Acini di Pepe Pasta Caviar

Ingredients

• 2 cup chicken broth (enough to cook the pasta pearls)
• 1 tbsp butter (divided; a touch for the boiling water and more for finishing)
• salt (to taste)
• 1 cup acini di pepe pasta
• black pepper (freshly cracked, to taste)
• 0.25 cup parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
• 1 garlic (clove, grated)
• 0.5 tbsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed)

Steps

1. 1

   In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil.

2. 2

   Add a touch of butter and a pinch of salt to the boiling broth.

3. 3

   Reduce the heat to a simmer and pour in the acini di pepe pasta.

4. 4

   Simmer the pasta for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the liquid is mostly absorbed and the pasta is tender.

5. 5

   Finish the dish by adding more butter, freshly cracked black pepper, grated parmesan cheese, grated garlic, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

6. 6

   Stir everything together until the cheese and butter have melted into a creamy sauce coating the pasta pearls.

Notes

The creator suggests adding a vegetable like frozen broccoli or a protein to make it a more complete meal. The texture is described as 'pasta caviar' because of the small, round shape of the acini di pepe.

Nutrition per serving

• pasta
• vegetarian
• comfort food
• easy dinner
• acini di pepe
• side dish