Italian Penicillin Soup That Soothes Sick Days in 50 Minutes

Italian penicillin soup is chicken soup with one smart twist. You simmer the carrots, celery, onion and garlic until they’re soft, then blend them into the broth. What you get is a silky, golden soup that looks creamy but has no cream in it, full of tiny pastina and shredded chicken.

I first made it when my whole house had colds. It’s the only version of chicken soup my youngest drinks to the last drop, probably because there are no vegetable chunks to pick out.

If you’re short on time, use a store-bought rotisserie chicken. That leaves you sautéing, simmering and blending, and the soup’s on the table in about 50 minutes.

Ingredients

This serves 4 generously and makes about 8 cups.

For the soup base

• 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion (about 1 cup / 150 g), chopped
• 2 medium carrots (about 1 cup / 130 g), chopped
• 2 celery stalks (about 3/4 cup / 90 g), chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed or roughly chopped. You’re blending everything, so knife work doesn’t matter.
• 6 cups (1.4 L) low-sodium chicken broth. Bone broth works and makes a richer soup. Use low-sodium either way, because the soy sauce and Parmesan rind both add salt.
• 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce. This adds savory depth without tasting like soy sauce. Tamari works if you need gluten-free, but the pastina has gluten anyway.
• 1 Parmesan rind (about 2 inches / 5 cm), optional but strongly recommended
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs. Or 3/4 tsp dried thyme.
• 1–2 bay leaves
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

To finish

• 2 1/4 cups (about 340 g) shredded cooked chicken. Rotisserie chicken or leftover roast chicken both work.
• 3/4 cup (130 g) dried pastina. Orzo, acini di pepe or ditalini all work. Bigger shapes need a couple more minutes.
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (about half a lemon)
• Grated Parmesan and chopped fresh parsley, for serving

About the rind: I keep a bag of Parmesan rinds in the freezer just for soups like this. It’s what makes the broth taste like it simmered for hours. If you don’t have one, you’ll still have good soup. Just stir a bit more grated Parmesan into each bowl.

Step-by-Step Italian Penicillin Soup

1. Sauté the vegetables. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring now and then, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent and a few edges are just starting to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, until it smells fragrant.

2. Add the broth and aromatics. Pour in the broth and soy sauce. Drop in the Parmesan rind, thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits, because that’s flavor.

3. Simmer until the vegetables are very soft. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat so it bubbles gently. Simmer uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes. The carrots should crush easily against the side of the pot with a spoon. Don’t stop when they’re just fork-tender. Carrots that are only slightly firm blend into a gritty broth instead of a smooth one.

4. Fish out the extras. Remove the Parmesan rind (by now it’s soft and gummy, which is normal), the thyme stems and the bay leaves.

5. Blend. An immersion blender is the easiest way. Blend right in the pot until the broth is smooth and an even orange-gold color.

If you’re using a countertop blender: work in batches, fill the jar no more than halfway, take the center cap out of the lid and cover the hole with a folded towel. Hot liquid expands when you blend it, and a sealed lid can blow off. I learned that one the messy way.

6. Cook the chicken and pastina. Pour the blended broth back into the pot if you moved it, and bring it to a steady simmer. Stir in the chicken and pastina. Cook for 6 to 10 minutes, stirring often and scraping the bottom, until the pasta is tender. Pastina is tiny and settles fast, and the blended vegetables make the broth thick enough to scorch if you leave it alone. Cooking times vary by brand, so start tasting at 5 minutes.

7. Finish and season. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Taste first, then add salt and pepper. Because of the soy sauce and rind, you may need less salt than you’d expect.

8. Serve right away, topped with grated Parmesan and parsley.

One thing: the soup thickens a lot as it sits, because the pastina keeps soaking up broth. If it’s too thick by the time everyone sits down, stir in a splash of hot broth or water.

What to Expect

It’ll look creamier than it is. The blended vegetables give the broth body and a pale orange color, a bit like a thin bisque, with pastina and chicken all through it.

The flavor is savory and gentle, with lemon at the end to keep it from tasting flat. A high-powered blender makes it almost velvety. An immersion blender leaves a little texture, which I actually like.

If you skip the rind and the soy sauce, it’ll taste noticeably milder.

Ways to Change It Up

Start with raw chicken. Put 1 lb (450 g) of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the pot when you add the broth, plus about 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) of water. Simmer covered for 15 to 20 minutes, until the chicken hits 165°F (74°C) inside and the vegetables are soft. Pull the chicken out and shred it, blend the broth, then cook the pasta and stir the chicken back in at the end. It takes a little more work, but the chicken flavors the broth as it cooks.

For a vegetarian version, swap in vegetable broth and leave out the chicken. A can of drained cannellini beans works well instead, or blend half the beans into the broth to make it creamier. Check that your Parmesan rind is vegetarian, since traditional Parmesan uses animal rennet.

If you like heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes along with the garlic, and finish each bowl with a drizzle of good olive oil. With a little more lemon zest on top, it gets bright and peppery, which is great when you’re congested.

Serving and Storage

This is a full meal in a bowl. For something on the side, crusty bread for dunking is the obvious pick. Warm cheddar-scallion soda farls are even better if you have 25 minutes. To balance all that softness, a sharp kale salad with lemon-Parmesan dressing adds crunch.

Fridge: Keep it in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Expect it to set into something close to porridge, because the pastina keeps absorbing liquid.

Reheating: Warm it gently on the stove with 1/2 to 1 cup of broth or water, stirring until it loosens up. Leftover pastina gets softer and won’t stay al dente, but it still tastes good.

Freezing: Freeze the blended broth (with the chicken, if you like) without the pasta for up to 3 months. Cook fresh pastina in it when you reheat. Frozen pasta turns mushy, and I don’t recommend freezing it.

Common Questions

Do I really have to blend it?

No, but then you’ve made a regular chicken pastina soup. Blending is the whole point of this recipe. If you’d rather have chunky vegetables and noodles, my classic chicken noodle soup is the one you want.

Why is my soup gritty?

The vegetables weren’t soft enough when you blended them, or the blender couldn’t break them down. Simmer for another 10 minutes, then blend again. Celery strings can also stay behind, so peel tough outer stalks first.

Can I make it creamier?

It’s already quite creamy from the vegetables. If you want actual cream, try my easy creamy chicken noodle soup. It’s richer and heavier, with a very different feel.

Can I cook the pastina separately?

Yes, and if you expect leftovers, you should. Cook the pastina in salted water, drain it, and add a spoonful to each bowl. That way the broth stays brothy for days.

What else do you make when someone’s sick?

This, or matzo ball soup with dill if I have a bit more time. Both are easy to eat when nobody’s hungry.

If you have leftover pastina, it makes a good side dish too. Treat it like creamy lemon orzo, finishing it with butter, Parmesan and lemon.

My last tip: don’t skip the lemon at the end, even though it’s only a tablespoon. If you try the bean version, let me know whether you blended some of the beans. I’m still trying to decide which way I like better.