If you are someone looking for pastina pasta and want to know more about the dish. Make sure to read the complete blog for complete information on pastina recipe.
But before that, we will let you know a brief description of the dish. In the later part of the blog post, we will also discuss how the pastina is different from other pasta like Orzo, Acini di Pepe, Stelline, tiny shells and ditalini.
what is Pastina?
Pastina is a kind of small pasta that is usually used in soups, simple pasta dishes, and broths. The word “Pastina ” is derived from the Italian word “pasta” which means paste. It can be used as an ingredient in different pasta recipes to make tasty dishes.
What Type of Pasta is Pastina?
Pastina is a type of pasta that is known for its small size and it is usually round, star, or may be alphabetical in shape. It is among the tiniest pasta shapes available in the market.
Pastina is made from wheat semolina, which is the major source of ingredients in other pasta variations. What makes this pasta more interesting is its cooking time and size.
It is small in size and takes very little time as compared to other pasta varieties, which makes it popular for making soups and simple pasta dishes.
Does Pastina Use Raw Eggs?
No, the pastina pasta does not require raw eggs. It is a kind of pasta made from semolina, wheat, and water.
It is one of the simple pasta varieties used in broths and soups and the method of preparing involves cooking it in boiling water or directly adding it to the hot broth.
Eggs are usually used when you need to cook egg-based pasta like tagliatelle, fettuccine, or any other egg-based noodles.
What Type of Pasta is Similar to Pastina?
There are various pasta varieties similar to pastina, some of them are listed below:
- Acini di pepe: These are also small in size similar to pastina and usually round grain in shape. It is helpful in the preparation of soups. Being small in size, they also take less time to cook.
- Orzo: Orzo is small in size but not as small as pastina. It is a rice-shaped pasta variety that is generally used in making soups and other side dishes.
- Stelline: It is a small-sized pasta that is star-shaped, which makes it appealing for making soups and dishes.
- Ditalini: Ditalini are also small in size but have a tube-like appearance and are well used for making salad and soup.
- Tiny shells: Tiny shells are also small in shape similar to pastina but contain a shell-shaped structure and are often used in pasta salads and soups.
What is the Difference between Orzo and Pastina?
- Shape: Orzo is rice-shaped with large grains whereas pastina is very small and has a tiny shell shape.
- Texture: Orzo contains a slightly dense texture on the other hand pastina is small and light-weight in texture.
- Usage: Orzo is generally used in soups and salads whereas Pastina is used in soups, broths, and some cheese dishes.
- Cooking time: Orzo takes more time to cook as compared to pastina whereas pastina cooks quickly because of its small size.
Final Conclusion on Pastina Recipe
In conclusion, pastina is a small-sized quick-cooking pasta that can be used in several ways from creamy pasta dishes to soup. It can be considered as a best choice meal and can be taken as a part of a balanced diet (if taken in moderation).
So, you are free to use different types of recipes and be creative with pastina in your kitchen.
Read More:- Calzone Dough Recipe
Pastina Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pastina pasta
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- salt according to taste
- Black pepper
- Grated Parmesan cheese for serving
- Butter or oil
Instructions
- Gentle boil 2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth in a saucepan. The vegetable broth gives a flavorful base to the pastina.
- While boiling the broth, add ½ cup of pastina pasta in it.
- To taste, add a pich of salt to the broth. When adding thesalt be cautious because the broth and, if you are using the parmesan cheese itwill also add salt in it.
- Reduce the temperature to a gentle simmer. Inorder toprevent the pastina from sticking the bottom of saucepan, stir it regularly.Time of cooking may vary according to the type of pastina but, generally ittakes around 5-7 minutes. Taste to check the pasta is soft or not.
- To make it more delightful, you can add butter or olive oilon it.
- Now, transfer the pasta into serving dishes. You can addPermesan cheese on it to make it more creamy and tempting.
- Now, you can serve Italian pastina pasta. It is atraditional Italian dish that can be taken as a simple meal.
