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Italian Penicillin (Mom and Nonna’s Cure for Everything) 🍲
Pastina to us, Italian Penicillin to everybody else. Growing up, this is what showed up the minute anyone got sick — Mom and Nonna had a pot going within the hour, and I swear within a day we were feeling better. They had all the tricks and old wives’ tales to fix everything. This was the big one.
Here’s what makes it theirs: the vegetables simmer in the broth for the better part of an hour, then get blended right back into it. That’s where the body comes from. No cream, no roux, just carrots and celery and onion doing the work. Tiny stars, a mountain of parmigiano, and that’s it.
I make it for Gabriella and Anthony now, and I finally get how much those little pots meant. Another hug in a bowl. Enjoy!
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Equipment
- Stock pot / Dutch oven
- Blender / Immersion Blender
- 1 Ladle
- 1 Slotted spoon
Ingredients
- 4 cups organic chicken or vegetable broth homemade or store-bought
- 6 cups water
- 3 celery ribs cut in half
- 3 carrot stalks peeled and cut in half
- 6 garlic cloves whole
- 1 yellow or white onion whole
- 1 tsp salt
- 1-2 tbsp chicken bouillon powder more to taste
- 1 lb Pastina
- Parmigiano reggiano cheese for topping
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, combine water and chicken (or veggie) broth.
- Add the celery, carrots, garlic, onion, and salt to the pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover the pot, and let it simmer for about 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables. Place them in a blender along with two full ladles of broth and the chicken bouillon, then blend until smooth.
- Add the blended veggies back into the pot of broth and give it a good stir.
- Cook the pastina separately. Once it’s ready, pour the flavorful broth over it, and don’t forget the final touch—a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese!
Nutrition
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see it! Tag me on Instagram @thecookingmawma and tell me who you’re making it for. These stories are my absolute favorite part of sharing recipes with all of you.
Tips for Making This Recipe
Cook the pastina separately. I know it’s an extra pot. It matters. Pastina cooked straight in the broth drinks all of it and you end up with porridge instead of soup. Boil it on its own, drain it, and spoon the broth over it in the bowl.
Don’t skip the blend. Pulling the vegetables out at 45 minutes and blending them with a couple ladles of broth is the whole recipe. That’s what gives it body — no cream needed.
Leftovers keep 4–5 days. Store the pastina and the broth in separate containers or you’ll have a pot of mush by tomorrow.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of pastina should I use?
Is there chicken in this?
Why do you call it Italian Penicillin?
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This is hands down the easiest and most delicious soup I’ve ever made. It is so good that it’s made it into my weekly rotation.
You can make it exactly as the recipe is or get wild and add leeks, ginger… you name it! You kinda can’t go wrong with this one! Bless the Nona that gifted us with this heavenly recipe because I’ll be passing it onto my kids!
Thank you so much, Autumn. This means so much to me. I’m so glad your family loved it and it’s part of yours now, too <3
So easy and delicious! I hope you all love it!
The patina soup says 62 carb and has 6 servings. Is it 62 carbs per serving. We loved it but as a type 1 diabetic I was afraid of eating but a few bites.
Hi Frank, I’m so glad you loved it! Yes, It is 62 grams per serving, but that is almost all from the type of pasta (pastina/stelline) used. If the pastina is removed, the recipe (broth only) yields only 7 grams per serving of carbs. So I’d say if carbs is your main concern, stick with the broth as is and throw it over some low carb pasta!
I’m about to try this with home made turkey broth, my question is would you still add the bouillon if the broth is freshly made?
It’s definitely optional! I love homemade broth , but it does seem less “salty” to me, so I would still add the bouillon powder, or at the very least, a tsp of salt, to enhance the flavor of the homemade broth! I hope you love it! 🙂
Hi do you have to remove the veggies to blend or can you use an immersion blender and blend them already in the pot they were being cooked in ?
Hi! You can definitely use an immersion blender; I’ve seen people do it with success! I prefer the blender because I know for sure the celery specifically will blend completely.
Love making this when the family is under the weather. Such an easy way to get veggies into the kids!
It’s the best!!
This is my childhood in a bowl. My mom made this everytime we were not feeling well.
The absolute BEST soup on the internet. Thank you so much for this!