Why This Is Our Sick Day Soup
When sickness rears its ugly head in our home, this Chicken Pastina Soup is my go-to line of defense for getting something warm and nourishing into everyone. It’s loaded with colorful veggies, protein, fiber, vitamins A and C, and plenty of warm, hydrating broth to give your body something nourishing when you’re feeling run down.
Let the Food Processor Do the Work
While the ingredients list looks like a lot, fear not. Using a food processor to blitz up all the veggies for the soup base instead of dicing them by hand saves a TON of time. It turns 20+ minutes of prep time into 5 minutes or less. And when illness has infiltrated your home (hopefully you’re making this for a sick person and you’re not the sick one), the last thing you want to be doing is exercising your knife skills.
Good Broth Is Worth It, but Rotisserie Chicken Is Too
I reserve this recipe strictly for sick days because it’s so loved in our home and it gives us something to look forward to when we’re feeling under the weather. I think the key to making this soup so delicious is a good-quality chicken stock. As a labor of love, I will haul myself up to our local butcher for two quart containers of their house-made chicken stock, and I hate to admit it, but it really does beat the boxed stuff by miles. And if you make your own stock at home, even better!
While I believe in going the extra mile for the broth in this recipe, I also believe you should save yourself some trouble and get a rotisserie chicken to shred (unless you already have leftover chicken in your fridge). The convenience is a real lifesaver, and you can quickly shred it by hand while cooking down the soup base veggies. I also like to throw in a can of white beans for a little extra protein and fiber. They make the soup more filling without changing the cozy chicken-soup vibe.
There’s something about having a recipe you make specifically for sick days that provides a level of comfort that is hard to match. I hope this Sick Day Chicken Pastina Soup helps nourish you and your loved ones and brings a little light to cold and flu season in your home.
Sick Day Chicken Pastina Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper to a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, being careful not to puree the vegetables.
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the chopped vegetable mixture and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and the onions are translucent.
- Add the carrots, garlic, and ginger to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
- Add the carrot mixture to the pot along with the turmeric and black pepper. Cook for another 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Pour in the chicken broth and add the salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook uncovered for 20–25 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove about 2 cups of the vegetables and set aside.
- Use an immersion blender or regular blender to blend the remaining soup until smooth and creamy.
- Bring the soup back to a gentle boil and stir in the pastina. Reduce to a steady simmer and cook according to the package directions, stirring occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking.
- Stir in the shredded chicken, 1 can drained and rinsed white beans, reserved vegetables, and 4 large handfuls of fresh spinach. Cook for another 2–3 minutes, just until the spinach has wilted and everything is heated through.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding additional salt or pepper as needed. Serve topped with grated Parmesan.
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