Description
Tomato pastina is an effortless and quick Italian comfort food that you can whip up in no time for a heartwarming meal.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small white onion (diced)
- 1 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 cup tomato purée
- 3 cups hot vegetable broth
- 1 cup pastina (such as stelline or risoni)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (microbial-rennet)
- Fresh basil leaves
- Salt and black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Sauté: In a medium pot, heat olive oil over medium/low heat. Add the diced onion and minced garlic. Sauté until the onion is translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
- Simmer: Add the tomato puree and 1 cup of hot vegetable broth. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Cook Pasta: Add the pastina to the sauce and continue to cook, stirring often, for 5-7 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Add more vegetable broth if necessary to keep the mixture from drying out.
- Finish: Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the grated Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve: Serve the pastina hot, garnished with fresh basil leaves and Parmesan cheese.
Notes
Always make sure the vegetable broth is hot when adding it to the pastina to maintain the temperature. Stir the pastina frequently while it’s cooking to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add more broth only when the mixture starts to dry out to keep it moist and saucy. For an extra creamy texture, you can stir in a dollop of ricotta cheese.
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Category: Pasta Recipes
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 portion
- Calories: 515 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 920 mg
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 63 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 22 mg
Keywords: tomato pastina, Italian comfort food, stelline, risoni, quick pasta