Grandma's Dream Pastina

Time :15

Yield :4 servings

Recipe Background

Any time, any day, you can count on this... Grandma is always prepared. Grandma's Dream Pastina is one of her go-to dishes, especially when she wants to make something full of comfort and warmth in a real hurry! Unique, poultry flavored pastina pasta engulfed with melted, sharp parmesan cheese and a creamy, airy sauce is not just great home-cooking. It's basically a love language unto itself. It only takes 15 minutes to indulge in a cheesy bite of heaven with Grandma's Dream Pastina. Prepare yourself... it's so easy and just so good!

Ingredients

3 cups reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth plus more, to taste
1 (12-ounce) box pastina
1/2 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated, plus more, to taste, for garnish
1 large egg
salt optional, to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more, to taste, for garnish

Directions

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add 3 cups of the chicken broth and the pastina and heat, while stirring often, until the mixture comes to a gentle boil.
Cook the pastina until it is al dente and has mostly absorbed the liquid, about 6 minutes. There should still be a small amount of liquid left. If the pastina looks too dry, add the extra broth, a little at a time, to the pasta.
Turn off the stovetop heat but keep the saucepan on the burner.
Immediately add 1/2 cup of the parmesan, the egg, the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper to the pastina and quickly and vigorously stir to incorporate the egg into the warm pasta and to melt the parmesan. The trick is to do this while the pasta is very hot, so the residual heat cooks the egg and turns it into a creamy sauce.
Serve the pastina garnished with the extra parmesan cheese and the extra black pepper.