Nonna’s Easy Chicken Soup with pastina is comfort food at its best. This very simple recipe, is the perfect meal when the weather is starting to get cooler and you just want something homey and cozy. Nonna (my mom, but Nonna to everyone else) loads the soup with chicken, vegetables and pasta so it can be a meal all on it’s own. Serve it with a warm loaf of crusty Bread for a meal that chase away the chills!
How to make this easy chicken soup
Ingredients
The Chicken
My mom uses whatever chicken parts she has on hand, so no need to have a whole chicken to make this soup. She starts by removing the skin from the chicken. This makes it less greasy, which means you won’t need to skim any fat off before serving the soup. You will still have enough fat from the chicken to flavor the soup perfectly. This also makes it pretty healthy at only 245 calories for a 1 1/2 cup serving. So feel free to have seconds!
The Vegetables
This soup is simple, using basic ingredients, but big on flavor. Nonna’s recipe calls for the basic vegetable combination of carrots, celery and onion, but she also adds a tomato to the soup to provide some added tang to the broth. Peel and seed the tomato and then it can be added whole or in big chunks. You can also use canned whole tomatoes as well
The Pasta
We usually serve Nonna’s homemade chicken soup with pastina or acini di pepe, which are very small pasta shapes. This type of pasta is perfect for the little ones.
Of course you can use any pasta shape you like but the smaller pastas work best since you eat soup with a spoon. But if you love spaghetti, just take a handful of it and break it into 1-2″ inch pieces. Now you can eat spaghetti with a spoon!
Instructions for making the soup
Bring water to a boil in a large pan.
Add chicken, vegetables, bouillon, salt and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and continue to boil slowly for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Cook the pastina in a separate pot of water.
Remove the chicken from the soup and break it up into small pieces, then add it back to the soup.
When the pastina is done, drain almost all of the water out. Place a ladle of pastina in a bowl and top it with a ladle or more of soup. Serve with grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese if desired.
Variations:
When Nonna makes homemade chicken soup she likes to change things up once in awhile just to keep things interesting. Try some of these variations:
1. Serve it with rice instead of pasta. This is a great way to make this gluten free.
2. Add a parmesan rind to the soup while cooking. This adds incredible flavor to the soup!
3. Throw in some tiny meatballs along with the chicken. The next time you make meatballs, make some tiny meatballs and freeze them before cooking. Then when you make soup, just throw them in and let them cook with the other ingredients.
Can you freeze this soup?
It is always great to have a quick meal ready when you need it. This soup freezes well and can be defrosted in the microwave or on the stove top if you are in a pinch. Store it a sealed container or freezer bag and it will keep in the refrigerator for 4 days and up to 3 months in the freezer.
Other Italian soup recipes to try:
We also love Nonna’s Zucchini and Potato Soup and Rosa Marina Soup with Spinach and Tomatoes.
I love to get your feedback so if you tried Nonna’s Easy Italian Chicken Soup with Pastina or any other recipes on this website, please leave me a comment below. I hope you enjoy our recipes and look forward to hearing from you!
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Nonna’s Homemade Chicken Soup with Pastina
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs Chicken skinless
- 3 quarts water
- 1 Carrot large, cut into slices
- 2 Celery stalks sliced
- 1/2 Onion Diced
- 1 Tomato peeled and seeded
- 1 Chicken Bouillon cube
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
- 1 1/2 cups Pastina
Instructions
- Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot or dutch oven.
- Add chicken, vegetables, bouillon, salt and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and continue to boil slowly for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check to see if the broth needs any additional seasoning.
- Fill a smaller pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the pastina and 2 heaping teaspoons of salt and cook about 10 minutes or according to package directions.
- While the pastina is cooking transfer the chicken to a plate. Allow the chicken to cool slightly. Using your fingers or a fork, pull the meat off the bones. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and add it back into the broth.
- When the pastina is done, drain almost all of the water out. Place a ladle of pastina in a bowl and top it with a ladle or more of soup. Serve with grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese if desired.
Enza,
What a delightful soup! Wish I were having a bowl with you now!
Shelby
Me too Shelby! Hope you are doing well! We miss you!
My kids can’t get enough!
Great recipe
Thank you! I am so happy that you like it!