Rich, comforting and full of flavor, this Italian Penicillin Soup is a cozy, vegetable-forward twist on classic chicken soup. Made with carrots, onion, celery, it’s simmered with chicken broth and parmesan for a soul-warming dish that’s perfect for cold days, sick days or any day you’re craving something nourishing.
This hearty soup comes together with simple ingredients and packs a lot of flavor from minimal effort. It’s great for make-ahead lunches, family dinners or to stockpile in the freezer.
Jump to:
- Why You Will Love This Italian Penicillin Soup Recipe
- Ingredients
- Substitutions and Variations
- How to Make Italian Penicillin Soup
- More Side Dish Recipes You Will Love
- How to Store our Italian Penicillin Soup Recipe
- What to Serve with Italian Penicillin Soup
- Top Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions About Italian Penicillin Soup Recipe
- More Recipes You Will Love
- Italian Penicillin Soup
Usually right before the weather changes, I am already breaking out my soup pot, and before you know it I have soups in the freezer. Here are some other soups we love to prep in advance: Pumpkin Carrot Soup, Instant Pot Pumpkin Soup and Roasted Butternut Squash Soup.
Why You Will Love This Italian Penicillin Soup Recipe
- Vegetable-Packed: Loaded with fresh vegetables like carrots, celery and onions for a comforting, hearty bite.
- Creamy Without Cream: Blending the broth with veggies makes it velvety smooth, no dairy needed.
- Perfect for Sick Days: Warm, soothing and easy to digest.
- Easy to Customize: Add leftover chicken, change up the pasta or use what you have on hand.
- Freezer-Friendly: Make a big batch (hold the pastina) and freeze portions for later.
Ingredients
This easy soup comes together with simple, wholesome ingredients you may already have in your kitchen.
See the recipe card below for the exact quantities of each ingredient.
- Yellow Onions: For a sweet, aromatic base; any onion variation will do.
- Chicken Stock or Vegetable Broth: Used to thin the soup, you can use vegetable or chicken broth, whatever is preferred.
- Parmesan cheese + Rind (optional): Adds a creaminess as richness. I like to use rind as well as grated parmesan, it becomes so soft I add it to the blender, but you can remove it after cooking.
- Pastina: An optional addition that makes the soup heartier and even more comforting.
Make sure you have an immersion blender or high-speed blender, measuring cups and spoons and a large stock pot for this soup recipe.
Substitutions and Variations
Here are some simple variations and substitutions to keep make this cozy soup recipe even more flexible and family friendly.
- Vegetarian: Ensure you use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and it is naturally vegetarian.
- No Pastina?: Try orzo, acini di pepe or alphabet pasta; any tiny pasta will do. Or enjoy the delicious broth on its own and omit the pasta all together.
- Add Protein: Stir in cooked shredded chicken, turkey or white beans.
- Creamier Finish: Stir in a splash of cream or a dollop of Greek yogurt.
- Fresh Herbs: Add bay leaves, thyme or rosemary while simmering for extra depth.
How to Make Italian Penicillin Soup
This recipe is simple to make and filled with cozy, Italian flavor.
Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Then cook onions for about 5 minutes.
Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
Put everything but pastina in the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a rolling boil and cover.
Cook for an additional 25-30 minutes until the vegetables are tender. When the soup has about 15 minutes left, start cooking pasta for serving.
Using an immersion blender (or high-powered blender) puree the mixture in the pot until smooth.
Ladle soup over desired amount of pastina.
Hint: Using a quality broth, especially in a simple soup, makes all the difference.
More Side Dish Recipes You Will Love
How to Store our Italian Penicillin Soup Recipe
Store leftovers of this delicious soup a few ways! It is a great option for meal prep, leftovers or stocked in the freezer for a sick day soup.
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Let the soup cool completely and freeze in batches for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently over the stovetop.
What to Serve with Italian Penicillin Soup
This soup is perfect on its own on a chilly day; but here are some ideas to serve alongside for a fully comforting meal.
- Sides: Sautéed green beans with shallots, maple bacon Brussels sprouts, honey and brown sugar roasted carrots.
- Protein Mains: Chicken thighs with honey, herb butter turkey and boneless prime rib roast.
Top Tips
Follow these simple tips to get the best results from your soup every time.
- Don’t Skip the Parmesan Rind: It adds extra richness to the broth as it simmers.
- Add the Pasta After: I prefer to cook my pastina separately and ladle the soup on top. This prevents it from continuously soaking up the broth and making leftovers mushy.
- Let it Rest: Giving the soup 5-10 minutes off heat helps the flavors meld.
Frequently Asked Questions About Italian Penicillin Soup Recipe
Do you have questions about making our Italian penicillin soup, maybe we can help?!
Yes. Using the Sauté function, cook the vegetables for about 5 minutes, then pressure cook for 8 minutes on Manual. Follow the rest of the steps as written.
Yes. Swap the chicken stock for vegetable broth and leave out the parmesan and rind if you are a strict vegetarian or use a vegetarian alternative for added richness.
More Recipes You Will Love
Check out some more of our recipes you will want to try!
Ready to get cooking? Save time by having a grocery list automatically generate for you by clicking the "Add to Shopping List" below.
Italian Penicillin Soup
Equipment
- Large Soup Pot
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Immersion Blender
- Large Pot for pasta, if using
- Strainer for pasta, if using
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon butter unsalted
- 2 medium yellow onions roughly chopped
- 6 celery stalks roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 8 cups chicken broth/vegetable low sodium
- 5 cups carrots roughly chopped
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese grated
- parmesan rind optional
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- ½-1 cup pastina dry measurement, optional
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Then cook onions for about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Put everything but pastina in the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a rolling boil and cover.
- Cook for an additional 25-30 minutes until the vegetables are tender. When the soup has about 15 minutes left, start cooking pasta, if using for serving.
- Using an immersion blender (or high-powered blender) puree the mixture in the pot until smooth.
- Ladle soup over desired amount of pastina.
Notes
- Using a quality broth, especially in a simple soup, makes all the difference.
- If you can, don’t skip the rind, it adds extra richness to the broth as it simmers.
- I prefer to cook my pastina separately and ladle the soup on top. This prevents it from continuously soaking up the broth and making leftovers mushy; and it freezes easier this way.
- Giving the soup 5-10 minutes off heat helps the flavors meld.
- The pastina is not included in the nutritional information
Nutrition
We would be so grateful for you to leave us a rating and review on any recipes you try. If you make any alterations, let us know how they turned out.
Amy says
Made a double batch of this recipe, my family loves it an it freezes well (sans noodles) now when somebody is feeling under the weather it's ready to serve.
Eva Filer says
That is exactly what we do too. I am so glad you are enjoying it Amy! Thanks for the review.
Eva Filer says
Big family favorite over here, we all love this soup. I usually make it in the off season and keep it in the freezer for whenever a family member gets sick and drop it off with a bag of pastina! It is so wholesome and full of flavor.