Cultures around the world turn to specific drinks and dishes when they’re sick, using food as medicine. Soup as a source of comfort when we aren’t feeling well is a theme that crosses continents, and there’s one healing bowl of broth that’s now enjoyed by households far outside its home country, thanks to social media.

If you’ve scrolled through food content on TikTok or Instagram in the past few years, you’ve likely spotted — and perhaps saved — a recipe colloquially known as “Italian penicillin soup.” Unlike some trends that come and go in a brief flash, this one has reappeared every winter, and it’s the perfect time of year to try your hand at making it.

The proper name for this cozy soup is “pastina in brodo,” and while it won’t cure a bacterial infection like its nickname alludes, it is exactly the kind of dish we crave when we’re under the weather. Try it once, and you’ll soon be making batches of Italian penicillin soup even when you’re feeling fabulous.

What is Italian penicillin soup?

“Italian penicillin” may have become big online in the past five years, but it’s been enjoyed in Italy for generations. The soup stars a type of pasta that’s mentioned in its original name: pastina.

These tiny pieces of pasta are traditionally served in a rich chicken brothoften with sautéed vegetables like carrots and onions, chicken, a pat of butter, Parmigiano Reggiano, or an egg stirred in. Especially online, star-shaped pastina is the most common noodle you’ll see used, but other tiny pastas like round acini de pepe qualify as pastina too.

Per the dish’s original name, it’s the broth and pastina that are the stars of Italian penicillin soup. Some recipes call for cooking the pasta separately from the broth first, and others cook the noodles directly in the flavorful liquid. While these different strategies may yield varying degrees of thickness, any version of Italian penicillin soup will thicken as it sits, developing a silky texture that’s almost reminiscent of risotto.

Where can you buy the dainty pastina needed to prepare this dish? Star-shaped pastina — also called stelline, meaning little stars — produced by American pasta brand Ronzoni is the most popular noodle choice you’ll find in the United States and is available at major retailers like Walmart and Amazon. Other pasta companies like Barilla make stelline too, and Target’s private label brand Good & Gather even has its own version.

If you want to support independent stores, head to your local Italian market or check out online retailers like Grandma’s shopwhich has an entire collection of pastina options and related merchandise available for mail order.

Tips for making Italian penicillin soup at home

The exact recipe for this comforting soup will vary depending on who’s making it — we’re sure many nonnas are particular about their method — but you can opt for a super simple or intensive version depending on what you have time (and energy) for.

Want the quickest option possible? Simmer store-bought broth, cook pastina directly in it, add frozen vegetables if desired, then finish each serving with a little grated Parmesan on top. It won’t be traditional, but it’ll come close enough when you’re feeling poorly. To develop the greatest depth of flavor possible, making your own broth from scratch is the way to go, but you can also amp up store-bought broth by simmering aromatics in it.

If you’re making pastina in brodo for your children, try leveraging a popular technique you’ll spot on TikTok, which calls for blending cooked carrots, celery, and onion together before adding them back to the broth. It’s a sneaky way to incorporate some nutrients, and it’ll give the finished soup a thicker, richer consistency.

This is the kind of dish we’re happy to see trend year after year, because there’s never a bad time for a cozy bowl of pasta and broth. And to make the coming months of cold weather easier, we plan on freezing a few batches too.