Easy Pastina Soup

This Easy Pastina Soup is comfort food for when you are under the weather and need something delicious, rich and nourishing, made with chicken stock and vegetables, and, of course, tiny pasta aka pastina.

It's been quite a while so I can’t remember if it was me or someone else in my immediate family that was feeling under the weather, in fact, it might have even been my neighbor. But I was texting with a dear friend and she sent me the recipe she said she always makes when her family is sick. 

I had all of the ingredients so I made it right away. It was sooo good that it became one of my favorite go-to soup recipes whenever we are feeling poorly as well. The soup is rich and full of vegetables and flavor, a true delight with the tiny pasta aka pastina.

Easy Pastina Soup

This soup is very forgiving so I haven’t given exact weights for the vegetables. Aside from the garlic, the amounts of the other veggies should be more or less similar but if you have a little more carrot and a little less celery, don’t stress over it. That said, the one onion in my pantry was tiny, so I also used a shallot to make up the difference. 

Ingredients 

10 1/2 cups or 2 1/2 liters chicken stock

1 yellow onion

3 celery ribs

3 carrots

4 garlic cloves

salt as needed

freshly ground black pepper

1 cup or 200g pastina, drained (any small pasta shape, such as orzo, little stars, or tiny macaroni noodles – macaroni will weigh less, being hollow)

Parmesan or Pecorino Romano to serve

Method

Peel and chop your carrots and onion. Peel and slice your garlic. Chop the celery ribs. 

Add the stock to a large pot and heat over high heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Bring the contents to a boil.

Once the broth is boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and semi cover the pot with a lid. 

Cook for 45-60 minutes or until the veggies are all super soft and the quantity of liquid has reduced. Taste for seasoning and adjust with some salt, if needed. 

If you have a hand blender, remove the pot from the stove and puree all of the vegetables directly in the pot.

If you don’t, use a slotted spoon to transfer the veggies to a blender, along with a couple of ladles full of broth. Blend until the mixture is smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Return the blended mixture back to the pot of broth and stir. 

Give the whole pot a few generous grinds of black pepper. 

Meanwhile, in another pot, boil the pastina in salted water. Drain and return to the pot to keep warm. 

To serve, add a generous serving spoonful of the cooked pastina to the bottom of a bowl then ladle the soup on top. 

Sprinkle with some grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano. (I totally forgot this step for the photos!)

Enjoy!

Welcome to the 16th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2025, brought to you by the letter P. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the P recipes below:

• Food Lust People Love: Easy Pastina Soup 
• Sneha’s Recipe: Grilled Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich 
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Peas and Pepper Pasta Salad 
• Palatable Pastime: Provolini Antipasti Salad 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Pasta and Pea Soup 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Pineapple Salad 
• Blogghetti: Easy Pumpkin Pie Crescent Rolls 
• A Messy Kitchen: Maple Pecan Fudge 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Pasta with Preserved Lemon 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Peach Crumble Pound Cake (Cake Mix Recipe) 
• Culinary Cam: Potato-Crusted Quiche

Here are my posts for the 2025 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Roasted Asparagus Soup

B: Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

C. Jersey Royal Chicken Chorizo Traybake 

D. Small Batch Dried Apricot Jam 

E. Whipped Espresso Cream 

F. Fish Sauce Roasted Chicken 

G. Extra Herby Gremolata 

H. Smoked Herring Spread 

I.  Fresh Cherry Ice Cream 

J. Small Batch Strawberry Jam 

K. Kiwi Tomato Feta Salad 

L. Lobster Butter 

M. Milk-Roasted Chicken 

N. Nocciolata Swirl Meringues 

O. Jersey Octopus Ceviche 

P. Easy Pastina Soup – this post! 

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Creamy Corn and Ham Chowder

Made with the leftover end of baked ham and baby new potatoes, this creamy corn and ham chowder is rich and flavorful, a real bowl of tasty comfort.

It’s summer in the English Channel but that doesn’t always mean hot days. Island weather is extremely variable, often windy and rainy, a combination that feels chilly, even if the temperature is in the 70s F or the early 20s C. 

We had one such day last week where this chowder was the perfect meal to warm us from the inside! I had some frozen corn in the freezer that was starting to look a little dried out, so cooking something soupy was a great idea.

I used the trick I employ for frozen peas, measuring the amount I need in a heat proof measuring cup, then pouring boiling water over the frozen vegetables. Drain then repeat. It perks up most wonderfully; the colors become vibrant again, ready for any recipe calling for peas or corn. 

Creamy Corn and Ham Chowder

I bought the chunk of ham from the deli counter as a discounted remnant. If your nearby deli doesn’t have something similar for sale, substitute whatever quality ham you can source. This recipe was adapted from one on Spend with Pennies.

Ingredients 

2 cups or 275g frozen corn kernels

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion

3 cloves garlic

1 lb or 450g new potatoes

12 oz or 340g ham, small cubed

2 cups or 480ml chicken broth

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups or 360ml milk

Fine sea salt and more freshly ground black pepper to taste

Optional for serving:

Sliced green onion tops

Hot sauce

Method

Measure out the corn and pour boiling water over it to cover. 

Drain and repeat. This helps rehydrate the frozen corn. If your corn is looking firm and fresh, you can skip this step. Drain again and set the corn aside. 

Peel and chop the onion and peel and mince the garlic.

Add the butter, onion and garlic to a pot over medium high heat. Cook, covered, stirring frequently until the onion is translucent. 

Cut the ham into small cubes. 

Scrub the potatoes clean and cut them into bigger cubes.

When the onion is translucent, add in the potatoes, ham and chicken broth. Give the whole thing a few generous grinds of black pepper. 

Bring the broth to a low boil, reduce heat and leave it to simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

Add the corn. Simmer an additional 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through and a few pieces are beginning to break down. 

In a measuring cup or mixing bowl, add just a little milk to the flour and whisk till you have a thick paste with no lumps. 

Add a little more milk and whisk again. Finally add in the rest of the milk and whisk to combine.

Add the milk mixture slowly to the chowder, stirring well. Bring to a low boil. Boil for a few minutes or until slightly thickened. 

Taste the chowder and add salt and black pepper as needed. Depending on the saltiness of your ham, you might not need salt at all. 

Serve hot with a sprinkling of chopped green onion tops and a little hot sauce, if desired. 

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are celebrating National Corn Month by sharing recipes with corn. Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out the link list below. 

• Blue Corn Bollos de Mazorca from Culinary Cam
• Corn Cutlets from Sneha's Recipe
• Corn Riblets from Our Good Life
• Cornmeal Sables from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Creamy Corn and Ham Chowder from Food Lust People Love
• Kenyan Style Corn Curry from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Mexican Street Corn Trail Mix from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
• Pasta with Sweet Corn Pesto from A Day in the Life on the Farm

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Rustic Baked Potato Soup

Better than Panera’s, (and so says my mother-in-law) this rustic baked potato soup starts with actual baked potatoes for more flavor and texture. It’s creamy and more-ish! 

My wonderful mother-in-law doesn’t cook much for herself anymore, especially now after recovering from two successive broken legs (first the left, then when that healed, the right!) and two and a half months in rehab. So we’ve been cooking and bringing her meals to reheat as she needs them. 

Occasionally she asks me to run to the nearby Panera to pick her favorite rustic baked potato soup. It’s not a big serving still costs $7.99 but, hey, she needs the calories and nutrition so I would never object. But then it occurred to me that I could probably make a copy cat version MUCH cheaper. The great news is she likes mine better! Win-win.

Rustic Baked Potato Soup

The Panera Bread soup upon which this is modeled offers two options for topping, extra (or less) Asiago cheese and the addition of bacon for an extra charge. I’ve never added the bacon when ordering for my mother-in-law so I won’t do it here but feel free you want some! We aren't peeling these potatoes so choose a variety with thin skins like white or golden potatoes. If you must use russets, you might want to peel them. It won’t be the same though. 

Ingredients

2 lbs or 900g white or golden potatoes

Olive oil

4 cups or 960ml chicken stock

2 tablespoons butter

1 white onion

2 cloves garlic

4 oz or 113g cream cheese

1 green onion, green part only, sliced

1/2 teaspoon salt, if necessary (some chicken stock is pretty salty and that’s enough salt)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To garnish: Asiago cheese, grated  

Method

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C and line a pan with silicone mat or foil for easy clean up.

Scrub the potatoes clean and cut them in half lengthwise. Oil the silicone mat or foil with a good drizzle of olive oil then place the potatoes cut side down. Use a basting brush to oil the tops of the potatoes. 

Roast in your preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn the potatoes cut side up and roast for another 15 minutes. 

While the potatoes are roasting, peel and chop your garlic and onion. 

Remove the potatoes from the oven and leave to cool. 

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent. I cover my pot because I find it helps soften the onion more quickly. 

Chop the potatoes into chunks. 

Add the potatoes and chicken stock to the pot. 

Bring to a boil then simmer for about 12 to 15 minutes by which time the potatoes should start to break down, if they haven’t already. 

Use a potato masher to mash some of the potatoes. 

Give the soup a good stir. If you like a thicker soup, mash more! The Panera soup does have some potato chunks so I tried to match that texture. 

Add the cream cheese and the sliced green onion and stir until the cheese has melted. Add the salt, if needed, and black pepper.

Serve garnished with shredded Asiago cheese.

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and we are celebrating moms ahead of Mother’s Day in the United States next weekend, sharing recipes in honor of the great women in our lives. Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out the links below. 

• Edible Gelatin Balloons for Cake Decorating from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Guava Cheese from Sneha's Recipe
• Haldi Doodh Masala Spiced Cupcakes with Burnt Caramel Buttercream from Culinary Cam
• Honey Mustard Chicken Strips from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pistachio Saffron Muffins from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Rustic Baked Potato Soup from Food Lust People Love
• Shortbread Lemon Squares from Our Good Life

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Homemade Golden Mushroom Soup

So much better than the canned stuff from Campbell’s, this homemade golden mushroom soup is made with loads of mushrooms, beef stock, milk and a touch of tomato.

When I was growing up, my mom never failed to have a few cans of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup in the cupboard because it was so useful in a lot of recipes back then. The hey-day of casseroles. But we also just loved opening a can, diluting it with milk and sipping it nice and hot out of a big mug. 

It wasn’t until I was much, much older and doing my own shopping that I discovered their golden mushroom soup which, in my opinion is much richer in flavor since it’s made with beef stock. Whether I’d have liked it as a child, who can tell? 

The sherry I add in at the end is optional but I discovered what a huge improvement in flavor it gave when I first made Anthony Bourdain’s mushroom soup. It’s only 1 tablespoon in the whole pan but the sherry lifts the soup into gourmet territory. It’s that good. Try adding it and see if you agree! 

Homemade Golden Mushroom Soup

This soup is easily made gluten and dairy free by using a gluten free flour mix, non-dairy butter and almond milk. A good friend of mine uses those to make regular cream of mushroom soup for her grandbabies and they love it!

Ingredients

1.5 lb or 680g baby bella or swiss brown mushrooms

1/4 cup or 57g butter or dairy free butter

2 cloves garlic 

1 medium onion (approx. weight 5 3/4 oz or 163g)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

3/4 cup or 96g all-purpose flour or gluten free flour mix

4 cups or 960ml beef stock

2 cups or 480ml milk (I use 2%/semi-skimmed) or almond milk

Fine sea salt

1 tablespoon sherry, optional

Optional for garnish:

Reserved small mushrooms, from amount for soup (see note in Method below)

Drizzle olive oil

Chopped parsley

Method

Puree the garlic and onion in a small food processor. Set aside. 

This step is optional: Set aside and slice a few small mushrooms to pan fry and use as garnish.

Trim any hard stem ends off of the mushrooms and discard. Chop the rest of the mushrooms into small pieces. 

In large saucepan, sauté the chopped mushrooms in the butter over a medium high heat until they have released their liquid, it has evaporated and the mushrooms have turned a lovely golden brown. 

Add in the pureed onion/garlic and the tomato paste. Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the onion is cooked. A good indication is when the onion aroma has turned mellow instead of sharp.

Remove the pan from the heat and sift the flour over mushrooms to coat, stirring well between each addition until all of the flour has been added. 

Stir in the beef stock a little at a time mixing well until all the flour dissolves. Add the pepper. 

Return the pan to the stove and bring the soup to a boil, stirring often until it  thickens, about 7 minutes.

Reduce the heat and whisk in the milk. Cook over a low heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat as soon as soup reaches your desired thickness. 

Taste for salt and add a little, if needed. Depending on the saltiness of the beef stock you used, you might not need any.

If you set aside a few small mushrooms and sliced them for garnish, fry them till almost crispy in a nonstick skillet with a drizzle of olive oil. 

Stir the sherry into the soup. 

Garnish each bowl with some chopped parsley and a few of the fried mushroom slices.

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today I’m hosting. I chose soup recipes for our theme because, and y’all probably know this, January is National Soup Month! If you have not been celebrating, fear not. It is followed quickly on by National Soup Day on  February 4th.  Check out the lovely soups my blogger friends are sharing: 

• Bacon Cheeseburger Soup from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Cabbage Roll Soup from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chicken and Dumplings Soup from Palatable Pastime
• Chicken Enchilada Soup from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Homemade Golden Mushroom Soup from Food Lust People Love
• Keto Broccoli & Tomato Soup from Sneha's Recipe

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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