chicken, an option is to use store bought chicken broth or you could make a broth with a good quality bouillon.  Once the broth is cooked up with the vegetables, add the chicken shredded up at the end. If you bought a seasoned chicken, be sure to check the seasoning and not over salt the broth.

Basically, any parts of chicken will work. You could use a whole chicken, chicken legs, or even chicken breasts. Rotisserie chicken can also work. But it’s really easy to make this broth with the wings and cooks up so fast.

Can you make this Italian chicken noodle soup ahead of time?

You can make the broth even a couple days ahead of time. Or even earlier in the day, put the broth together. When you’re ready to serve, the pastina cooks up in just minutes (less than 10 minutes). Heat up the soup and add in the pastina. You could serve the soup with or without chicken. My kids used to love it without the chicken and with the melted soft cheese (like I was talking about above).

How to store and heat this Italian chicken noodle soup?

• Store-Once the soup has cooled down ladle it into your storage container that is totally airtight. Stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you cooked up the pastina separate from the broth, store the broth and any leftover pastina in a separate container. If you store the pastina in the broth, it will get extremely soft and mushy.
• Reheat- Place the soup in a sauce pan and heat the soup gently on medium-low heat until hot (I don’t own a microwave, but if you do, heat the soup as you would normally).

Can you freeze chicken pastina soup?

Yes, you can freeze the soup. But be sure to freeze the broth separately from the pastina. Once the soup has completely cooled down, store it in airtight container (totally freezer safe)for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw out overnight in the fridge before you reheat. I do not recommend freezing the pasta.

Some other soup recipes to enjoy:

• Slow Cooker Whole Chicken Soup 
• Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
• Italian Lentil Soup
• Immune Boosting Turmeric Chicken Soup
• French Onion Soup

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5 from 6 votes

Easy Italian Pastina Soup

Easy Italian Chicken Pastina Soup is made with homemade chicken broth and tiny pasta stars. Just one bite of this cozy soup that warms the soul will bring you right back to nonna’s kitchen. A rich chicken broth made chicken wings, carrots, onions, and celery. This comforting soup is ready in an hour.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: chicken, pasta, soup

Servings: 6

Calories: 318kcal

Author: Lora

Equipment

• Stock Pot

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 to 3 quarts water (about 8 cups water, or as needed)
• ▢ 3 ½ pounds chicken wings chopped at the joints
• ▢ 1 small yellow onion peeled and left whole
• ▢ 4 medium carrots peeled and cut in half
• ▢ 4 medium celery stalks cleaned and cut in half
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ fresh parsley
• ▢ fresh dill
• ▢ 1½ cups pastina pasta

Instructions

• Place chicken in large soup pot with cover (I used my 7 quart nonstick Dutch oven). Add enough water to cover the chicken (about 8 cups).
• Add in the onion, carrots, celery, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a low boil and begin to skim the fat (some foam should be floating to the top) off. Do this until most of the foam has been removed (could take 20 minutes more or less). Add in the salt and pepper (if using).
• Add in the fresh dill and parsley (if you’re using). Continue to simmer gently for about one hour.
• Taste soup and add additional salt, pepper.
• Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve or strainer into a large bowl. Reserve the carrots. Reserve the chicken (take off the bones) if you're serving the broth with chicken.
• If you’re cooking the pastina in the broth:
• Strain the broth (reserve the carrots and take the chicken off the bone, if you’ll be serving it with the pastina). Bring 6 cups of chicken broth to a boil.
• Add the pastina and reduce heat to a simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until al dente. Ladle into bowls and serve with pieces of the carrots. Add on some grated cheese if you like.
• The other option is to cook the pastina in a pot of boiling water. Reduce heat to a simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until al dente. Strain the pastina and portion directly to bowls and ladle the broth on top.

Notes

• Homemade chicken broth with wings is super easy to make. If you prefer to use store bought broth, choose a low sodium and a nicer quality brand so that it will have the best flavor. You could even use rotisserie chicken, for convenience. 
• Pastina cooked in the soup will continue to soak up the broth when it is stored in the refrigerator. The pastina will be mushy the next day. If you cook extra pastina, store it separately from the broth.
• You could use whatever small shape you happen to have on hand. But the kids love the tiny stars! Look for tiny shapes made for soups and stews.
• You can store chicken broth or stock in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze for 2-3 months. 

Nutrition

Calories: 318kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.1g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 508mg | Potassium: 225mg | Fiber: 0.05g | Sugar: 0.002g | Vitamin A: 213IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg

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