At the top of the list of nostalgic comfort foods sits Pastina in Brodo. This simple soup combines homemade chicken broth, or brodo, with tiny pasta and plenty of grated cheese. It’s nourishing, satisfying, and just the thing to help get you through the cooler months!
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Italian penicillin
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that most of my culinary knowledge was passed down from my grandma and my mom. My recipe for pastina in brodo is one that closely resembles the pastina they’d make for my brother and me when we weren’t feeling well.
Much like pasta e piselli, or Italian zucchini soup, every time I take a spoonful of pastina in brodo, I feel like a kid again (minus The Price is Right blaring in the background), and if any of us are feeling under the weather, you can bet this is the first thing I’m making!
The soup is warm and nourishing, the tiny pastine are easy to eat, and the grated cheese takes the flavor over the top.
Pastina in brodo truly is the comfort food you’ll want to make again and again!
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Pastina. While many in the area of NY where I live regard the Ronzoni brand of pastina to be the best, you truly can use any pastina you’d like. The Italian word pastina translates to “little pasta” in English and comes in many shapes, such as stelline, or star-shaped pasta, as well as acini di pepe (the tiny pasta used in Italian wedding soup), and other shapes. Use what’s available and best for you!
- Brodo. I’m using a whole chicken, plus carrots, celery, garlic, onion, bay leaves, peppercorns, and cloves to make my brodo. You can do the same, or you can go for the ultimate cheat code and use store-bought chicken stock or broth.
- Cheese and butter. I love adding a rind of Parmigiano Reggiano to the broth that cooks the pasta, and finishing the pastina in brodo with grated Parmigiano Reggiano and a nob of butter makes it so good!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
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How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- In a large stock pot, place the chicken, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, parsley, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, and water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, use a large flat spoon to gently skim the scum from the top. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 3 hours, skimming the scum every 30 minutes or so. Be careful to not stir the brodo as any agitation can make the brodo cloudy.
- After 3 hours, strain the brodo by gently ladling it through a fine mesh sieve placed over another large pot. Ladling the brodo in this way will help keep it clear. Remove the veggies and the chicken and save for another meal, or shred the chicken and slice the carrots and serve it with your pastina, if desired.
- Add 6 cups of brodo plus the Parmigiano rind and 2 tablespoons of butter to a large pot and bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the pastina and cook until it reaches al dente, then turn off the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in bowls with butter and grated parm and enjoy!
Top tips
- Getting a clear brodo. Brodo is known for being very clear. The best way to achieve a clear brodo is to not agitate the ingredients in the pot as they cook. Take care when ladling the brodo from the pot at the end. If you do wind up with a cloudy brodo, it’s not a big deal and the end result will still taste great.
- Serving. My mom and grandma would always add more butter and grated cheese at the end and I loved it that way. I’ll often add the carrots from the brodo to my pastina as well.
- Chicken. If you’d like to shred some of the chicken to serve with your brodo, you can certainly do so. I love to save the chicken and use it to make chicken salad, such as NY deli chicken salad, or Waldorf chicken salad.
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Pastina in Brodo
Ingredients
For the brodo
- 1 whole chicken
- 3 ribs celery cut into large chunks
- 2 large carrots cut into large chunks
- 1 medium onion halved
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 packed cup Italian flat-leaf parsley
- 10 peppercorns
- 2 large dried bay leaves
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 gallon water
For the pastina
- 6 cups brodo from above
- 1 parmesan rind
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 cup pastina can use acini di pepe or other tiny pasta if you like
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese for serving
- salt and pepper to taste
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Instructions
For the brodo
- Place all of the ingredients into a large pot (10 quart or larger works best, though an 8 quart will just fit everything) and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, use a large flat spoon to skim the scum off the top of the brodo. Turn the the heat to low and simmer the brodo for 3 hours. Every 25-30 minutes, skim the scum off the top and discard it. Do not stir the brodo or move the chicken and veggies, since that will make the brodo less clear.
- Once 3 hours have elapsed, strain the brodo by gently ladling it through a fine mesh sieve placed over another large pot. Ladling the brodo instead of pouring it helps keep it clear.
- Discard the veggies and save the chicken for another meal or you can shred it and serve it with the pastina. Note: I like to save the carrots and slice and serve in the bowl of soup.
For the pastina
- Add 6 cups of brodo, the parmesan rind, and 2 tablespoons of butter to a large pot and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the pastina and cook until al dente. Turn the heat off and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve in bowls and top with the a divided amount of the butter and grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
- Brodo. This recipe makes a bit more than 3 quarts of brodo. The remaining brodo can be frozen and used for other soups.
- Chicken. The chicken can be broken down and shredded for the soup or it can be used for another meal.
- Carrots. I love to cut up the soft carrots and add them to the bowl of soup.
- Leftovers. Pastina in brodo can be saved in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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What does this mean ? In a large stock pot black the chicken,
It is in the recipe instructions for Italian Penicillin
Thanks ,
That’s a typo. It’s “place the chicken…”. It’s now corrected.
Falling off my chair at your Price is Right comment. My Grandmother would make tomato soup and serve with saltines and The Price is Right ! Will make yours this weekend and already rated it five stars as everything else is ! Thanks Chef !
I heard that Ronzoni had discontinued making Pastina. Is the other option just as good? Thanks for all your great recipes!
Hi Lisa, Ronzoni did for a little while but they’re making it again (we used it when we photographed this recipe).
A classic! It’s all I want when I’m sick. My family’s only difference is using pecorino instead of parm.