Well, here we are. A pandemic. They used to happen all of the time, but it’s more and more rare these days thanks to modern healthcare. It may be my inner Girl Scout, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being prepared. Personally, I’m on WFH status, so doing a quick shop to grab essentials was essential. When you don’t know what’s ahead, you plan ahead.
For me, I made sure I’ve prepped or purchased foods I ABSOLUTELY know I’d eat or freeze, with long expiration dates to eat through even past the pandemic or donate to charity in the future if I lose interest in canned beans for whatever reason. One of the meals I’ve prepped so far? PASTINA! AKA Italian Penicillin. Regardless of if I end up with the virus, a regular cold, or allergies…I always like to have Chicken Noodle Soup in my freezer to pull out at a moments notice. This Italian version is full of garlic and teeny star-shaped pasta. Check it out!
Ingredients
- 8 cups of chicken broth
- 1 pound of cooked chicken breast, shredded
- 1.5 cups of pastina noodle or other small pasta shape like orzo
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and fresh parsley (if you got it)
Directions
- Add your chicken breasts to a large stock pot with a little olive oil. Brown on each side, but do not cook through.
- Add your chicken broth to the stock pot, bring to a bowl and then a low simmer with your chicken still in the pot.
- Add your vegetables to the stock pot.
- After about 20-30 minutes, test to see how easy it is to shred your chicken. If it’s ready, then remove from the post and shred on another plate.
- Add your chicken back into the stock pot and cook until the vegetables are fork tender and onions are translucent. Season your broth as much as you’d like at this point.
- Bring your soup back up to a boil and add your pastina to the pot. The pastina should cook relatively quickly – about 5-7 minutes.
- Serve with a chunk of crusty bread or parmesan cheese!