Italian Penicillin Soup
This Italian Penicillin Soup is the ultimate comfort in a bowl — nourishing, soothing, and vibrant. A silky puréed vegetable broth made with carrots, celery, garlic, and onion is brightened with fresh lemon juice and finished with tender pastina pasta. It's one of the best soups for when you're feeling under the weather or simply craving something restorative and cozy.
Equipment
- Large pot or Dutch oven
- Wooden spoon
- Immersion blender or regular blender for puréeing
- Ladle
- Cutting board & knife
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 large carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 yellow onion, quartered
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 ribs celery, halved
- 1 tsp salt, plus black pepper to taste
- 1 Parmesan rind (optional)
- 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 ¼ cups pastina or other small pasta
- 1 large lemon, juiced (plus more to taste)
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
- drizzle of olive oil, for serving
- fresh parsley, chopped, for serving
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, garlic, celery, salt, and pepper. Cook 4–5 minutes until slightly softened and fragrant.
- Add Parmesan rind (if using) and broth. Cover and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer 25–30 minutes until vegetables are very soft.
- Remove Parmesan rind. Use an immersion blender to purée soup until smooth and silky. (Alternatively, blend in batches in a heat-safe blender.)
- Bring puréed soup back to a simmer. Stir in pastina and cook 8–10 minutes, until pasta is tender.
- Turn off heat. Stir in fresh lemon juice. Taste and adjust with more lemon, salt, or pepper as needed.
- Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with Parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil, black pepper, and parsley.
Notes
For vegetarian or vegan: swap chicken broth for vegetable broth and omit the Parmesan rind/cheese. For a no-pasta option, skip the pastina and stir in cooked quinoa, rice, or shredded chicken for extra protein. This recipe can also be adapted to a slow cooker — purée before finishing with lemon juice. Leftovers reheat well, though the pasta may absorb more liquid; thin with extra broth as needed.