A quick and easy soup with onions, carrots, and celery that are simmered and then pureed before adding tiny pasta. The perfect soup for when you are feeling a little under the weather, or any other day!
Italian penicillin soup is a take on chicken noodle soup where the vegetables are pureed and tiny pasta is used as the noodle; it’s pure comfort food in a bowl! The recipe for this soup is super easy to make! You simply simmer onions, carrots and celery in chicken broth until tender before pureeing them. (Because this recipe is so simple you benefit from using a good homemade chicken broth (link).) Once the vegetables are pureed and added back to the soup, the tiny pasta is added and cooked. The final ingredient is parmesan cheese, which adds a ton of flavour! You can modify the base recipe in any way that you desire! I like to add an herb (or herbs), such as thyme, and/or rosemary, sage, parsley etc. You can add chunks of chicken, or even an egg, egg drop soup style, to add some protein. No matter how you make it, this Italian style penicillin soup is easy enough to make any time and it’s sure to please!
Italian Penicillin Soup
Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes Servings: 4
A quick and easy soup with onions, carrots, and celery that are simmered and then pureed before adding tiny pasta. The perfect soup for when you are feeling a little under the weather, or any other day!
ingredients
8 cups chicken broth (link) (or vegetable broth (link))
1 1/2 cups onion, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups carrot, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups celery, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, whole
1/2 teaspoon thyme (optional)
1 piece parmigiano reggiano (parmesan) rind (optional)
1 cup small pasta (such as pastina, or stelline or pearl couscous)
1 ounce parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated (or pecorino romano)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped (optional)
directions
Bring the broth, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, and parmesan rind, to boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes.
Transfer the vegetables to a blender, discarding the parmesan rind, and puree, before returning to the broth.
Add the pasta, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the pasta is cooked, about 8-10 minutes.
Add the parmesan, mix and let it melt into the broth.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, mix in the parsley and enjoy!
Option: Add 2 cups more broth for a thinner broth.
Option: Add 1 bay leaf, along with the vegetables.
Option: Add 2 cups chicken, cooked and sliced or shredded.
Option: Add 2 eggs, lightly beaten; swirl the soup with a spoon, slowly drip in beaten eggs as it swirls; egg drop style.
Option: Use your favourite herb(s), such as sage, rosemary, etc.
