Pastina Soup Recipe | POPSUGAR Food

If you’re coming down with a cold, sure, you can take over-the-counter medication to combat your symptoms. But what’ll really make you feel better — at least according to all the Italians that swear by this tasty remedy — is pastina soup.

Referred to as “Italian penicillin,” this beloved comfort food is a go-to meal for those feeling under the weather, akin to chicken noodle soup in many American households. But while the nourishing broth and easy-to-digest ingredients function as a soothing meal when you’re sick, pastina soup is just as delicious on any other occasion — and it’s incredibly simple to prepare.

What Is Pastina Soup?

Pastina soup is currently going viral on TikTok. Some users refer to it simply as pastina, which inevitably causes an argument to erupt in the comment section, because there’s actually a distinction between the two terms. Pastina translates to “little pasta” in Italian, and while it usually refers to a specific pasta variety shaped like tiny stars, it can also refer to any other tiny pasta shape, including orzo, acini di pepe (which resembles couscous), or stelline, a flatter star-shaped pasta with a small hole in the center.

Pastina soup is a variety of soup technically called minestrina. Minestrina is often referred to as pastina soup, because it’s a soup made with pastina or tiny pasta.

In general, pastina soup, or minestrina, is made with four basic ingredients: pastina, chicken broth, parmesan cheese, and butter. Olive oil is often used in place of butter, and vegetable or beef broth instead of chicken broth — every family has their own formula. Outside of these ingredients, eggs are also a common addition to pastina soup. Mixed into the broth raw, eggs impart a slightly richer consistency and flavor, comparable to adding the eggs in a carbonara sauce.

In other recipes, instead of eggs, the broth’s taste and texture is enhanced by adding puréed cooked vegetables, such as carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Though many people prefer this pastina soup preparation, it creates more steps to the cooking process, since you have to cook the veggies separately before blending them. When cooking a more basic pastina soup, even if you include an egg, it’s still a one-pot meal.

How Does Pastina Soup Taste?

The flavor of pastina soup is subtle — most of it comes from the broth and cheese, and as far as seasoning is concerned, there isn’t much, aside from a dash of salt and pepper. Some recipes enhance the flavor with herbs like parsley and thyme, or lemon juice and zest. If you want to experience traditional pastina soup, less is more — its comfort is found in the simplicity. If you’ve never tasted it before, the flavor can best be compared to cacio e pepe or parmesan risotto. If you like those dishes, there’s a solid chance you’ll enjoy pastina soup, too.

Soup detractors will be relieved that pastina soup can also be prepared more like a porridge, depending on how much broth is utilized. Giada De Laurentiis seems to prefer hers thicker, as she doesn’t use a ton of broth in the TikTok she posted, while The Pasta Queen’s recipe is significantly less viscous. Don’t be afraid to experiment to discover your ideal consistency.

For a thicker pastina, use about the same amount of broth as you would when making grits or oatmeal — just enough for the pasta to absorb and become creamy. Add about double that amount if you prefer a soupier texture.

How to Make Pastina Soup

Pastina soup is nearly goof-proof to prepare because you put all of the ingredients in one pot. Begin by bringing a pot of broth to a boil, then cook the pasta directly in it. Once the pasta is cooked through, the broth should be starchier and reduced. Stir in the butter, parmesan, and egg. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper to taste, and it’s ready to serve.

For the ultimate ease of preparation, you can also add everything in at once and let it cook, as de Laurentiis demonstrated on TikTok. The ingredients are very forgiving, and pastina is one of those recipes where you can realistically eyeball the amounts of ingredients. However, if you’ve never made the dish before and prefer to use specific measurements, feel free to follow our recipe below.

Kalea Martín writes primarily about food and cooking for PS, but as a former figure skater and hockey player, she covers fitness, too. Prior to becoming a lifestyle writer, Kalea covered hotels, restaurants, and travel for Luxos Magazine in Milan and worked in marketing at HarperCollins Publishers.