Nonna’s Penicillin Soup
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My Nonna believed garlic could cure anything, and this cozy Italian pastina soup is proof! A light, golden broth with six cloves of garlic, tender zucchini, fresh thyme and tiny pastina noodles, finished with lemon, Parmigiano-Reggiano and parsley. Easy, freezer-friendly and perfect for cold and flu season.
Equipment
- Large Dutch Oven or Soup Pot
- Garlic Press
- sharp chef's knife
- cutting board
- Wooden Spoon or Silicone Spatula
- Ladle
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic pressed or minced
- 1 medium white onion diced
- 3 ribs celery diced
- 3 tsp vegan vegetable bouillon base
- 8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ cup pastina or acini di pepe pasta
- 2 medium zucchini quartered lengthwise and sliced
- fine sea salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
For serving
- fresh lemon cut into wedges
- Parmigiano-Reggiano freshly grated, or vegan parmesan
- fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the pressed garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until fragrant but not browned.
- Add the diced onion and celery. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Stir in the vegan bouillon base, then pour in the vegetable broth.
- Add the bay leaves and fresh thyme sprigs. Turn the heat up to high and bring the soup to a boil.
- Once the soup is boiling, stir in the pastina and the zucchini.
- Reduce the heat to a gentle boil and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so the pastina doesn’t stick, until the pasta is tender and the zucchini is soft.
- Remove the bay leaves and thyme stems. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and finish each one with a squeeze of lemon, a sprinkle of Parmigiano-Reggiano and a little fresh parsley. Enjoy!
More About This Recipe
Kitchen Tools You’ll Need
- Large Dutch oven or soup pot
- Garlic press
- Sharp chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Wooden spoon
- Ladle
Christine’s Cooking Tips
- Can’t find pastina? Pastina can be tricky to track down at some grocery stores. Look for acini di pepe instead. It’s the same kind of tiny, round Italian pasta and works perfectly. Stelline (little stars) or orzo are great swaps too.
- Don’t brown the garlic: Keep the heat medium-low and stir the garlic constantly. You want it soft, fragrant and golden, never dark, or the broth can turn bitter.
- Wait for the boil: Add the pastina only once the broth is at a full boil, then stir often for the first few minutes so the tiny noodles don’t clump or stick to the bottom.
- Don’t overcook the zucchini: Cut it into chunky pieces so it stays tender with a little bite, not mushy.
- Taste before you salt: Bouillon bases and store-bought broths vary a lot in sodium, so season at the very end.
- Make it gluten-free: Use a gluten-free small pasta or swap in ½ cup of rice and simmer until tender.
- Make it vegan: The soup itself is plant-based. Just top it with vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast instead of Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Nutrition
Serving: 1.5cupsCalories: 145kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 4gFat: 5gFiber: 2gSugar: 4g
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