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This easy pastina recipe is truly comfort in a bowl. It uses a pasta shape called pastina, “little pasta” in Italian, which is cooked in chicken stock and then mixed with butter, Parmesan, and lemon. It is so delicious, creamy, and warming. It is often called Italian penicillin, which shows just how comforting it is, guaranteed to make you feel better.
Table of Contents
For this recipe, you do really need to find the tiny pastina shapes. Typically, Italians use star-shaped pasta called stelline, but you could use tiny rounds or tubes. It’s also great in soups and stews like my Easy Minestrone or my Tomato Bean Stew.
What is pastina?
Pastina translates to “little pasta” in Italian and refers to the smallest pasta shapes used in Italian cooking. Rather than one specific shape, pastina is a category that includes tiny stars, grains, or rounds, all of which cook quickly and easily.
Pastina vs acini di pepe
Although they’re often confused, pastina and acini di pepe are not exactly the same:
- Pastina is an umbrella term that includes several very small pasta shapes, like the tiny stars (stelline) that I used.
- Acini di pepe is a specific pasta shape that resembles small beads and has a slightly firmer texture.
If you can’t find pastina in the shops, acini di pepe is the closest substitute and works almost identically in most recipes.
Why you will love this recipe
- It’s super quick and easy – you can have it on the table in 10 minutes.
- The ultimate comfort food: perfect if you’re feeling unwell or just for a cold day.
- Easy to adapt and add different cheeses and veggies.
- Perfect for the whole family – kids will love this.
Ingredients
- Pastina – Any tiny pasta shape works. I used stelline, little stars.
- Chicken stock – Homemade will make the most delicious pastina, but I know this is not always possible, so just try to use a good-quality one rather than just a stock cube. A cube would work, but since there are so few ingredients in this pastina recipe, it’s a good idea to use all good-quality ones so they carry their weight.
- Parmesan – Or any hard cheese similar to Parmesan, e.g., pecorino or Grana Padano.
Substitutions and variations
Make it vegetarian – If you are a vegetarian, you could use a good vegetable stock and just make sure your Parmesan is vegetarian too.
Pastina – You can use other small pasta shapes or even orzo.
Add an egg yolk – Stirring an egg yolk into pastina makes it even creamier.
Added protein – Stir in some shredded chicken or even turkey to add more protein.
Add veggies – You could stir in some peas or leaf spinach to boost the nutrition of this easy pastina dish.
How to make easy pastina
Here’s a quick visual guide — the full recipe with exact measurements is below.
ONE: In a medium pan over medium-high heat, pour in the stock and bring to a gentle boil.
TWO: Add the pastina to the pan and simmer, stirring regularly, for 5 to 8 minutes until soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
THREE: Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, lemon juice, and grated Parmesan. Stir well until melted and creamy.
FOUR: Taste, season with salt and pepper, and serve straight away. Loosen with a splash of warm stock if it thickens too much while you wait to serve up!
Tips from Margie’s kitchen
- Stir often while cooking: Stirring often stops it sticking but also releases the starch from the pastina, which makes it creamier.
- Serve immediately: Pastina needs to be served straight away for the best texture so it doesn’t thicken too much. If it gets too thick, add a splash of warm stock to loosen it.
- Choose your consistency: Add extra hot stock as you like until it has the texture you like. Some will like it more risotto-like and others more soupy.
- Don’t overcook: To avoid mushy pastina, keep an eye on it and taste the pasta near the end so you can see how much longer it needs and take it off the heat when ready.
Frequently asked questions
Pastina cooks fast since it’s so tiny — usually just 5-8 minutes in a simmering stock. This whole recipe takes just about 10 minutes from start to finish.
Yes, pastina just means ‘small pasta’ in general, so any small pasta shape will work. Orzo and acini di pepe are great substitutes for stelline when making this easy pastina recipe.
Pastina is easy to digest and a gentle dish to make for someone who feels unwell, but also for children and babies. Just watch the salt content if feeding to babies.
Other recipes you might enjoy
If you liked this easy pastina recipe, you will love my butternut squash risotto, chickpea pasta or poule au pot. You can then use the chicken carcass from that to make homemade stock. For more pastina, you might like my Mexican-inspired pastina salad.
Easy One Pot Dishes
One Pan Pasta and Peas
Easy Pasta Recipes
Stanley Tucci’s Pasta Fagioli
Easy One Pot Dishes
Easy One-Pan French Onion Soup Pasta
Chicken Recipes
One-Pan Greek Chicken with Lemon Potatoes
If you tried this easy pastina recipe or any other recipe on the site, please do leave a rating or comment and let us know how it went!
Creamy and Easy Pastina
Ingredients
- 3.5 oz (100 g) pastina of choice, e.g., stelline
- 3 cups (750 ml) good-quality chicken stock, more if needed to loosen
- 1/4 cup (20 g) grated Parmesan
- 2 tbsp (30 g) butter, salted or unsalted
- 1-2 tsp lemon juice, or to taste
- Black pepper
- Salt
Instructions
- In a medium pan over medium-high heat, pour in the stock and bring to a gentle boil.
- Add the pastina to the pan and simmer, stirring regularly, for 5 to 8 minutes until soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, lemon juice, and grated Parmesan. Stir well until melted and creamy.
- Taste, season with salt and pepper, and serve straight away. Loosen with a splash of warm stock if it thickens too much while you wait to serve up!
Video
Notes
Storage
To store: Cool, then transfer to an airtight container. Keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. To reheat: Reheat gently on the stove with a little water or stock, stirring until hot. To freeze: Freeze plain pastina (without cheese or egg) for up to 1 month. Defrost in the fridge and reheat with extra stock.More quick tips
- Stir regularly while cooking to stop the pastina sticking.
- If it thickens, loosen with a splash of hot stock or water if needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This pastina recipe is so easy and so good. It’s a proper comforting bowl of goodness!