Italian Pastina Soup
Servings 6
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or Large Soup Pot
- Blender
- Large saucepan
Ingredients
- 1½ tbsp butter
- 4 small carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 celery sticks chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 3 whole garlic cloves peeled & smashed
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- Parmesan rind optional, but adds umami, flavor, and richness
- 1 cup cold chicken broth or water
- ¾ cup acini di pepe or tiny star-shaped pasta
- Juice of 1 lemon
Serving:
- Fresh parsley finely minced
- Parmesan freshly grated
- Fresh lemon wedges
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add all the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic cloves and season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Cook, stirring often, for 5-6 minutes, to soften a bit and bring out their natural sweetness.
- Add chicken broth, bay leaves, and Parmesan cheese rind. Turn the heat up and bring to a boil, then cover with a lid, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the veggies are very soft.
- Remove and discard the Parmesan rind and bay leaves.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the veggies to your blender. Add 1 cup of cold broth (or water) to the veggies. Blend the cooled veggies and broth in your blender until completely smooth.
- Pour into the broth and stir to combine. Add the juice of one lemon. Taste the broth and re-season if needed.
- Meanwhile, cook the acini di pepe in a large saucepan of well-salted boiling water to al dente. Drain.
- Ladle some broth into a serving bowl and stir in the desired amount of drained pasta.
- Serve with fresh parmesan cheese, parsley, and lemon wedges.