Food Tuesday: Pastene Makes Cooking Easy

This week’s Food Tuesday is about simple, cost-effective cooking, since every mom I know is running around crazy getting ready for Christmas and Chanukah and can use an idea for cheap, easy meals kids love.

Pastene Italian Stelline Pasta

Pastene, the Italian imported foods company, makes terrific small pastas, called Pastina (which literally means tiny pasta), that cook up in less than 10 minutes.  Some favorites are Organic Pastina ($2.39) and Italian Stelline ($1.69), the small star pasta (see photo).  Add olive and a pinch of salt, and you have lunches and dinners ready to go.  Make sure you reserve leftovers – the creamy texture and rich flavor combo is irresistible.

Pastina or Stelline On the Go

Serves 4 (with plenty of dry pasta left over in the package)

5 cups water

1 cup Pastene Pastina or Italian Stelline

1/4 extra-virgin olive oil

1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt, to taste (about 2 pinches)

Boil water in a medium size sauce pan.  Pour in pasta and cook according to package, about 6 – 8 minutes, or until tender.  Drain water.  Add olive oil and salt.  Mix and serve.

To prepare for kids’ school lunches, divide into containers or hot food jars and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.  Pasta stays warm until lunchtime.  Pack a spoon!

Pastina and Stelline make a great last minute side dish for any type of meat you’re serving for dinner (instead of rice, which you need to plan ahead, due to the longer cooking time).  If you don’t gobble up the leftovers, save for chicken soup.  Store in an airtight container and freeze until “soup’s on.”

Pastene’s Pastina and Italian Stelline are available at most grocery stores nationwide (check website below for store locator), or shop at the company’s extensive online market, which stocks hundreds of imported Italian products.  Many items are Kosher and gluten-free.  Go to Pastene.com for information and online market.

Mangia!