Simple Comfort

Few dishes capture the essence of nonna-stalgia like pastina, both the name of a soup and a category of tiny pasta shapes. Lorenzo Boni, Executive Chef, Barilla Americas, makes Chicken and Spinach Pastina Soup, featuring Barilla Pastina in a slow-simmered broth with tender chicken, spinach and Parmesan. “Classic pastina is basically stock and pastina—at least in Italy,” says Boni. “This ‘Italian penicillin’ is probably too restrained and simple for American palates. Here in the U.S., people tend to add butter, cheese and sometimes eggs.”

That evolution opens the door for menu innovation. “I think some of the best variations from the Italian version lean into the richness and also healthfulness, adding veggies such as spinach, cherry tomatoes, baby kale, onions and mushrooms. Or making the broth a true bone broth with roasted beef bones, chicken and vegetables, enriching the broth with Parmesan rinds.” Boni sees pastina the pasta being served risotto-style. “Especially as a side. Restaurants can produce it much more quickly than arborio rice,” he says.

Explore even more pasta inspiration from Barilla. Visit Barilla For Professionals’ Recipe Collection