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Italian Noodle Soup (Brodo di Pollo)

A soup for when you’re under the weather.

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Italy is the home of many comforting recipes even when you’re under the weather. Here this Italian Noodle Soup is like penicillin for the body, relieving congestion, in an easy-to-digest format.

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This soup is called Brodo di Pollo, or chicken broth, what gives? The secret to this recipe is the broth, which is a from scratch stock made of chicken and vegetables. A slow simmer allows a bit of the nutrients and a lot of flavor to penetrate the stock, giving it tons of aromatic flavor without the heavy-to-eat components of chicken and vegetables.

Here the stock boils away with aromatics like onion, carrot, and celery. Bone-in chicken is your best option, as the bones have collagen that will further enhance the complexity of the broth. A bit of passata, or tomato fresh purée of tomatoes that’s been strained of skin, pulp, and seeds. For ease, you can use a tomato purée that’s been strained, and it’ll have a similar effect to the broth.

Once the broth is boiled, the vegetables and chicken are strained from the broth (which makes a great meal to have later on). The broth is ladled into bowls filled with cooked spaghetti.

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A bit of parsley (or even better, Parmesan cheese) is sprinkled on top, and it’s ready to eat!

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The broth is crazily aromatic thanks to the carrots, onions, and celery. Bone-in chicken adds a meaty undertone to the broth without the heaviness of meat in the soup.

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Pasta is a neutral but satisfying carb that’s easy to digest when sick, providing the right amount of sustenance.

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With this soup, you’re curing a cold the Italian way!

Yield(s): Serves about 4

15m prep time

1h cook time

Allergens: Poultry

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Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
  • 5 tablespoons tomato purée
  • 4 to 6 chicken drumsticks or 2 large chicken legs
  • 8 1/2 cups water
  • 5 ounces dry spaghetti
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
  • Chopped parsley, for garnish
Preparation
  1. In a large saucepan set over medium heat, add and heat up olive oil. Add in onion, carrots, and celery, tossing to combine with the oil.
  2. Add tomato purée, chicken, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cooking for 45 to 60 minutes.
  3. While the broth is simmering, bring a pot of water to boil and cook spaghetti until al dente or according to the package instructions.
  4. After the broth has reduced, strain the broth into a large clean bowl, reserving the vegetable and chicken for another meal.
  5. Season broth with a bit of salt and pepper.
  6. Divide the pasta among 4 bowls and ladle in the broth into the bowls. Garnish with parsley if desired. enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Leite's Culinaria.