Go Back
Pot filled with pastina with butter and milk and a wooden spoon all on a towel.
Print Recipe
4.78 / 18 votes

Pastina with Butter and Milk

This simple pasta dish is an easy Italian comfort food made with star-shaped pasta and pantry staples. Soothing to kids of all ages.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Mains
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4 servings | 4 children or 2 adults
Calories: 237

Ingredients

  • 1 cup “little stars” pastina , or other tiny pastina shapes
  • 3 teaspoons salt
  • 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 oz) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup warm milk, plus more if desired
US - Metric

Instructions

  • Bring 3 quarts (12 cups) water to a boil. Stir in the pastina and salt and cook according to the package directions.
  • Drain the pasta, reserving the cooking water, and dump the pasta in a bowl or return it to whatever you used to boil it.
  • While the pasta is still piping hot, add the butter, burying it in the pasta to melt it. Stir in the warm milk. If desired, add a little more warm milk.
  • Serve at once to prevent the pastina from drying out and clumping. For best results, stir in a little of the reserved cooking water as needed to keep the pasta moist.

Notes

  1. Storage--Store leftover pastina in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
  2. Reheating--To reheat pastina, warm it in a saucepan over low heat until heated through. You may need to add a splash of milk to loosen the pasta.
  3. Dietary--This is suitable for a vegetarian diet.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 237kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 1759mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g