This simple chicken pastina soup is made with all the ingredients for your favorite chicken noodle soup, but with adorable star shaped stelline pasta instead! It's the perfect cozy chicken soup that both kids and adults will love!
Finely chop the onion, celery, and carrots and mince the garlic.
Add all the prepared veggies and butter to a large stock pot over medium high heat.
Lightly sauté for about 5-7 minutes or until tender and aromatic.
Add in the thyme, sage, salt, pepper, and cayenne and let cook for another minute.
Deglaze the pan with the wine, making sure to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Then add in the vegetable stock, bay leaves, and parmesan rinds and bring to a boil. Note: If adding parmesan rinds to the soup, be sure to stir frequently so that they don't melt to the bottom of the pot.
Add in the shredded chicken and stelline pasta and simmer until the star pasta is fully cooked and tender, 8-12 minutes.
Stir in the lemon juice, taste and adjust seasonings if desired.
Top the chicken pastina soup with fresh parsley and serve immediately!
Notes
Since the pastina will absorb the broth, I suggest straining out the broth to store separately! Then just combining again before reheating! This is the easiest way to prevent soggy, bloated pastina that leaves you with very little broth! Store the broth and inclusions separately in the fridge for up to 5 days. This chicken soup also freezes great! But if freezing, I recommend waiting to add the star pastina. Simply portion out the soup you want to freeze. Then add cooked pastina to the portion you're planning to eat immediately.