Golden Pastina Soup

A gentle, nourishing pastina soup made with blended carrots, onion, garlic, and turmeric in a rich chicken and bone broth, spooned over tiny estrella pasta and finished with parmesan, olive oil, and black pepper.

Some bowls of food just settle something in you. Pastina soup is one of those.

While pastina has its roots in Italian cooking, this is our family’s version. The broth is made by simmering carrots, onion, and garlic together with turmeric and good chicken stock, then blending everything smooth rather than straining it away. It gives the soup real body and a natural sweetness, and the turmeric brings that beautiful golden colour that makes the whole bowl feel warm before you have even tasted it.

Spoon that broth over tiny estrella pasta, finish with a little parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil, and a good crack of black pepper, and it becomes exactly the kind of meal you want on a cooler day. Nourishing, gentle, and genuinely restorative.

Prep: 10 min · Cook: 30 min · Serves: 4 · Category: Dinner

Ingredients

For the soup

• 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 brown onion, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 750ml chicken stock
• 500ml chicken bone broth
• Salt, to taste
• Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

For serving

• 200g La Moderna Estrella pasta, or other small pastina-style pasta
• Extra virgin olive oil, for finishing
• Freshly grated parmesan, for serving
• Extra cracked black pepper, for serving

Method

1. Add the carrots, onion, garlic, turmeric, chicken stock, and chicken bone broth to a pot over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are very soft, about 25 to 30 minutes.
2. Blend the vegetables directly into the broth until smooth using a stick blender. If preferred, transfer carefully to a blender and blend in batches, then return the soup to the pot.
3. Taste and season with salt and black pepper as needed. Keep the soup warm over low heat.
4. Meanwhile, bring a separate pot of salted water to the boil and cook the La Moderna Estrella pasta according to packet instructions until tender. Drain well.
5. Spoon the cooked pasta into serving bowls.
6. Ladle the hot soup over the pasta.
7. Finish each bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, freshly grated parmesan, and a good crack of black pepper before serving.

Notes

Turmeric adds warmth, depth, and that beautiful golden colour. Start with half a teaspoon and adjust in future batches if you want a deeper tone.

Blending the vegetables directly into the broth rather than straining them out gives the soup body and natural sweetness.

Cook the pasta separately and spoon the broth over it at serving. This keeps the broth clear and prevents the pasta from absorbing too much liquid as it sits.

If you prefer, the pasta can be stirred directly into the soup before serving, but it will continue to absorb liquid over time.

The combination of chicken stock and bone broth gives the soup both flavour and depth. Use a good quality stock if you can.

Any small pastina-style pasta will work here. Tiny stars are especially lovely.

The Grace Table Tip

A little turmeric goes a long way. Half a teaspoon is enough to turn the broth a beautiful soft gold without overpowering the gentle, soothing quality of the soup.