This little slow cooker supper is the kind of thing I lean on when the day’s gotten away from me and the pantry has to pull its weight. Stelline—those tiny star-shaped noodles many of us first saw floating in chicken soup—cook up plump and tender right in the slow cooker, soaking up simple flavors the way casseroles used to on church potluck tables. With just three other pantry staples and almost no hands-on work, you can have a cozy, stick-to-your-ribs bowl that feels like something Grandma might have made on a busy harvest night, only easier.
Spoon this stelline supper into warm bowls and top with a little extra grated Parmesan or black pepper if you like. It’s plenty filling on its own, but it’s especially nice with a simple green salad, sliced cucumbers in vinegar, or buttered peas on the side. A piece of crusty bread or a warm dinner roll is handy for catching the last bits from the bowl. If you’re feeding a bigger crowd, set out a dish of cottage cheese or sliced tomatoes and let everyone build a simple, homey plate around this comforting pot of noodles.
4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Stelline SupperServings: 4
Ingredients
2 cups dry stelline (tiny star-shaped) pasta
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with juices
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving if desired
Directions
Lightly spray the inside of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray to help keep the noodles from sticking.
Pour the dry stelline pasta into the slow cooker insert, spreading it into an even layer across the bottom.
Add the diced tomatoes with all their juices over the pasta, then pour in the chicken broth. Stir gently so the stelline are well distributed and fully moistened.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring once or twice if you are nearby, until the stelline are tender but not mushy. Cooking times can vary a bit by slow cooker, so begin checking at about 1 1/4 hours.
Once the stelline are cooked to your liking and the mixture looks brothy but thickened, turn the slow cooker to WARM. Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese a handful at a time until it melts and the mixture becomes creamy and slightly thick. Taste and add a pinch of salt and a little black pepper if needed.
Cover and let the mixture sit on WARM for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken a bit more, then ladle into bowls and serve hot, with extra Parmesan on the table if you like.
Variations & Tips
For a little more body, you can stir in up to 1 cup of drained canned beans—such as cannellini or great northern—along with the tomatoes. If you prefer a creamier, almost risotto-like bowl, add 1/2 cup of milk or half-and-half when you stir in the Parmesan, then let it sit on WARM until slightly thickened. Vegetable broth can stand in for chicken broth if you’d like to keep things meatless. A pinch of dried Italian seasoning or a small clove of minced garlic can be added with the broth for a more herb-forward flavor, though it’s comforting even in its plain, pantry-friendly form. Because the pasta keeps absorbing liquid as it sits, this is best eaten soon after cooking; if it thickens too much, stir in a splash of hot broth or water to loosen. Leftovers should be cooled quickly, then refrigerated in a shallow, covered container and eaten within 3 to 4 days, reheating thoroughly until steaming hot. Avoid leaving the cooked pasta on the counter for more than 2 hours to keep it in the food-safe temperature range. If using homemade broth, be sure it has been properly chilled and stored before adding it to the slow cooker.
