This Pasta with Chicken Broth, Butter and Parmesan is pure comfort food! It is a bowl of wonderful, warming, healing amazingness.
One spoonful and you know the world is going to start looking brighter. A whole bowl and you feel restored.
Jump Menu
A super easy pasta soup
This Pasta with chicken broth will become your new favourite simple dinner.
The pasta is cooked in the chicken broth (stock) so it takes on all the delicious flavours. (For a more substantial dinner you can add shredded chicken)
Usually when you cook pasta you use plenty of boiling water and keep it at a rolling boil.
With this recipe to ensure the pasta packs a flavour punch, you want to use the lowest simmer possible. If the broth/stock starts to boil, it will evaporate out of the pan and there won’t be enough to cook your pasta fully.
So use a low simmer and you will be rewarded with a comforting bowl of pasta!
If your soup ends up too dry you can add extra broth or water to the pan at the end.
The broth matters
The majority of the flavour in this dish comes from the chicken broth (chicken stock) so it needs to be the star of the show.
Homemade is best, as it has plenty of flavour and that unctuous richness that cartons can’t provide.
There are some great store bought options out there, but bottom of my list would be those crumbly over salty chicken stock cubes. They don’t taste of chicken, have no goodness in them and really will leave you with a below average dish!
The dish is Pasta with Chicken Broth; the broth is the key!
This Italian classic pasta soup is pure comfort food!
What pasta to use?
This is a traditional Italian dish that usually uses pastina, the small star like pasta shapes.
I didn’t have them as to be honest they aren’t my favourite, I like pasta with a little more body to it, so I used these super cute teeny tiny tubes.
Risoni/orzo would work well too. I actually planned to use risoni but I realised I used it all up in my Tomato Risoni Salad!!!
Really it works well with any small pasta shape.
Butter is flavor
Don’t be put off by the butter in this, it is warm and comforting and just so good.
You can imagine being sat at an Italian kitchen table, feeling a little under the weathered being served big bowls of this by your Italian Nonna!
Enjoy x
For more delicious pasta ideas why not try:
- Garlic Butter Pasta with Garlic Chicken
- Creamy Tomato Chicken Chorizo Pasta
- Creamy Lemon Salmon Pasta
- Creamy Chicken Chili Pasta
- Easy Garlic Bacon Pasta
- Creamy Pepper Steak Pasta
- Black Truffle Pasta
- See ALL 70+ Pasta Recipes
RECIPE NEWSLETTER
Signup and get my FREE soup cookbook.
Pin this recipe for Pasta with Chicken Broth, Butter and Parmesan.
Pin it here.
Pasta with Chicken Broth, Butter and Parmesan
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth/stock
- 2 cups small pasta shapes – pastina/stelline/orzo
- 1/2 stick butter
- 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano cheese
- black pepper
- Salt to taste (you probably won’t need any)
- fresh basil (parsley works well too)
Instructions
- Bring the chicken stock to a boil.
- Add the pasta and stir well
- Turn the heat down to a very gently simmer and cook the pasta as per the packet instructions. Ensure you stir it during the cooking as you are only using a small amount of stock. (see notes)
- Once the pasta is cooked, remove it from the heat and stir in the butter.
- Use a slotted spoon to divide the pasta between the serving bowls.
- Pour over the chicken stock. (See notes)
- Add the parmesan, plenty of black pepper and garnish with your fresh herbs.
Notes
Nutrition
Also find me on:
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter.
Let’s share the food love and make the world a tastier place 🙂
Bunny says
This is so simple packed with beautiful flavor! My whole family loves this soup. Especially the noodles. Something special about those little round noodles. It’s raining outside today and it’s 66 degrees and all we want for dinner is this perfectly satisfying soup. Thank you so much for sharing. We too will be adding this beauty to the family cookbook.
Claire McEwen says
Oh Bunny,
Thank you so much for your comment, this is one of our family favorites too, so it makes me so happy that it has a special place on your family table Cxx
Wendy Dameron says
Hi! I grew up on this dish, but we called it “stars” and our mom would make it for breakfast or when we weren’t feeling well. I still make it for myself some mornings when I am craving comfort and feeling nostalgic. The small stars do cook differently and absorb most of the broth, so if you are looking for more of a soup, ditalini is the way to go! Thanks for sharing the recipe and it’s great to know other people savor these easy comfort dish as well.
Claire McEwen says
Oh I would love this for breakfast! What a great comforting breakfast dish for when the weather is cold. Can’t believe I have never thought of having it when I first wake up. Thank you 😀
The pasta stars are really hard to find here in Australia, but when I do find them I stock up as we love to add them to soups and stews.
Thank you for stopping by Cx
Danielle says
I just made this for dinner — simple and delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Claire McEwen says
Oh I am so pleased you enjoyed it Danielle 😀
Koren says
I normally don’t comment, but this recipe was wonderful. My 5 year old, who we call “little chef” is a soup connoisseur. We’ve recently started working more in the kitchen together (now that we have a better understanding that the kitchen is where the hot and sharp things are and it’s not a play ground). This was one of our first recipes we tried together. Very simple, but the flavors are very rich. He was raving and asked if we could add it to our family recipe book. Which I don’t have but I guess I will have to start! He has insisted that we make a big batch of it for our family game night with grandma and grandpa. Thank you so much for your recipe! You created family memories for us as well as filling our tummies and adding a new favorite to our line up!
Claire McEwen says
Oh Koren!!!
I missed this comment when it first came in!
But thank you so much for coming back to comment.
This has me beaming from ear to ear. I just love it!!!
I am so pleased your son enjoyed the cooking and eating and I am honoured to be amongst your family memories.
Cx
Gretchen says
I added frozen kale and it is amazing! Thank you.
Claire McEwen says
Oh I bet it was great with the green of the kale!
So happy you enjoyed it.
Pat says
Can I freeze this soup?
Claire McEwen says
I haven’t tried freezing it Pat, but I suspect like minestrone and other pasta soups it won’t freeze well as the pasta will swell when it is defrosted.
Laura says
My new favorite comfort food. Made it for the whole family last time they we were all sick and it was perfect. Easy to do when you’re not feeling so hot. When it’s cool out and we are in a rush I like to pick up a rotisserie chicken and throw it in for some protein. Great easy weeknight meal!
Claire McEwen says
Oh I am so pleased you enjoyed it.
Sorry for the late reply!
It is just perfect when you are sick isn’t it!
Tera Leiding says
Very delicious …thank you for yer yummy recipe…smiles!!!!!!
Claire McEwen says
Oh I am so happy you enjoyed it 😀
B.Scott says
Can I use Ghee?
Claire McEwen says
Hi Scott, I haven’t tried it but I would think that it will work fine 😀
Kathlene M. says
My kids wanted this every time they were sick growing up. Our version of Italian wedding soup. I have to send my daught pastini nodles in Florida, she can’t find them down there! So good.
Claire McEwen says
It really is just the best thing when you are sick isn’t it.
I LOVE that you send your daughter pasta, food is the best set of mail to receive!
Michelle says
My Noni cooked us capelinni in chicken broth all the time. So good, and one of my favorites. Along with the memories.
Claire McEwen says
It really is just the best comfort food isn’t it.
The broth is the key, so much flavor in homemade versions 😀
Anita Richards says
Oh my! This looks exactly like what I need right now! I never thought to put 1/2 a stick of butter into a soup before … pure genius! Thank you for your inspiration, this recipe is on the menu for next week! 🙂
Claire McEwen says
The butter just makes it sooooo good 😀
i hope you enjoyed the soup.
Anita Richards says
Haha yes my sons loved it. Thank you very much. Brightest blessings to you my dear.
Tracy says
Do you use salted butter?
Claire McEwen says
Hi Tracy, I usually use salted butter as I don’t often have unsalted in the house.
Hope that helps 😀
Alex says
This is absolutely delicious… The best soup I have ever had!! I even add rotisserie chicken. Is this better with broth or stock?
Claire McEwen says
Oh I am so glad you enjoyed it. It is one of my favourite comfort bowls.
I think stock makes it better as stock tends to be made with bones so it has more gelatin in it and sort of tastes richer.
But with the addition of the butter you can still get a rich soup with broth.
Hope that helps, thank you so much for coming back to comment Cx
Michelle P says
I can’t seem to get the soup recipe book
Claire McEwen says
Hi Michelle,
Thank you, the link seems to be broken.
Getting it fixed now, but I will email it over to you so you can get it straight away 😀
Tony says
How many grams (or ounces) of pasta are you using? I’m finding a cup of uncooked pasta can vary quite a bit depending on the shape.
Claire McEwen says
Hi Tony,
I work on each cup weighing around 100g. Hope that helps 😀
Tony says
Thanks for the quick reply! Looking forward to trying this.
Jean says
OMG!!! I have a cold and it’s raining and I am literally eating a bowl of comfort. Thank you for improving my day ten fold!!
Claire McEwen says
Hi Jean, YEAH 😀 I am so happy my soup was able to help!!
I hope you are feeling better soon.
Suzy says
I tried this for lunch and threw in some leftover roast chicken and frozen sweet corn to add veggies for the baby – absolutely delicious! I’m going to use this on our next camp trip as it was warm and filling, but so easy to make.
Claire McEwen says
Oh I am so pleased you enjoyed it 😀
It would be a great meal to cook over the camp stove! Do let me know how it turns out!
Kathy C. says
Great comfort food! I just had my gallbladder taken out last week and i’m still not able to eat normally. Made the soup only i added some carrots and celery, added the parm cheese and basil at the end. Sooooo good and this I can tolerate. Thank you for sharing this great and oh so simple recipe!
Claire McEwen says
Kathy, thank you for coming back to comment, I am so happy that this pasta worked for you after your operation. And I hope you are able to eat normally again soon x
Kate says
I’m so happy I tried this! I added a little more broth as I wanted it to be a little more soup-y, and it was great! sooo simple. Will absolutely make again. Can something like this be frozen?
Claire McEwen says
Thank you for stopping back to comment.
Sorry it has taken me over a week to reply!
I always find that when I freeze pasta it ends up a bit soggy. I think as it defrosts it absorbs more liquid maybe. You could try under cooking the pasta and then freezing but I haven’t tried that so not sure if it would work. Sorry I can’t be more help 🙁
Katie says
We’ve all been sick. My kids love pasta! Will hardly eat anything else. This is a lifesaver! Pasta and making sure they are getting fluid ?? PLUS Momma likes it too! Total win in my book!
Claire McEwen says
Sorry to hear your kids have been unwell! Such a awful thing when they are sick and you just want to make it better for them.
I hope a bowl of this helped 😀
Homemade chicken broth is the key.