Pastina Soup with Tiny Meatballs

There’s nothing more comforting than a hot bowl of Pastina Soup with Tiny Meatballs! Whether it’s because you’re under the weather, for family gatherings, or even weddings, pastina served with lots of Parmigiano cheese is an Italian staple perfect for all occasions and any time of year!

If you were raised in an Italian household chances are one of the first foods, if not THE first food, you were given to eat as a baby was pastina in homemade chicken broth. Pastina soup is a staple in all Italian homes served when you come down with a cold; for family gatherings and even at weddings. Those of you who are old enough will recall that a bowl of pastina was often served prior to the pasta course at Italian weddings! 

Basically, pastina is a cure all dish and jokingly referred to as the “Italian penicillin”!

And then there’s pastina soup taken to the next level: with tiny meatballs. What dish isn’t improved by adding meatballs? This is my mother’s Pastina Soup with Tiny Meatballs recipe that I grew up eating and that my children now enjoy at nonna’s house.

Let’s break down the components of this quintessential Italian dish: the chicken broth; the pastina (meaning tiny pasta) and the meatballs!

Homemade chicken broth vs store bought?

Without a doubt homemade chicken broth (or turkey broth) is the broth of choice for making pastina. I usually make large batches of chicken broth on a regular basis and freeze it in 1 liter containers. There are two ways in which I make my broth:

Homemade broth with a chicken or turkey carcass: 

Check out my detailed chicken broth recipe here. Here is a basic summary:

• When roasting a chicken or turkey, reserve the carcass. Place in your largest stock pot along with a couple of quartered onions; 2-3 carrots; 2-3 celery stalks; a few sprigs of fresh parsley; peppercorns and bay leaves. Cover with cold water to cover by at least a couple of inches. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for about 3 hours until it reduces and turns into liquid gold! 
• My mother also adds a whole fresh tomato to her broth to for color.
• When ready, remove the bones and vegetables. Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. Let cool and freeze in plastic containers that are freezer-safe for up to 3 months.

Homemade broth with raw chicken:

• Take a whole chicken and place whole or cut up into pieces in a large stock pot. Proceed in the same way as for the chicken carcass by adding vegetables and covering with water.
• In the first half hour of simmering scum may rise to the surface of the liquid. Skim it off with a metal slotted spoon.
• Simmer for at least 3 hours or until it is reduced to about half.
• Once again, proceed as outlined above to strain the broth and store in containers.

Store bought broth or bouillon cubes are a last resort, however will do in a pinch. Do choose low sodium broth in order to control the amount of salt added to your pastina.

What type of pastina can I add to my soup?

Any variety of small pasta shapes work well in pastina including:

• stelline: as shown in my soup
• acini di pepe
• orzo
• anellini
• ditalini
• quadretti
• spaghettini cut into pieces by hand: in a pinch if you don’t have any small pasta around, break spaghettini into small pieces just as my mom often does!

The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. The detailed printable recipe card is at the end of this post.

Step by Step Instructions

Add chicken broth to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile prepare the meatballs.

Place ground meat; breadcrumbs; grated combined Parmigiano and Pecorino Romano cheese; egg; freshly chopped parsley; olive oil; salt and pepper in a bowl.

Use your hands to combine all ingredients well.

Roll into small  balls.  Place on a plate or tray.

When the meatballs are ready, there are 2 options as to how to cook them. Add directly to the simmering chicken broth. However, if like my mother, you are not crazy about the small particles released into the broth by the raw meatballs you can also boil them in water for 5 minutes, as shown below. then drain and add to the chicken broth to continue cooking.

Once added to the chicken broth, simmer the meatballs on medium-high heat for about 30 minutes.

Add pastina to the broth and meatballs and cook until al dente. Correct the seasoning if necessary. Serve hot with lots of freshly grated Parmigiano or Romano cheese at the table.

Possible variations:

This soup is delicious enjoyed as is but can be varied by adding any of the following ingredients:

• Sauté a finely diced carrot and celery stalk before adding the broth to your pot.
• Stir in a couple of handfuls of baby spinach leaves in the last few minutes of cooking.
• Turn it into stracciatella soup (egg drop soup): beat 2 eggs with a couple of spoonful’s of Parmigiano cheese. In the last minute of cooking stir in the egg mixture until it forms thin strands of eggs in the broth.

Tips and suggestions:

• I like to use a ground meat trio in all my meatball recipes, however you may choose only 1 type of ground meat if you prefer.
• Tiny meatballs can be frozen when raw: place in a single row on a tray in the freezer. Once frozen transfer to freezer bags and store up to 3 months. Do not defrost before adding to the broth.

If you give this easy recipe a try let me know how much you enjoyed it by rating it in the recipe card below. Feel free to Pin it for later. Buon appetito!

Here are more meatball recipes (with or without meat!) for you to enjoy!

• The BEST Sicilian Meatballs
• Stuffed Meatballs with Mozzarella and Peas
• Italian Meatless Meatballs (Polpette di pane)
• Sicilian Sweet and Sour Meatballs
• Eggplant Meatball Subs with Smoked Caciocavallo
• Spiralized Zucchini Ricotta ‘Meatballs”
• Italian Meatball Stew with Potatoes and Peas