Penicillin Soup is the ultimate comfort food, especially when you’re feeling under the weather. It’s supremely healing and nourishing; the broth is pure liquid gold!
The golden broth is packed with blended veggies, an anti-Dracula dose of garlic, a trio of fresh herbs, then finished with a psychotic amount of fresh lemon juice and heaps of finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano. You can either sip this broth as is, or pour it over your choice of pastina (any teeny tiny soup pasta).
What you’ll need to make Penicillin Soup:
- chicken broth homemade is ideal
- carrots
- celery
- onion
- garlic cloves
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- bay leaves
- fresh oregano may sub dried
- fresh thyme may sub dried
- water
- chicken Better than Bouillon paste
- lemons
- butter
- pastina any teeny tiny soup pasta (like this one)
- Parmigiano Reggiano (bonus points if you have a 2″ rind)
- Italian parsley optional
If you like the vibe of this recipe but need something faster and with fewer ingredients, give my 5 ingredient Acini Di Pepe Soup a try!
If your kids go to daycare or school, you really need to save this recipe!! With seasons changing and temperatures dropping, it’s only a matter of time before cold and flu season hits. I’m proud to say, this recipe is kiddo approved. My friends three-nager and toddler gobbled it up! This is the only recipe you’ll need when the family is feeling down and out.
One of my favorite things about Penicillin Soup is that you can plan ahead and store the broth in the freezer. I like to make a big ol batch and I’m set for the winter months. When I’m feeling like I have something coming on, I grab a container of broth from the freezer and pour it over cooked pasta noodles. The convenience is such a gift when you don’t feel up to cooking but need something in your stomach.
Leaning into soup season? Give some of these recipes a try:
- Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder
- Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Cream of Celery Soup
- Beef and Barley Soup
- Quick and Easy Dill Pickle Soup
- Acini Di Pepe Soup
Penicillin Soup
Equipment
- 1 large pot
- 1 chefs knife
- 1 vegetable peeler
- 1 cutting board
- 1 blender
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 soup ladle
- 1 box grater
Ingredients
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 4 carrots peeled + rough chop
- 4 celery stalks rough chop
- 1 onion peeled + rough chop
- 12 garlic cloves peeled + rough chop
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2" piece of Parmesan rind optional
- 2 bay leaves
- fresh oregano a few sprigs or 1 tsp dried
- fresh thyme a few sprigs or 1 tsp dried
- 4 cups water
- 1 tbsp Better than Bouillon paste chicken
- 2 lemons juiced
- 2 tbsp butter sliced
- 1 cup pastina translates to 'little pasta'; I reach for the tiny stars
- Parmigiano Reggiano finely grated; for serving
- Italian parsley a large handful, chopped; for serving
Instructions
- Add chicken broth to a large pot and warm over high heat. Add celery, carrots, onion, garlic, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, Better than Bouillon, Parmesan rind (if using), a solid 5 finger pinch of kosher salt, and a few good grinds of black pepper; stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and semi-cover with lid. Simmer for 35 minutes.
- Remove bay leaves, thyme and oregano springs. Transfer everything to a blender (I used my trusty blend tec) and blend until silky smooth. A lot of blenders will have a soup setting so choose that if the option is available to you. Remove the top center piece of the blender to allow the steam to exit. Cover with a folded kitchen towel to avoid any mess!
- Transfer contents of the blender back to the pot and crank the heat to medium. Add 4 cups of water; cook for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and butter. Taste, adjust seasoning as needed.
- Cook the pastina in salted water as per package instructions. You can use any kind of small soup pasta. Divide cooked pastina among bowls and ladle the golden broth overtop.
- Serve with heaps of grated Parm, fresh parsley, and lemon wedges (if desired).
