Classic comfort food and ultimate struggle or pantry meal, this Pastina with egg and cheese is the back pocket cheesy, creamy, hearty and always satisfying recipe for life!
2cupschicken or vegetable broth, low-sodium recommended (or water will also work)
½cupsmall pasta (Pastina), such as star-shaped Stelline or Stellette or see Note 1 below for more options
1Tablespoonbutter, cold
2Tablespoonsfreshly grated parmesan, (plus more for topping)
1egg
To serve
Freshly grated parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper
A drizzle of olive oil
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Instructions
Bring the chicken broth to a simmer in a shallow pot over hight heat. (A non-stick skillet works perfectly). Reduce heat to medium high once simmering.
Add the Pastina to the broth and cook, stirring regularly to ensure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
While the Pastina is cooking, crack one egg in the same measuring cup used for the broth and whisk lightly with a fork until homogeneous.
Add the parmesan to the egg and whisk until combined. Set aside.
Simmer the broth until the Pastina is cooked all the way through and about 90% of the broth has been absorbed. (*When you run a spoon through the Pastina, it should leave an empty path that only very slowly fills back in like lava flowing). Taste test the pasta for done-ness. If it is not quite cooked, add a Tablespoon or two more broth or water, as needed, and continue cooking until pasta is al dente.
Once the pasta is done, remove the pot from the heat, add the butter and stir vigorously until it has melted and emulsified with the remaining broth. Very slowly add two spoonfuls of the hot Pastina into the egg mixture while stirring together vigorously while adding. (This process raises the temperature of the egg closer to the temperature of the Pastina and will ensure that the egg doesn't scramble when you add it to the hot Pastina.)
Add the egg mixture to the Pastina and stir vigorously to create a creamy sauce.
Taste and season with additional salt, if needed.
Ladle into bowls and serve with more freshly grated parmesan. You can optionally serve it with freshly ground black pepper and/or a drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
Note 1: Any small pasta shape will work here, such as Acini di Pepe or Orzo would also work. Barilla makes a pasta called “Pastina” which is a very small star shape and creates a porridge-like finished dish. Even slightly larger shapes like Tubeiti or Ditali can also be used.If scaling the recipe up or down, note that a smaller batch may need a bit more broth to fully cook the pasta, while a larger batch may need a little less broth. The general ratio for Pastina is 4 to 1 broth to pasta (as in the 1X recipe below). For a very smaller batch (1/2X), it might be closer to 5 to 1 and for or a larger batch (2X), more like 3 to 1. Keep this in mind when scaling the recipe.Be sure to read the information above this Recipe Card, for more tips and variations for making Pastina, as well as Step-by-Step photos.