Vegan Pastina (2024)

Published: Dec 12, 2023 by Liz Madsen

Vegan Pastina is super simple comfort food that’s ready in just 15 minutes. It’s buttery, satisfying, and really easy to make.

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Hey Internet, you know what I’ve been needing lately? Something really cozy and comforting, but also just really easy to make.

This vegan pastina is that. An Italian-inspired, DELICIOUS, quick, and satisfying meal. A bowl of pasta is truly one of my favorite things (and with good reason, it's so cozy!).

I love Italian-inspired recipes… I mean I have to say inspired since traditional Italian food contains animal products so I have to change the ingredients (and often the method) to achieve similar flavors and textures.

My favorite Italian-inspired recipes include my vegan cacio e pepe, vegan mushroom risotto, vegan carbonara, garlic risotto, and vegan aglio e olio, though there are many others.

But back to this vegan pastina. Now, I don't come from an Italian home, so I'm not going to pretend it's authentic. I mean, it's vegan, so, it's already not traditional.

Pastina is a very simple dish. It’s based around stelline pasta (although sometimes other very small pasta is used), that looks like little stars.

Also referred to as “Italian Penicillin,” the traditional version of pastina is made with cheese (parmesan cheese or parmigiano reggiano or I’ve seen people use pecorino romano) and egg. The egg is stirred into the cooked pasta and the residual heat cooks the egg. An Italian mother might serve this to her Italian household all winter long and have her own family recipe; it's the ultimate Italian comfort food.

And sometimes a different type of pastina comes in the form of a traditional Italian soup or rather an Italian version of chicken noodle soup. It's essentially mostly a pasta soup (made with rich chicken broth, often made by boiling a whole chicken, or I guess some people use a rotisserie chicken... I'm not exactly the best person to ask). That's what some would call Italian chicken noodle soup, or an easy Italian pastina soup.

Not exactly vegan, but cozy pastina soup is a popular choice. That's why I've already made this delicious soup—vegan chicken soup—that uses this same pasta: my vegan chicken and stars soup! It's a simple pastina soup recipe that's made in a large soup pot and is such a cozy soup. I love a simple soup.

But back to our actual vegan pastina recipe. I’m actually giving you TWO WAYS to make plant based pastina.

Version one (the easiest way, but they're both easy) is super duper simple and just uses broth, vegan butter, vegan parmesan cheese. There is NO STRAINING. This one pot pasta is so quick and so easy.

The second version is for folks who cannot find vegan parmesan in their area. Instead, we’ll blend up a cheesy sauce and pour it into cooked pastina.

Is this classic Italian comfort food? Not exactly.

But is it totally vegan and delicious, and true vegan comfort food? You bet.

Why You’ll Love Vegan Pastina

• Simple and Comforting: Much like my vegan buttered noodles this delicious pastina recipe is simple and great for an upset stomach, a cold, or just a really simple dinner.
• Family Friendly: Kids and adults (and any picky eaters) will love this delicious dish. The tiny stars are so fun! You can swap other small pasta shapes, too. You can definitely add spice (I love adding black pepper but a bit of crushed red pepper flake would also be great) to your own plate and leave it simple for others. This may also be a good dish for young ones who are not quite on solid food yet, since the pasta can be cooked enough to easily swallow without chewing much.
• Goes with Anything: Serve this vegan pastina with a veggie side like green beans or air fried Brussels sprouts (or any of your favorite vegetables) or serve it as a side dish with a vegan main like tofu schnitzel or vegan steak. Keep reading for more serving suggestions!
• Quick and Easy: This recipe is ready in just 15 minutes (with either version) and is incredibly easy and simple, making it a great way to get dinner on the table on a busy or cold day. There’s only a handful of simple ingredients and it comes together with minimal effort.

Ingredients

Grab these simple ingredients the next you’re at the grocery store. You might want to grab more of everything than is in the recipe, because you’ll want to make it again and again. See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredients, instructions, and nutritional information.

Version 1

• Stelline Pasta: This is our star pasta, the star of the show! It actually is tiny pasta stars and it's delicious.
• Vegan Chicken Broth: I personally love Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base mixed with water (you can do a lower paste to water ratio than the jar suggests to reduce the sodium content) as it’s delicious, economical, and it stores well.
• Vegan Butter: While vegan margarine will work, I like stick-form vegan butter for extra richness in this recipe. I use Earth Balance sticks.
• Vegan Parmesan Cheese: I love Violife Vegan Parmesan Block and use a microplane to finely grate the cheese. This melts into pasta very well. There are other brands of vegan parmesan cheese out there, but this one works the best if it is available to you.
• Black Pepper: Pastina is even better with some fresh cracked pepper.
• ​Fresh Parsley: A bit of fresh herbs is so nice on top. I used fresh parsley.

Version 2

• Stelline Pasta
• Water: To help the sauce blend. Use either starchy cooking water from the pot or just use filtered water.
• Raw Cashews or Sunflower Seeds: The base for our sauce.
• Nutritional Yeast: For a cheesy flavor.
• Spices: Granulated onion or onion powder, granulated garlic or garlic powder, and salt.
• Black Pepper: I don’t blend the black pepper into the sauce, I just add my desired amount to the finished dish. I do it this way because people differ on how much black pepper they like to add (I like a little; my husband likes a lot).
• Fresh Parsley

Substitutions

• Stelline Pasta: Stelline or pastina pasta is a type of pasta that looks like cute little stars. If you can’t find pastina pasta or stelline pasta (I’ve seen it at Target but also bought it online), you can use any little pasta such as orzo pasta, acini de pepe, alphabet pasta, ditalini, small shells, or even Israeli couscous (this may require a different amount of broth or different cooking time; I have not tested this substitution but I’ve read about it). Use gluten free pasta if needed.
• Vegan Chicken Broth: If using version 1, you can use any other brand of vegan chicken bouillon or prepared vegan chicken broth or vegan chicken stock. You can also use vegetable broth or vegetable stock. You're also welcome to use homemade broth (I've seen people make vegetable broth in an Instant Pot, which is cool.
• Vegan Butter: You can use a little extra virgin olive oil instead. If you are oil-free, I recommend making Version 2 of my vegan pastina recipe.
• Vegan Parmesan Cheese: Other vegan shredded cheese can work but they take more time at a high heat to melt. One trick is to blitz the shreds in a food processor, but please remember that every brand of vegan cheese varies on its melting abilities). You can substitute my vegan parmesan topping if you’d prefer. If you cannot find vegan cheese near you, please use Version 2 of the recipe.
• Raw Cashews or Sunflower Seeds: The point of the nuts and seeds is to make a flavored cashew cream or sunflower seed cream. If you’re making version 2, you can substitute the nuts or seeds with cashew butter or sunflower butter. OR substitute the nuts or seeds and the water with a thick and heavy plant based milk like canned coconut milk or unsweetened plant based heavy cream.
• Nutritional Yeast: It is not a strong flavor in the recipe, but you can increase the spices a bit if you don’t have nutritional yeast.
• Black Pepper: Substitute red pepper flakes for more spice if preferred.
• Fresh Parsley: Feel free to use fresh basil or fresh oregano, whatever you have and enjoy!
• Any Other Flavorings: Fresh garlic would be the perfect addition. Other great choices include lemon juice, sriracha or other hot sauce, a bay leaf during the cooking process, lemon zest (just gently zest the outer layer of a lemon with a microplane or zester), baby spinach, or a little miso paste if you like.

How to Make Vegan Pastina

There's two different ways to make my pastina recipe. Version 1 is much simpler, but it requires you to have access to vegan parmesan. Version 2 involves blending up a sauce but it's a great option for people without good access to vegan cheese.

Version 1

1. Heat a medium pot over medium-high heat and immediately add the vegan chicken broth (or vegetable stock) and cover.
2. Once the broth has come to a boil (4-5 minutes on a power burner, or a bit longer if not), add the pasta, stir well, and reduce the heat to medium heat or medium-low. Cook uncovered 3-4 minutes and stir frequently to keep the pasta from sticking. Stoves and pots differ, so your food may take slightly more or less time to cook than mine (I do use my power burner quite a bit, haha).
3. Once the pasta is al dente and most of the broth is absorbed, stir in the vegan butter until it melts.
4. Now stir in the vegan cheese until it melts.
5. Serve and garnish with a little more vegan parmesan cheese (if desired), a pinch of finely chopped fresh parsley, and fresh cracked pepper to taste. Enjoy immediately!

Version 2

1. Heat a large pot of water (around 8 cups of water) over medium high heat (salted if desired). Bring to a boil.
2. Add the pasta and stir well. Cook uncovered until the pasta is al dente and drain the excess water (save about ¾ cup of water for the sauce if you'd like, or you can use filtered water).
3. Blend up the sauce ingredients (water, raw cashews or sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, granulated onion and garlic, and salt). Blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed and blend again.
4. Add the cooked pasta back to the pot and add the blended sauce. Stir well and serve immediately with a garnish of fresh parsley and fresh cracked black pepper.

Expert Tips

• Make This Recipe Gluten-Free:​ You can easily make vegan pastina gluten-free by using whatever small gluten-free pasta you can find.
• Make the Right Number of Servings: This vegan pastina recipe makes enough for one main dish serving or two side dish servings. You can easily increase or decrease the recipe based on how many servings you need.
• Other Pasta Shapes:​ Feel free to use any other tiny pasta shapes that you can find.
• Customize With Spices:​ Change up the spices if you like, it's your dish! Try dried Italian seasoning or dried oregano or dried basil. Smoked paprika would be lovely, as would some spice like cayenne if that's your jam.
• Add Plant-Based Protein: If you'd like to add a protein directly into your vegan pastina, I recommend soy curls, chickpeas, cubed tofu like my crispy tofu or panko tofu (which I'd cut smaller before making) or your favorite store bought vegan chicken alternative.
• Make Soup Instead: If you'd prefer to make a comforting soup, try my vegan chicken and stars soup. It's essentially a vegan pastina soup.

Serving Suggestions

Vegan pastina is the perfect main or side. If you like a lot of pasta (like I do), make it a main and serve it with a veggie or a side salad. If you need some protein with your meal, serve the pasta as a side with a delicious plant-based protein.

​With A Veggie Side:

• Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
• Broccoli, Green Beans, or your favorite vegetable
• Vegan Italian Salad
• Or a simple side salad with my creamy Vegan Italian Dressing

With A Vegan Protein:

• Vegan Cordon Bleu
• Vegan Drumsticks
• Tofu Schnitzel
• Vegan Steak
• Vegan Chicken

​Storage Instructions

Like most pasta dishes, this dish is best on the first night! But if you find yourself with leftovers, here's how to store and keep vegan pastina:

• Refrigerating: Let the pastina cool fully and store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
• Reheating: Reheat in the microwave or in a small pot over low heat (with a little vegan butter or good olive oil). Add extra vegan parmesan if desired.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Vegan Pasta Recipes!

• Vegan Cacio e Pepe
• Vegan Carbonara
• Pasta with Vegan Vodka Sauce
• Vegan Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
• Vegan Garlic Scape Pasta
• Pasta with Vegan Meat Sauce
• Vegan Aglio e Olio
• Vegan Manicotti
• One Pot Creamy Vegan Mushroom Pasta
• Vegan Pasta Primavera
• Vegan Ragu

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