Italian Penicillin

• total time: 17 minutes

Ingredients

6 cups vegetable broth or vegan chicken broth

1/2 white or sweet onion, quartered

1-2 carrots, cut into chunks

2-3 ribs celery, chunks

5 cloves garlic, smashed to release flavor

1/2 serrano pepper, seeds removed (optional)

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 cup dry pastina

1 tablespoon vegan butter

Lemon zest

Directions

In a medium pot, bring the vegeatable broth to a boil. Add all your veggies and simmer partially covered until they’re soft, about 15-20 minutes. In the meantime, cook your pastina in a separate pot, according to the package instructions. Drain and return to the pot with a pat of butter and lemon zest.

When the veggies are soft, lower the heat and scoop them into a blender with some of the broth. Blend until smooth (remove cap to release steam). Return to the pot and stir. Add lemon juice and season with salt, pepper, and red chili flakes.

Add cooked pastina to a bowl, ladle in the broth, top with olive oil, vegan parmesan, lemon juice, and black pepper.