Description
Italian Penicillin Soup is the ultimate comfort dish—rich, lemony broth blended with carrots, celery, onion, and garlic, then finished with pastina pasta and Parmesan for a nourishing, immune-boosting meal. It’s cozy, healing, and ready in under an hour, perfect for sick days, cold nights, or when you need a hug in a bowl.
Ingredients
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3 tbsp olive oil
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3 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
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1 yellow onion, quartered
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5 garlic cloves, peeled
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3 celery ribs, halved
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1 tsp salt
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Black pepper, to taste
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8 cups (1.9 liters) chicken or vegetable broth
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1 Parmesan rind (optional)
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1¼ cups pastina (or orzo, stelline, ditalini)
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Juice of 1 lemon (more to taste)
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Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
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¼ cup chopped parsley (optional)
Instructions
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Sauté base: Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, garlic, and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 4–5 minutes until softened.
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Simmer: Pour in broth and add Parmesan rind. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer, covered, for 25–30 minutes.
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Blend: Remove Parmesan rind. Purée the soup with an immersion blender (or in batches) until smooth.
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Cook pasta: Return soup to a gentle simmer. Stir in pastina and cook 8–10 minutes until tender.
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Brighten: Stir in lemon juice, adjust seasoning with extra salt, pepper, or lemon.
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Serve: Ladle into bowls. Top with Parmesan, parsley, and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve hot with crusty bread.
Notes
Parmesan rind adds depth but can be omitted.
Use chicken broth for richness or vegetable broth to keep it vegetarian.
For chunkier soup, blend only part of the veggies.
Any small pasta works if you don’t have pastina.
Freeze without pasta for best results; add fresh pastina when reheating.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Soup / Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian