Pastina is more than just a soup cut. Create colorful pasta salads, cheesy side dishes and grain bowls.
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Pastina - The Delallo Difference
DeLallo Pastina, or small pasta cuts, are a popular pantry staple—especially in the colder months where comfort foods like soup and cheesy baked pasta recipes are everything. Choose a quality Italian brand for your pastina recipes. As experts in all things Italian foods, DeLallo guarantees an authentic pasta to honor your homemade dishes. Our Pastina is made with premium Italian wheat, artisan methods and generations of pasta-making experience.
Pastina You Can Buy
Pastina is a small pasta shape that shines in more than just soup. This tiny pasta also shines in cold picnic pasta salads, cheesy baked pasta sides and more. Ranging from tiny peppercorn-shaped Acini di Pepe to the barley-shaped Orzo, DeLallo offers a tiny pasta cut in Whole-Wheat, Gluten-Free and Semolina varieties for all of your kitchen creations.
Acini Di Pepe
Ditalini Pasta
Orzo
Whole Wheat Orzo
Gluten Free Orzo
Pastina Recipes
Looking for some recipes to put your pantry pastina to work? Check out our favorite recipes for small pasta cuts like Ditalini and Orzo. From Greek-inspired pasta salads and Bacon & Sage Orzo Stuffing to classics like Pasta Fagioli and Italian Wedding Soup, these pastina recipes are ready to inspire your kitchen creations.
Pastina: Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Pastina Made Of?
Pastina means “small pasta” in Italian. It is a word used to describe tiny pasta shapes of all kinds. In Italy, pastina is served as a child’s first pasta, so pastina is nostalgic for most Italians. Pastina is a common pasta in the U.S., too, where it has become a popular part of Italian-American cuisine. Some of these cuts include the small star-shaped pasta Stelline, as well as tiny tube Ditalini. While pastina is most well known for its addition to soups, like Minestrone and Pasta Fagioli, it also shines in cold pasta salads, cheesy baked pasta recipes and side dishes in the place of rice.
How Do I Use Pastina?
Pastina is a tiny pasta for all seasons. It can be used as a substitute for rice in baked chicken dishes, pilaf-style side dishes and grain bowls. Pastina is also a hearty and fulfilling addition to cold-weather soups like tomato soup, minestrone and vegetable soup. It can also be enjoyed simply: once pastina is cooked and drained, stir in some butter or olive oil and Parmesan Cheese.
How Do I Cook With Pastina?
Because pastina is so small, it tends to cook more quickly than other pasta. Be sure to read the package instructions for specific cook times. Like other pasta shapes, pastina cooks best in a large pot of water, about 5 quarts. Salt the pasta water with about 2 tablespoons of coarse sea salt. Once cooked, pastina should be drained in a strainer. Only rinse pastina if you will be using it in a cold pasta or macaroni salad.
Is Pastina Soup Popular?
Yes, it is very common to find small pasta shapes in soup. Pastina’s size makes it a great soup cut and a feature in many soups including Pasta Fagioli, Italian Wedding Soup and Minestrone—to name a few. Pastina gives soups a more hearty, filling presence, making it a beloved comfort food.
What Is The Difference Between Pastina And Acini De Pepe?
Acini de Pepe is a type of pastina. Acini di pepe means “seeds of pepper” in Italian, describing its small, round peppercorn shape. This pastina shape is best known as the feature pasta in Italian Wedding Soup.
What Is The Difference Between Pastina And Orzo?
Orzo is a type of pastina. Orzo means “barley” in Italian, referring to its tiny barley-like shape. This pastina looks similar to a grain of rice and is often used as a substitute for rice in grain bowls, cheesy pilaf-style side dishes and soups.
What Is The Difference Between Pastina And Couscous?
Couscous is not technically a pasta product, though it is made with a similar flour. Couscous is made with crushed durum wheat semolina, not the ground type used for pastina. Pastina is small pasta, an Italian dish, where couscous is of Moroccan origins.