The tomato pastina is a simple, wholesome, and flavorful first course, a true comfort food that can be prepared in just a few minutes. Pastina in broth has always been one of those dishes that, despite its simplicity and the few ingredients needed to make it, warms and comforts like few others, especially on cold winter and autumn evenings. But pastina, like orzo, melon seeds, or barley, is also perfect risotto-style, meaning cooked as if it were risotto with the addition of hot water or vegetable broth, making it very creamy because, with this cooking technique, the pasta slowly releases its starch. And that’s how we’re offering it to you today! In this recipe, orzo is cooked risotto-style with cherry tomatoes, cooking everything in a single pot. In this way, we will prepare a healthy and tasty dish perfect to eat all year round!
The preparation is very simple: sauté the minced garlic with the oil, add the cherry tomatoes, and cook over medium heat, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Add the tomato purée and continue cooking until the cherry tomatoes are softened. Pour in the orzo or another type of pastina of your choice and continue cooking by adding hot vegetable broth or hot water and stirring as if it were a risotto. If you like, towards the end of cooking, you can also add spinach and finish with grated Parmesan and oil.
A comfort food that we can prepare any day of the week using a few ingredients that we almost always have in the fridge and pantry! At most, if we don’t have cherry tomatoes, we can just use tomato purée or pulp to get a tomato pastina that will make your mouth water! You just have to try it!
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Economical
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients for making Tomato Pastina
- 11.5 oz orzo
- 10.5 oz cherry tomatoes
- 5.3 oz tomato purée
- 3.5 oz spinach (optional)
- 4 1/4 cups vegetable broth (or hot water)
- 1 clove garlic
- extra virgin olive oil
- oregano
- salt
- pepper
Tools for making Tomato Pastina
- 1 Pot
Steps for making Tomato Pastina
Start preparing the tomato pastina by pouring olive oil into a large pot. Add minced garlic and let it infuse for a minute.
Add the cherry tomatoes and let them cook over medium heat, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Add the tomato purée, season with oregano, and continue cooking until the cherry tomatoes are soft. Slightly mash them with a fork.
At this point, add the pastina, cover with a ladle of hot broth, and continue cooking the pastina, gradually adding more hot broth as the previous one is absorbed, and stirring. This way, the pastina will cook just like risotto.
When the cooking is almost finished, you can add spinach leaves and let them wilt. Adjust the salt and pepper.
Remove from heat and if you like, add grated Parmesan and raw extra virgin olive oil and serve the tomato pastina.
Simo and Cicci recommend
It is advisable to consume the tomato pastina immediately or at most store it in the fridge well-closed in an airtight container for 1-2 days.
You can add fresh or dried herbs such as basil, parsley, celery, rosemary. If you like it spicy, you can also use chili pepper.
If you don’t have cherry tomatoes, you can make tomato pastina simply with tomato purée or pulp by increasing the quantity.
If you don’t like garlic, you can omit or replace it with minced onion.
You can use either hot vegetable broth to cook the pastina or simply hot water.
