Pastina is tiny pasta! We cook it in chicken broth and stir in parmesan cheese and butter. It's warm, cozy and oh-so delicious. Simple and nourishing. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy.
Here is what makes Pastina so great:
It's a cozy, comforting pasta that doesn't take much work (or many ingredients).
It's easy to make an individual portion. It's also easy to triple that portion. It's flexible and forgiving.
Pastina is a flavorful pasta that won't weigh you down.
Kids love it.
What Is Pastina?
Pastina is the name of this dish. It's also the name of a pasta shape.
Pastina refers to tiny pasta. Itty bitty, very, very tiny. It comes in many shapes like miniature stars, rings, and rounds.
It's usually added to soups, or cooked in broth to make simple, buttered pasta dishes (like the recipe we have today).
Stars are the most popular shape for pastina, but at Whole Foods Hawaii, I found a round shape from De Cecco called Ancini di Pepe. It translates to peppercorns! They really are little peppercorn shape pasta.
In addition to Ancini di Pepe, other pastina shapes are called Fregola Sarda, Ditalini, Stelline, and Annellini.
Whether you get stars, rings, and rounds, it's all pastina!
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need:
- Pastina - Many shapes fall under the category of pastina. Look for tiny, tiny shapes. They usually come in stars, rings, or rounds. You can even use tiny alphabet letter pasta.
- Chicken broth - You can also use beef broth or vegetable broth. Any broth! Homemade broth is ideal, but we often make this with canned or boxed broth as well.
- Parmesan cheese - Make sure to use freshly grated parmesan. Don't use pre-grated parmesan. It will make a huge difference. Buy a chunk of parmeasan and use a microplane grater or box grater.
- Butter - Both salted or unsalted butter work. If using salted, I season with less salt at the end, and vice versa.
- Salt and pepper - Since we add the salt and pepper at the very end, use nice salt if you can (this is always a good bet), and fresh ground pepper.
Instructions
Let's get cooking!
Boil broth.
In a medium pot over high heat, bring the chicken broth to a boil.
Cook pastina.
Add the pastina and reduce the heat to medium. Stir occasionally and cook until most of the broth (about 80%) is gone. The pastina should be fully cooked by then.
Add cheese and butter.
Turn off the heat. Add the grated parmesan cheese and butter to the pot. Stir gently to mix.
Serve and enjoy.
Ladle into individual bowls. Top with more grated parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Eat hot and enjoy.
Top Tip
Use freshly grated parmesan, not pre-grated parmesan. I'm all for convenience when possible, but because there are very few ingredients in this recipe, each one counts.
Get a wedge of parmesan (you can get a good deal when buying it from Costco Hawaii), and microplane grater or box grater.
It takes a few extra minutes of work and it is one extra item to clean. But fresh grated parmesan makes a world of difference.
FAQ
Yes! It will be slightly lighter (but maybe that's a good thing). Feel free to replace the butter with olive oil.
Sometimes, when I'm feeling very happy, I use both! I prepare the pastina with butter and then drizzle on good olive oil right before eating. Delicious.
Leftovers will keep 1-2 days in the refrigerator.
Reheat this in a small pan or pot over the stove. Add a splash of water to the pasta and gently reheat over medium heat.
You can also microwave it, but it tastes better reheated on the stove.
Make sure to stir the pastina while cooking. This will help prevent clumping and sticking to the pot.
When serving the pastina you can also add a pat of butter to each individual bowl (or a drizzle of olive oil). This will also keep the pasta creamy and make it extra tasty.
Pastina Recipe
Pastina
Ingredients
- ¾ cup pastina
- 3 cups chicken or beef broth
- ½ cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 1 tablespoon butter
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium pot over high heat, bring the chicken broth to a boil.
- Add the pastina and reduce the heat to medium. Stir occasionally and cook until most of the broth (about 80%) is gone. The pastina should be fully cooked by then.
- Turn off the heat. Add the grated parmesan cheese and butter to the pot. Stir gently to mix.
- Ladle into individual bowls. Top with more grated parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Eat hot and enjoy.
Mahalo for Reading!