Italian Pastina
There’s a reason why pastina is such a favorite for kids – it’s the Italian version of simple, comforting pasta, and it was always a staple in my house while I was growing up. The dish is so versatile; we added it to a bowl of Italian wedding soup, had it on its own with butter and Pecorino Romano cheese, or used it as our version of ‘chicken noodle soup’ when we were feeling sick. Sometimes the simplest dishes are the best dishes and this one will take you straight back to childhood.
Italian Pastina
- Prep Time
10 min
- Cook Time
10 min
- Total Time
20 min
- Servings
4-6
- Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients
- 1lb pastina pasta
- 4 cups or 1 quart chicken stock or water
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 ½ cup warmed milk
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh grated parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
- Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Add chicken stock or water into a medium-sized pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add pastina and thoroughly stir. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Towards the end of the pastina cooking time, heat the milk up in a microwave-safe bowl for 20-30 seconds or simply slowly warm it up on the stovetop for a few minutes until warm. It does not have to bubble and boil.
- Once the pastina has absorbed almost all the liquid, add the butter and warmed milk. Stir until the butter is melted and season with salt and pepper.
- Divide into bowls and top with some freshly grated cheese and maybe even a little Italian parsley.
Tips
- I leave my measured milk out on the counter for about 30 minutes prior to making the pastina so the chill comes off and it warms up nice and quick.
- Once the milk is added, the pastina might look soupy; however, after it sits for a few minutes it will thicken up.
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