9 pastina recipes

Avocado halves stuffed with saffron pastina, chopped tomatoes, scallions, parsley, and vinaigrette. An elegant lunch main or dinner first course with golden, fragrant pasta filling.

Saffron-laced pastina salad with pine nuts, currants, fresh mint, and orange blossom water. A fragrant Middle Eastern-inspired room temperature pasta side dish with turmeric and cumin.

A rustic Italian stew where stale bread melts into garlicky Roma tomatoes, white wine, and fresh marjoram with tiny pastina stirred in at the end. Vegetarian comfort in 45 minutes.

Stale bread simmers with Roma tomatoes, garlic, white wine, and marjoram in this hearty Italian peasant stew. Tiny pastina added at the end gives it body. Ready in 45 minutes.

Italian Christmas cookies (Patina di Natale) studded with toasted pine nuts and brightened by lemon zest. A buttery, golden-glazed cookie-cutter classic from the holiday tables of southern Italy.

Hearty pasta and lentil soup with mushrooms, tomato paste, garlic, and ground ginger. A thick, protein-rich Italian-style soup that cooks in one pot.

Old-fashioned chicken soup simmers a whole chicken with chicken feet, garlic, carrots, celery, and herbs for three hours to extract maximum flavor and collagen. Grandma-style cure-all served over pastina or rice.

Sear jumbo shrimp in olive oil, deglaze with white wine, and toss with butter and pasta for a restaurant-worthy dinner that's done in 15 minutes flat.

Spinach pasta soup with orzo, tomato paste, and chicken broth, ready in 30 minutes. A light, low-sodium soup loaded with fresh greens and tiny pasta in a savory tomato broth.