If you’ve been on the internet lately, you’ve likely seen some version of a chicken pastina soup recipe. Often referred to as Italian penicillin, it’s the perfect soup for when your body is tired and can’t digest much, so whether you over did it this weekend with the holiday or you feel like you’re coming under the weather, my Almost Classic Italian Chicken Soup with Pastina Recipe will bring you back to life.
With pasta, tender chicken, bone broth and plenty of vegetables, this comforting soup will become your go to. Another bonus? Mine is made mostly in the oven. Yep- you read that right. So, even if you have to make this yourself, you can probably drag yourself to the stove long enough to get it going and then you can take a little nap while the magic happens.
Almost Classic Italian Chicken Soup with Pastina Recipe Tips
While homemade chicken broth is always delicious, we are keeping this simple. With all of the delicious bone broth options on the market, I just recommend you use your favorite bone broth or store bought chicken stock. While quicker versions might use rotisserie chicken, we are going to use a method that allows us to use fresh chicken breasts and cook it all up together so it’s nice and easy.
What you’ll have is a rich chicken broth that is filled with the goodness of vegetables.
The one thing I wish I had on hand was a parmesan rind to simmer in with the broth. If you can get one , do that. You’ll just put it in there with the other ingredients when you simmer it in the oven low and slow at 275. Simply remove before blending the vegetables. Parmesan rinds are sometimes sold at grocery stores in a small container. Pick those up and put them in your freezer for soup and pasta sauce making. Trust me!
Always keep your pasta separate from your broth. I give this tip with every single one of my broth based soups and this pastina chicken soup is no different. You want that pasta to stay al dente. You also want to be able to freeze any leftover broth so that it is extra easy for you to pull this out of your freezer in the colder months and just warm it and add pasta.
What kind of pasta for Chicken Pastina Soup?
So, pastina literally means ” little pasta .” I happen to like Ditalini because I like the bite that it retains after cooking, but use whatever small pasta shapes you like. Tiny star shaped pasta and alphabet pasta are some kid friendly options. Ancini de pepe is another popular one if you like those super small ones.
This is a great soup for kids that are a little weird about veggies as a matter of fact! Just omit the spinach at the end if they don’t like the green.
How to Store leftover Chicken Pastina Soup
Store your pasta separate from the broth in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. You can also freeze the leftover broth up to 3 months. For this I love soup cubes. I freeze it in individual portions. Then I just need to add the pasta. Please note any links to products are affiliate links. I am an Amazon associate in their affiliate program and make a small commission when you use these links.
Variations for Almost Classic Italian Chicken Soup with Pastina Recipe
You do not have to add the chicken to the recipe and you could use vegetable broth if you wanted to make this vegetarian or vegan. You can add fresh herbs for extra flavor. I also just love garnishing it with parmesan cheese and a nice drizzle of good olive oil before serving.
If you really wanted this to be a labor of love, you could forego boneless skinless chicken breasts and use a whole chicken. This makes for a very flavorful broth.
Especially when you are under the weather you need to think about being nourished. This is the perfect meal with simply ingredients to accomplish just that!
What to serve with Chicken Pastina Soup
Crusty Italian bread is by far my favorite thing to serve with this soup. You can also serve it with grilled cheese or garlic knots. My Parmesan Garlic Rolls made with Greek Yogurt would be perfect. You could also just go super basic and do some saltines. This recipe is a warm hug on a day when you just don’t feel like it so don’t put forth a bunch of effort if you don’t want to.
Leave a Star Rating and Review
I hope you try this one because it’s one of my favorite recipes. Keep these basic ingredients on hand and you’ll be ready any time you need the comfort and nourishment that these simple ingredients provide. Leave a comment and a rating if you make it. I love hearing how my recipes go for you!
Pin it or Later!
Almost Classic Italian Chicken Soup with Pastina Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 large Carrots Peeled and cut in half
- 3 stalks Celery Trimmed and cut in half
- 3 cloves Garlic Peeled
- 1 medium Onion Peeled and cut in half
- 6 cups Chicken Bone Broth Your favorite brand. I like Kettle and Fire
- 2 large Chicken Breasts Optional
- 1 tsp. Course Black Pepper
- 2 tsp Kosher Salt also taste it and salt to your tastes - consider the broth you use before salting.
- 2 cups Baby Spinach Shredded
- 6 ounces Ditalini or Pastina I like ditalini better. Use any small pasta you can find and like
Instructions
- Wash your produce items and peel your carrots. Cut the carrots and celery in half as well as the onion. Put that into a 6 quart dutch oven along with the 6 cups of broth. If you want chicken in this also add your chicken breasts , salt and pepper.3 large Carrots, 3 stalks Celery, 3 cloves Garlic, 1 medium Onion, 6 cups Chicken Bone Broth, 2 large Chicken Breasts, 1 tsp. Course Black Pepper, 2 tsp Kosher Salt
- Put the pot on the stove and bring to a boil. When it hits boiling point, place a lid on it and transfer to a 275 degree oven for 2 hours.
- Cook your pasta according to package instructions and set aside. You will keep the pasta separate from the soup to ensure it stays firm. Pasta will soak up all of your broth.6 ounces Ditalini or Pastina
- Remove the pot from the oven and remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat up. Set aside and blend the vegetables with an immersion blender or my transfer the mixture to a blender to blend in batches.
- Put the chicken in and wilt in your baby spinach.2 cups Baby Spinach
- Add a little pasta to the bottom of a soup bowl and spoon the chicken soup over it. Garnish with Parmesan cheese if desired.