Easy Pastina Soup With Veggies

5 from 11 votes

Pastina soup - an Italian chicken noodle soup - is comfort in a bowl. I like to add veggies to bump up the nutrition, but that's up to you (and what the kids will eat!). Deliciously satisfying.

Prep Time6

Cook Time16

Total Time22

Course: Main Course, soups and starters

Cuisine: Italian

Servings (change as needed):

Author: Cheryl Avrich

US Measures - Metric

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onions (about 1/2 sweet onion)
2 cups diced carrots or mix of veggies, Note 1 (the smaller the dice, the quicker the veggies will cook)
6 cups chicken broth or chicken stock, Note 2 (or vegetable broth)
3/4 cup pastina, Note 3
3 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped (or kale or swiss chard)
salt and black pepper to taste (amount of salt depends on saltiness of broth)

Optional add-ins

Parmesan rind (while cooking soup), shredded cooked rotisserie chicken
Garnish: fresh herbs (chives, dill, basil), Parmesan cheese, splash of lemon juice

US Measures - Metric

Instructions

SAUTÉ ONIONS AND VEGETABLES: Heat oil on medium-high heat. Add chopped onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes until slightly caramelized. This will add good flavor to the soup. Add carrots and any other veggies you're using. Sauté another 2-3 minutes.
COOK SOUP: Add chicken broth (or vegetable broth for a vegetarian soup). Cook for 5 minutes to soften the veggies. They will will cook more with the broth. If you cut the veggies larger, they will take longer to cook.
ADD PASTINA: Bring soup to a boil. Add pastina. Lower heat to get a slow rolling boil and cook until pastina is al dente or as tender as you like it. About 5-6 minutes.
FINISH AND SERVE: Add baby spinach. Stir until wilted, about 1 minute. Taste and adjust seasonings. Garnish with herbs, parmesan cheese or lemon juice if you like and serve immediately.

Notes

Vegetable options: The recipe calls for two cups of carrots, but I like to do a combination of carrots and celery (or bok choy). You can also snap peas or cut up green beans if you like. Or whatever you have hanging around. If you add a lot of extra veggies, I suggest increasing the amount of broth.
Chicken broth options: I like to use a canned condensed broth (add less water than called for for a more intense flavor). I also find Better Than Bouillon Roast Chicken paste very good. Of course, a homemade broth would be perfect too :)
Pastina options: pastina, acini de pepe, alphabet pasta, stelline, orzo. Note that orzo is larger and will take an extra few minutes to cook.
Variations for add ins:
- add a parmesan rind while cooking the soup or parmesan cheese at the end.
- add a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten up the soup
- whisk in an egg at the end of cooking (it will cook in the chicken broth)
- add a tablespoon of pesto
- for a vegetarian version, Better Than Bouillon Roasted Vegetable makes an excellent vegetable broth
- make a homemade soup - here's a recipe for chicken soup and instant pot turkey soup (you can use chicken instead)
- add shredded leftover or rotisserie chicken
Make ahead:
- To make earlier in the day:
  - As the soup sits at room temperature or the fridge, the pastina will absorb some broth so you might need to add a splash of water or broth when reheating.
  - Alternatively, make the soup and veggies without the pastina. About 10 minutes before serving, bring the soup to a boil, add the pastina, lower to medium heat and cook until tender.
  - A third option is to cook the pastina in a separate pot while the soup cooking, then add it to the chicken soup when serving.
- To store: Place the soup in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave with extra water or broth if needed.
- To freeze: If you want to freeze the soup, make the soup and pastina separately - and freeze them separately for up to 2 months.

Nutrition values are estimates and do not include extra add-ins or garnish.