Soup Pasta

Collectively referred to as pastina, “little pasta”, and often ending in ini or ine and etti or ette, these shapes are usually served with a homemade meat broth to children or as a comforting meal when recovering from winter ailments such as flus and colds. The different shapes which are made to resemble rice kernels, melon seeds, peppercorns, stars, etc. are usually more to amuse children and look attractive than for flavor and texture. They are all commercially-made flour and water pastas except for maltagliati and quadrucci which are made by hand from egg pasta and not always used in broth. Maltagliati is the classic pasta shape used in Pasta e Fagioli.