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Creamy Pastina

Think of this as your favorite packaged pasta/rice side dish, but even better and much healthier.
Course Side Dish
Keyword creamy side, healthy, kid friendly, quick lunch, side dish
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup carrot chopped, or 1-2 large carrots
  • 1/2 onion chopped
  • 8 oz mushrooms chopped
  • 1 tbsp garlic fresh or powder
  • 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup pastina (small pasta)
  • 2 cup chicken broth
  • 1/3 cup cream optional
  • 2 handfuls spinach

Instructions

  • Chop carrots, onion, mushrooms and sauté on medium-high heat in oil or butter for 5 minutes.
  • Once slightly softened, add garlic, poultry seasoning, salt, and vinegar. Sauté vegetables until all the moisture from mushrooms has released and evaporated.
  • Once the moisture has evaporated from pan, add in pastina of your choice and broth.
  • Bring to a gentle simmer, barely bubbling. Turn heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Once most of liquid is absorbed and pasta is cooked through, add cream and gently simmer 1-2 more minutes, until desired consistency.
  • Turn off heat, add in spinach, and stir until spinach has wilted into pasta.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Any broth can be used to simmer pastina, although flavor may differ.
I like to use homemade bone broth for this when possible. 
Apple cider vinegar can be substituted with lemon, white wine, or any other bright flavored vinegar you'd like.