Description
Make this simple, comforting Italian Penicillin Soup when you need a warm, easy-to-digest meal for recovery from a cold or flu.
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken breast (optional)
- 1/2 cup pastina pasta (or small star/alphabet pasta)
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant. Do not let the garlic brown.
- Pour in the chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Add the shredded chicken, if using, and the pastina pasta. Cook according to the pasta package directions, usually 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the fresh lemon juice.
- Season the soup with salt and pepper to your taste.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley before serving hot.
Notes
- For a richer flavor, use homemade chicken broth instead of store-bought.
- If you do not have cooked chicken, you can poach raw chicken pieces directly in the simmering broth until cooked through, then shred them before returning them to the soup.
- Add a pinch of red pepper flakes during the simmering stage if you want a slight warming spice.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 4
- Sodium: 450
- Fat: 4
- Saturated Fat: 1
- Unsaturated Fat: 3
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 22
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 14
- Cholesterol: 35