Description
This is the Italian Penicillin Soup, a wonderfully soothing and light recipe perfect for when you need comfort. It uses simple, fresh ingredients to create a healing broth that tastes like a warm hug.
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 cups good quality chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 large carrot, finely diced
- 1 celery stalk, finely diced
- 1/2 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 1/2 cup pastina or orzo pasta
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- Juice of 1/2 lemon (or more, to taste)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Optional: A drizzle of good olive oil
Instructions
- Combine the chicken broth, water, carrot, celery, and onion in a medium saucepan.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the pastina or orzo to the simmering soup. Cook according to package directions, usually 8-10 minutes, until the pasta is done.
- Remove the soup from the heat. Stir in the fresh parsley and the lemon juice.
- Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. You might want more lemon for brightness.
- Ladle into bowls. Drizzle with olive oil before serving, if desired.
Notes
- Use the best quality chicken broth you can find; this is the base of the flavor.
- For extra flavor, simmer a small piece of Parmesan rind in the broth while the vegetables cook, then remove it before adding the pasta.
- This soup is best eaten the day it is made for maximum restorative effect.
- If you do not have pastina, use finely chopped cooked chicken breast for protein.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop Simmer
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 550mg
- Fat: 3g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 15mg