Creamy Cabbage Pastina

By Samantha Seneviratne

Updated May 7, 2026

  • Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
20 min
Rating
5(441)
Comments
Read comments

I could eat pastina, the simple Italian dish made from tiny pasta stars, chicken broth, egg yolks and Parmesan, every day. (In fact, I’ve gone on weeklong pastina benders when I’ve been deep in work and unwilling to go to the grocery store.) It’s fortifying, comforting and tastes like a hug. My sometimes tricky-to-feed 8-year old loves it too. Is it soup? Is it pasta? Who cares! It’s a slurpable supper that takes mere minutes to make. The only downside is no veggies! But I’ve come up with an easy solution. While it’s not traditional, the addition of shredded cabbage adds flavor and nutrients without signaling “vegetable!” to the kiddos in your life. It becomes meltingly tender when simmered with the pasta and adds a mild sweetness that goes beautifully with the cheese and butter.

Featured in: 7 Busy Parents Share Their Quickest Go-To Dinners

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

    or to print this recipe.

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:2 servings

  • 2¼ cups chicken broth or vegetable broth

  • 2 packed cups (6 ounces) shredded cabbage (thinly sliced with a knife or store-bought preshredded)

  • 1 large egg

  • ½ cup grated Parmesan

  • ½ cup pastina pasta

  • 1 tablespoon butter

  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)

  • Salt and black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

    1. Step 1

      In a medium pot, bring the chicken broth to a simmer over medium-high. Add the cabbage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and cheese.

    1. Step 2

      Add the pastina and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is just tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in butter. 

    1. Step 3

      Stir a few spoonfuls of the hot pasta mixture into the cheese mixture. Repeat this process 2 more times, then return everything to the pot. Stir in the lemon zest and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

5 out of 5
441 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

B bade

Where does one obtain pastina nowadays ? Ronzoni stopped making it a while ago. What other brand has it ? I would love to know. I will be 80 in July, pastina was one of my first solid foods. My mother said I and every surface would be covered and stuck with it. Yum. Pastina and butter !!! Thanks

mz

after much outcry and hullabaloo, ronzoni brought pastina back. other brands, eg, barilla never stopped production. i'm 83, my father used to prepare pastina in milk. we'd have hot pastina topped with cold sour cream for breakfast. very fond memory.

Julie Guilbert

Anyone use orzo instead of Pastina?

Pc

If only I could buy patina in a Twin Cities grocery store individually instead of large quantity purchases from Amazon. I’ve loved it since I started solid food as a baby. But it’s only me

Cody

Incredibly tasty and so quick to make! Made as written but felt like it was missing one thing. Added a splash of fish sauce and the flavors just opened up!

D Steffens

Outstanding! We have an Italian deli that sells rustichella d'abruzzo pastas and they have whole wheat stelline. It was a big hit and very, very easy to make. Definitely a keeper.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.