Pastina in broth is a simple soup of the poor peasant cuisine, based of course on pasta boiled in broth.
In Italy the term “pastina” is used to refer to all those tiny pasta shapes.
VARIANT:
Another great classic is the version of the pastina with egg and Parmesan cheese.

PASTINA
THE ITALIAN GRANDMA’S PENICILLIN
Course Italian Pasta
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 4 Cups Beef or Chicken Broth*
- 1 Cup Pastina
- 2 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano Grated Cheese
- Fresh Rosemary
- 1 pinch Pepper
Beef Broth*
- 2 Carrots
- 2 Celery Ribs
- 5 Sprigs Parsley
- 1 Medium White Onion
- 1 kg Beef Cut on The Bone
- 4 liters Water
- 1 tsp Coarse Salt
Chicken Broth*
- 1 Carrot
- 1 Celery Rib
- 5 Sprigs Parsley
- 1 Medium White Onion
- 1 Chicken
- 4 liters Water
- 1 tsp Coarse Salt
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, pour the beef or chicken broth, salt and bring to a boil
- Pour in the pastina and allow to cook for the time indicated on the package
- At the end of the cooking time, add the grated cheese and fresh rosemary; then bring the dish to the table piping hot
Beef Broth*
- Wash the carrots and cut off the ends
- Wash the celery stalks and cut them into 2-3 parts
- Wash the sprigs of parsley
- Peel the onions and cut off the ends with a knife
- Rinse the meat under running water taking care to remove any bone chips and pat dry with kitchen paper
- Place all the ingredients in the pot, add the water and salt
- Bring the pot over high heat, covered, until the water boils. Reduce to low and simmer slowly for 3 hours semi-covered
- While cooking, check the pot from time to time, skimming and stirring. To skim, use a fine-mesh razor blade and remove any fat and meat residue that comes to the surface
- After three hours, turn off the heat, drain the meat and vegetables, and strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer
- Leave the broth to cool and store it in the refrigerator in the pot or in a hermetically sealed jar. When ready to use, remove the layer of fat that forms on the surface
Chicken Broth*
- Clean the chicken, removing the entrails and any remaining feathers
- Carefully wash the chicken under fresh running water and dry with paper towels
- Wash the celery, carrot and onion, removing any skins and cutting them into chunks
- At this point, take a large saucepan with high sides and put inside the carrot, onion and celery, sautéing them for a few minutes over high heat and adding 4 liters of water
- Put the chicken in the pot together with the vegetables and add a little washed parsley
- Season with salt and pepper and cook the chicken in the broth for about an hour, removing any fat that has surfaced with the aid of a skimmer
- Once the cooking time of the chicken has elapsed, remove the chicken from the pot and filter the broth obtained in a fine-meshed strainer in order to eliminate any residual fat, meat or vegetables and use the broth to make risotto, to make excellent agnolotti in broth or tortellini in broth or to prepare pasta in broth
Keyword broth pasta, italian broth pasta, pastina, THE ITALIAN GRANDMA’S PENICILLIN
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