This simple recipe for pastina with egg and cheese, otherwise known as comfort food, will make everything feel a little better! Especially when eaten out of a Peter Rabbit bowl.
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Why I love this recipe
I love the general category of comfort food.
As in poached eggs on buttered toast. Cream of Wheat. Scrambled eggs with little dollops of ricotta cheese.
Sometimes a warm bowl of comfort food is the only thing that will do when you are feeling blue, or tired, or overwhelmed by the busy-ness of it all.
Or maybe you just want to be 5 years old again, for a few minutes. Anyway, I have my little repertoire of meals that fall into this category, and I was delighted to remember this one in this book I just finished reading.
The book is called I Loved, I Lost, I Ate Spaghetti by Guilia Melucci. For all of you who read Eat Pray Love it is basically the same type of book, only this time the eat and the love parts are combined.
And scattered throughout this book are Guila’s various recipes for this that and the other thing, mainly Italian dishes.
And that is what this recipe is based on. Tiny pasta swirled with a little butter, cheese and an egg. It’s comfort food perfection that is ready in 15 minutes.
What is pastina?
Pastina is the tiniest pasta there is – it is little tiny dots of pasta that cook up quickly, and because of its tiny size it tends to be a little softer than most pasta.
Perfect with butter…and even better with the other ingredients in this recipe!
Ingredients you need
The basic components are pretty simple: pastina, egg, butter, cheese, salt and pepper. It cooks up in about 5 minutes start to finish, and turns into a creamy, slightly cheesy concoction that needs to be eaten with a spoon.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Pastina: And if you can’t find pastina, go for the tiniest pasta you can find. Little stars or even orzo.
- Egg: Any size egg will do.
- Butter: I like salted butter for this recipe, but unsalted will work too!
- Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated if you can!
How to make this recipe
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
STEP 1: Bring one cup of water to boil in small saucepan.
STEP 2: Add pastina and salt and cook until most of the water is absorbed, 3-4 minutes or whatever the instructions on your box suggest.
STEP 3: Turn off heat and stir in egg, letting it cook in the hot pasta.
STEP 4: Add a little butter, a little grated Parmesan cheese and a little salt and pepper. Eat slowly out of your favorite bowl with your favorite spoon.
Recipe FAQs
Pastina can be a tricky thing to track down! First check your grocery store in the pasta aisle. If you can’t find it there, you can order a good-sized supply of pastina here. And all my friends and loved ones know that I go through it so fast that whenever they see it, they pick me up a box…or six!
You can use whatever kind of cheese makes you feel the most comforted! Just make sure it is a melty kind (like American or finely shredded cheddar) that will mix up into your pastina.
Pop your question in the comments section below and I will get back to you pronto!
I ladled mine into my Peter Rabbit bowl, settled into my favorite chair, and immediately felt much better.
So if you are looking for a good book to read give I Loved, I Lost, I Ate Spaghetti a try…and the next time you need a little pick-me-up, cook up some of this pastina. Preferably served in a Peter Rabbit bowl.
Other comfort food recipes we love
We want to know what you think!
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.
Pastina with Egg and Cheese, Otherwise Known As Comfort Food
This simple recipe for pastina with egg and cheese, otherwise known as comfort food, will make everything feel a little better!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup pastina
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan
- Fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Bring one cup of water to boil in small saucepan.
- Add pastina and salt and cook until most of the water is absorbed, 3-4 minutes or whatever the instructions on your box suggest.
- Turn off heat and stir in egg, letting it cook in the hot pasta.
- Add butter, cheese and pepper. Eat slowly out of your favorite bowl with your favorite spoon.
- Feel much better.
Notes
Pastina: These teeny dots of pasta are always my favorite choice for this comfort food recipe, but if you can’t find pastina, any small pasta (stars, orzo, etc) will do in a pinch.
Egg: You will be able to see it, but the egg really will cook in the hot pasta – stir it around until you see it forming little bits of scrambled egg.
Jill says
Perfect pastina. I didnโt want to add milk so Iโm glad this recipe left it out. I tried making it from memory but added the butter before the GH and that was a mistake. The egg congealed and didnโt make a sauce the way it does when you add egg first. Thanks for this!
Hi Jill, and I’m so glad this recipe worked for you. It’s the best comfort food I know! :)
Susan says
This was so very delicious and comforting. I added a little minced carrot, celery and onion cooked in butter before I added the chicken broth and pastina. I did add egg, cheese and pepper at the end. I can’t even describe how wonderful it was.
I love the idea of adding some veggies to this recipe – brilliant! I’m so glad you love it as much as we do. :)
Claudia says
Have wanted to try this for so long and am so glad I did. Delicious!
I also used chicken broth.
My question is when you click on 2x in the directions it doubles the pastina etc. but doesnโt mention the liquid amount. Would that then be 2 cups liquid to 1/2 cup pastina?
Jacquolyn says
I just made a double portion and I used 1/2 cup pastina to 2 cups broth. Worked perfectly
Thanks Jacquolyn!
Yes, absolutely right. So glad you tried and liked it!
Ron P says
Simple and great pastina con uova: I make mine with chicken broth instead of salted water, and top with additional Parmesan. Itโs comforting and easy to digest as a meal when youโre feeling sick, but tasty enough to be a satisfying side any time.
Thanks Ron and yes! The chicken broth and extra Parmesan make things extra comforting! :)
Ande says
This is so definitely comfort food! I went with the 2/1 ratio on water and it worked out perfectly. I did not have pastina, but had some lovely little star pasta that I used and it was just right. Thank you for such a great recipe!
Oh, I love the little star pasta – it’s so cheery! Glad you love this recipe as much as we do. :)
Deborah Kean says
I followed directions, 1 cup water & 1/4 cup pastinaโฆ I let it cook 5 minutes, it was aldente, but there was so much water leftโฆI drained it, added egg & stirred but the never really cooked & it was pretty runnyโฆ wasnโt too greatโฆ
Hi Deborah! Sounds like your pastina needed a little more time to absorb the water. Having it soak up the boiling water will also make things hotter for the egg, which will help it cook up better. You were of course doing the right thing by following the timing in the recipe, but sometimes pasta needs a little more time depending on brand. I hope you try this one again – when it works it is so wonderful, I promise! Thanks for reaching out and I hope your holidays are merry ones!
sherry says
I use a 2:1 ratio of pastina to chicken broth instead of water.. it adds a nice flavor and it will certainly soak up all the broth if left for about 8 or so min! iโm eating it right now bc itโs a perfect easy comfort food!
Hi Sherry and thanks for sharing your pastina experience! Chicken broth is definitely a fun spin on this recipe. :)
Sharon says
If you don’t have chicken broth, can you use beef or turkey broth or should I stick with just the water.
Hi Sharon! I think turkey broth (and of course water) would be just fine. The beef broth will work, but it will give it a definitely stronger flavor that I’m not sure will work with the egg and the cheese. Hope this helps!
Jeanette says
I made this with some homemade chicken bone broth, stellini, and a mix of parm and pecorino (as I had both on hand). So good โบ๏ธ Will definitely be making this next time I have a little extra broth I need to use up
Hi Jeanette, and I love your take on this comfort food! Thanks for sharing!
Ally says
Iโve made this recipe several times now. Using chicken bone broth takes it to the next level. It adds so much flavor!
Ally! I love the idea of cooking it in bone broth – some extra flavor and protein. Thank you! :)
Diane says
Too bad the instructions in the body of the recipe always say to use one cup of water, regardless of how many servings you’re making. Our three servings were pretty crunchy. LOL I’ll know better next time!
Hi Diane – I took a quick look, and it does say to follow the directions on the box. But I’m glad you figured it out – this is one of my faves! Happy Thursday!
Kali says
Just like my mother and my Nona used to make! Only difference is I eat it out of my Barbie bowl :)
Your Barbie bowl?? Now I need to get one of these for myself! Love it!
Melissa Windover says
I found some gluten free pastina for the first time ever and just had to try! The brown rice pastina took a little longer to cook but still turned out great, so creamy and velvety.
Thanks!
I’m so glad you were able to find a gluten-free version – I know finding things like that can be tricky! Thank YOU for this nice note! :)
Becky says
This is how I love to make my pastina. And since Iโm brain dead after having four children and canโt remember anything, I have this recipe pinned on my phone for easy access when any of my kids are sick or cold rainy days where we need a pick me up!! Thank you for sharing!!
Four kiddos! I think you definitely deserve a bowl (or four!) of this pastina. Thanks for your sweet note!
Jessica says
I am absolutely broke and I needed lunch, so I decided to try this with the box of orzo I had in the pantry. I used chicken stock as others suggested (omitting the 1/4 tsp salt.) Mine came out inedibly salty (not sure why, maybe the stock plus the cheese and butter was overkill?) and I was SO sad. However, I added some cooked plain white rice and it helped to balance out the saltiness – essentially it became a creamy, cheesy rice pilaf. I’ll try it again using just water tomorrow, as clearly this is user error on my part, because it was otherwise beautifully glossy! I can see why this is the ultimate “comfort food” for so many.
Jessica! I think you are 100% right about the salt – if you used salted chicken broth and salted butter and wonderfully salty cheese, it might have been salt overload…but then you saved the day with the rice! I would use water or unsalted broth next time, and add the cheese a little at a time tasting as you go to make sure you get the perfect comfort food flavor.
Amanda D says
Just made this for dinner and everyone loved it! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’m so glad and you are so welcome! :)
Amy Myers says
I have this recipe on repeat for our granddaughter and we have all come to love it! Perfect comfort food. We sometimes add peas, carrots, zucchini or any other veggies for a little addition. So many options.
Love the addition of some veggies to this comfort food fave!