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    Home » Main Dishes » Classic Italian Pastina

    Classic Italian Pastina

    Published: Apr 10, 2020 · Modified: Apr 10, 2020 by Alyssa · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Made with simple ingredients like butter and milk, this recipe for pastina is total Italian comfort food. It’s a favorite of children and adults alike!

    A bowl of pastina topped with cracked pepper

    Is there anything more comforting than a nice, warm bowl of pastina?

    My mom made me pastina all the time when I was growing up, starting from when I was very small and learning to eat real foods. Then it progressed into an under-the-weather or cold weather delicacy.

    Nowadays I make my own pastina whenever I’m in the mood for comfort food, which, let’s be real, is pretty often lately!

    Pastina hits that comfort food sweet spot in that it uses basic, inexpensive ingredients, takes little time to make, and reliably produces a warm and creamy bowl of pasta. While everyone has their own spin on making it or what ingredients to add in, this baseline version is a classic.

    An overhead picture of Italian pastina ingredients in separate bowls

    Ingredients

    All you’ll need are pastina, broth (or water), butter, and milk. That’s it!

    The rest of the ingredients are optional but recommended, including salt and pepper to taste and freshly-grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese.

    Pastina doubles as the finished product name of this creamy dish, as well as what the dry pasta shape is called. I use classic pastina, which looks like tiny stars.

    Since pastina literally means “little pasta”, other varieties you might see at the store technically fall into the category, such as acini di pepe, which is a little bit larger in size.

    Besides cooking it on its own, it’s a great pasta for use in soup recipes, like this creamy Italian wedding soup with turkey meatballs. 

    Pastina cooked in broth in a saucepan before adding the butter and milk

    Method

    While you can certainly follow the instructions on the box and boil and drain the pasta, I like to make things even easier and add just enough liquid that will absorbed by the pastina so there’s no draining required.

    One cup liquid to a half-cup of pasta will do it! I’ve taken to using reduced-sodium chicken broth as the liquid for extra flavor, but you can definitely use water instead. Just add salt to taste.

    The pastina will absorb just about all of the liquid, as seen in the picture of the saucepan above. Then it’s time to stir in butter and warmed milk until creamy.

    You can add more or less butter or milk in line with your tastes, but for this quantity of pasta, I add one tablespoon of butter and six tablespoons of milk. As written below, this recipe yields about two servings.

    Cooked pastina in a saucepan with a spatula

    And there we go. Super, super easy. Take a taste and see if you’d like to add salt (especially so if not using broth and/or salted butter). As an adult I go for freshly cracked black pepper and a not-skimpy addition of grated Pecorino Romano cheese as toppings.

    As with so many beloved Italian recipes, I know there are different directions you can take pastina. Some like to add an egg once the pasta has absorbed the broth/water and let it cook in the hot pasta. Others like to include green pastina which is made with spinach, but I haven’t see that available at the store for a long, long time.

    Usually I eat pastina straight-up, but you can totally upgrade it to be more of a side dish. I recently served it with smoked sausage fra diavolo when I was out of spaghetti and it was great!

    A serving of pastina in a bowl

    Recipe notes

    • I highly recommend using broth as it provides extra flavor, though water will work, too. If using water, be sure to add salt to taste before serving.
    • This recipe as written yields two servings, but can be scaled up as needed.
    A bowl of pastina

    Classic Italian Pastina

    Made with simple ingredients like butter and milk, this recipe for pastina is total Italian comfort food. It's a favorite of children and adults alike!
    4.84 from 18 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Dish
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 6 minutes
    Cook Time: 4 minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 243kcal
    Author: Alyssa

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth (8 oz), or water
    • 1/2 cup dry pastina (3 oz)
    • 1 tbsp butter, salted or unsalted
    • 6 tbsp warm milk, more or less to taste
    • Ground black pepper, to taste
    • Grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano, optional (to taste)
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Add broth or water to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add pastina and stir. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until just about all of the liquid has been absorbed.
    • Towards the end of the pastina cook time, add milk to a small heat-safe bowl and heat it for 15-20 seconds in the microwave, or until warmed.
    • Once the pastina has absorbed about all of the liquid, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the butter and warmed milk. Stir until the butter has melted and the milk is mixed in evenly.
    • If desired, add salt, pepper, and grated cheese to taste.

    Video

    Notes

    The pastina might look too liquid-y once you stir in the milk, but it will thicken up within a few minutes.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 243kcal
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @MySequinedLife or tag #MySequinedLife!

    Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Katharina says

      January 09, 2021 at 12:11 pm

      5 stars
      Couldn’t get the pastina here, but it was also very tasty with the pasta we ended up using with the sauce! Simple and effective 😛

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        January 11, 2021 at 11:40 am

        I’m so glad you could make it work, Katharina!

        Reply
      • Jeannette Arbuckle says

        March 12, 2021 at 12:09 pm

        Can i cook your Italian Spaghetti sauce in a slow cooker??? I’d like to make it and can it to use at a later date. I’m worried that with the lid on the slow cooker it wouldn’t thicken very much.

        Reply
        • Alyssa says

          March 13, 2021 at 1:34 pm

          Hi Jeannette, I have never made my Sunday sauce in a slow cooker so I couldn’t say how it would turn out. I agree with you that the concern would be it not thickening — and we really want it to thicken!

    2. Michrlrt says

      December 02, 2020 at 5:36 pm

      I grew up eating pastina with milk and butter. Made it today for my birthday. My son looked at it and said looks weird. He’s 11 and hadn’t tried it yet. He tasted one spoon ,eyes opened wide and said “This is my new favorite pasta!”

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        December 07, 2020 at 9:01 am

        So happy your son has joined the ‘club’! Happy (belated) birthday!

        Reply
    3. Laura says

      October 13, 2020 at 3:15 pm

      5 stars
      My mom used to make this when I was a kid. Just lots of butter. I loved it.

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        October 13, 2020 at 3:22 pm

        I get such nostalgia every time I make it 🙂

        Reply
      • william dipanni says

        November 10, 2020 at 8:28 pm

        5 stars
        My Nonna made this but it didn’t have milk. She added a tiny bit of garlic powder to it. This was for when we were sick, but I liked it anytime. It is pretty much like risotto, so if you like that you will like this.

        Reply
    4. Sheila says

      August 26, 2020 at 8:48 pm

      5 stars
      My hubby had Pastina as a child.. his Mother was 100% Italian.
      We enjoy Pastina for lunch.
      My niece called it Pasta-tina

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        August 28, 2020 at 9:35 am

        I love it for lunch too, Sheila! So cute about “pasta-tina” 🙂

        Reply
      • Jess says

        October 01, 2020 at 2:01 pm

        Another option…My gram added an egg at the end and scrambled it in to give us (and my mom and her siblings) a bit of good protein before adding in the milk. She made it for her children daily during the depression when food had to be stretched to feed them. My mom made it for us after coming in from sledding during the harsh Northwest Pa winters! Always hit the spot. Now, I make it for my kiddos and they love it!

        Reply
        • Alyssa says

          October 07, 2020 at 2:48 pm

          I have to try it with an egg!

    5. Allynne says

      April 10, 2020 at 2:20 pm

      5 stars
      Thanks for reminding me what a great comfort food this is!

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        April 15, 2020 at 11:11 pm

        Comfort food to the max!

        Reply

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