Pastina Soup
Recipe from Mediterranean Food & Diet | Easy Recipes | Suzy Karadsheh · original post · full recipe on themediterraneandish.com
Cozy one-pot pastina soup: chicken broth simmered with onion, carrots, celery and a Parmesan rind, the vegetables blended back in, then tiny pasta and a shower of Parmesan.
Ingredients
- low-sodium chicken broth1440 ml
- yellow onion — cut into large pieces1 ea
- carrots — peeled and cut into large pieces130 g
- celery stalks — cut into large pieces2 ea
- parmesan rind — about 5 cm1 ea
- pastina280 g
- fresh parsley — finely chopped15 g
- parmesan cheese — grated, to serve30 g
Method
- In a large pot with a lid, stir together the broth, onion, carrots, celery, Parmesan rind and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and cover. Simmer until the vegetables are very tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Discard the Parmesan rind. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the vegetables to a food processor, add a couple of ladles of broth and blend until smooth. Scrape the purée back into the pot.
- Bring the broth back to a boil over high heat and stir in the pastina (or any tiny pasta such as alphabet, orzo or acini di pepe). Cook until tender, about 3 minutes, then remove from the heat.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt if it tastes flat. Ladle into bowls and finish with parsley and grated Parmesan.
Cooking for a different diet?
Swaps that keep this dish what it is. The prices on this page are for the recipe as written.
Pescatarian
- 1440 ml Vegetable broth instead of low-sodium chicken broth
Simmer the vegetables in the vegetable broth exactly as written; timings are unchanged.
Vegetarian
- 1440 ml Vegetable broth instead of low-sodium chicken broth
Simmer the vegetables in the vegetable broth exactly as written; timings are unchanged.
Vegan
- 1440 ml Vegetable broth instead of low-sodium chicken broth
- Leave out the parmesan rind
- 30 g Dairy-free parmesan instead of parmesan cheese
Simmer the vegetables in the vegetable broth without a rind, and season a little more boldly before adding the pastina; finish with dairy-free parmesan.
Gluten-free
- 280 g Gluten-free pastina instead of pastina
Gluten-free pastina softens quickly, so start checking at 2 minutes and serve straight away.
Dairy-free
- Leave out the parmesan rind
- 30 g Dairy-free parmesan instead of parmesan cheese
Simmer the vegetables without the rind and season a little more boldly; finish with dairy-free parmesan.
Swaps are suggestions — check labels if you are cooking for an allergy.
Watch it on Instagram
What it costs, and where to buy it
Each item at whichever of your shops sells it cheapest.
Shops to compare
List price at each shop
Missing items
These totals leave part of the list out, so a lower one isn't a cheaper shop.
Morrisonsyou pay £3.60 · 64% spare
£1.31
missing 4 items
Sainsbury'syou pay £3.74 · 59% spare
£1.55
missing 4 items · £0.24 more
Tescoyou pay £24.61 · 15% spare
£21.00
missing 4 items · £19.69 more
Aldi UKyou pay £1.88 · 71% spare
£0.54
missing 5 items
Asdayou pay £4.15 · 76% spare
£1.00
missing 5 items
£0.33a serve
from £0.33 a serve at Morrisons · 4 of 8 ingredients priced
About £1.31 of ingredients used for 4 serves.
£23.29 across 4 shops · 5 of 8 items priced · £0.59 more for bigger packs, 10% spare for later
Morrisons£1.31
missing 4 items
you'll pay £3.60 · 64% of it spare
Sainsbury's£1.55
missing 4 items · £0.24 more
you'll pay £3.74 · 59% of it spare
Tesco£21.00
missing 4 items · £19.69 more
you'll pay £24.61 · 15% of it spare
Aldi UK£0.54
missing 5 items
you'll pay £1.88 · 71% of it spare
Asda£1.00
missing 5 items
you'll pay £4.15 · 76% of it spare
Buy at Sainsbury's£0.85
carrots
£0.70/1kg
need 130 gSainsbury's Standard£0.35
Sainsbury's£0.70/1kg£0.35·Tesco£0.69/1kg£0.11·Aldi UK£0.88/1kg£0.44·Morrisons£0.45·Asda£1.10/1kg£0.55·
OcadoN/A
fresh parsley
£16.67/1kg
need 15 gSainsbury's Fresh Packed Flat Leaf Parsley 30g£0.50closest match
Sainsbury's£16.67/1kg£0.50·Morrisons£0.60·Aldi UKN/A·TescoN/A·AsdaN/A·OcadoN/A
Buy at Aldi UK£0.49
parmesan cheese
£3.50/1kg
need 30 gEmporium Squeezy Cheese 0.14kg£0.49
Aldi UK£3.50/1kg£0.49·Morrisons£1.60·Sainsbury's£10.81/1kg£2.00·Tesco£13.89/1kg£2.50·Asda£8.57/1kg£3.00·OcadoN/A
Buy at Morrisons£0.95
yellow onion
£0.95
need 1 itemMorrisons 3 perpackclosest match
Morrisons£0.95·Asda£3.00/1kg£0.60·Sainsbury's£1.78/1kg£0.89·Aldi UK£0.32/1 ea£0.95·Tesco£0.33/1 ea£1.00·OcadoN/A
Buy at Tesco£21.00
low-sodium chicken broth
£14.00/1L
need 1.44 L3 × Standard£7.00
Tesco£14.00/1L£7.00·Aldi UKN/A·Sainsbury'sN/A·AsdaN/A·MorrisonsN/A·OcadoN/A
Not priced
- celery stalks · 2 items
- parmesan rind · 1 item
- pastina · 280 g