Stracciatella (sometime called Italian Egg Drop Soup) is a light and nutritious soup made with chicken broth, egg, Parmesan cheese, and freshly chopped spinach strips. It’s a great soup recipe for a chilly day!
For the past week or so I’ve been a bit under the weather. Do you know that feeling that you don’t have a cold yet, but it feels like it’s about to come? This is me. Tired, a little sore, a little grumpy, all I want to do is curl up on my couch under a warm blanket, sip honey and lemon tea, and take a nap.
What is stracciatella alla romana?
Stracciatella alla Romana is made for days like this. “Stracciatella” means “little bit” in Italian, which describes the “egg bits” in this light, nutritious soup.
Ingredients of Stracciatella alla Romana
Essentially, the soup is hot chicken broth into which a paste of beaten egg and Parmesan cheese has been stirred and cooked. You can also add veggies or mix some breadcrumbs or semolina flour into the egg mixture for a little extra body.
What I love about this soup is that it’s so easy to make, using ingredients I almost always have on hand – eggs, broth, parmesan. But the simplicity of the soup belies its taste. It is delicious! Perfect for a chilly day or a cold body.
Incidentally, the word “stracciatella” is also used for other foods in Italian. There’s a gelato with grated chocolate chips and a cheese used to make burrata.
The difference between stracciatella and egg drop soup
Italian stracciatella and Chinese egg drop soup share similarities. Both have ice strips added to a chicken broth base at the end of the recipe. But stracciatella has a chicken and pasta soup vibe — no chicken or pasta, just topped with parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Egg drop soup has common flavors in Chinese cuisine: soy sauce, ginger, scallions, mushrooms. Both soups are quick to make and warm up satisfactorily, but they each represent the flavors of their cuisines of origin.
What to serve with stracciatella
To make a bowl of stracciatella a full meal, serve it with garlic bread and a salad, both of which are quick to make, just like the soup. You can also serve it as a side to Italian grilled cheese sandwiches. Or make it the first course of an Italian meal with baked ziti and greens.
How to save and reheat this recipe
This soup is best served right after adding the egg mixture, so we don’t recommend making the entire recipe ahead of time to serve later. However, if you have leftovers, store the soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Heat on the stove and bring to a boil.
More soup recipes for a cold day!
- Lemon Chicken Soup (Avgolemono)
- Pasta e fagioli
- Easy Tuscan Bean Soup
- lentil soup
- Vegan chickpea minestrone
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Stracciatella alla Romana
ingredients
-
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
-
1 big egg
-
4 teaspoon fine gratedlightly packed parmesan cheese (if you have coarsely grated Parm, grind it in a food processor to a finer consistency)
-
1 tablespoon Panko bread crumbs (toasted for extra flavor) or semolina flour (optional, you can skip it if you like, you can also use ground puffed rice if cooking gluten free)
-
prize fresh ground black pepper
-
A handful spinach leavescut into 1/2 inch ribbons (can also use chard, arugula, sorrel, or any tender greens)
method
-
Simmer broth:
Pour broth into a 2 quart saucepan and bring to a simmer.
-
Whisk together the egg, parmesan and breadcrumbs:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs (if using), and black pepper.
-
Stir in spinach:
Once the broth is simmering, stir in the chopped spinach.
-
Pour the egg mixture into the soup:
Pour/scrape cheese and egg mixture into simmering broth, do not stir. After a few seconds, gently stir the mixture into the soup. Simmer gently for another minute.
Taste the soup, adding more salt and pepper to taste.
Serve immediately.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 163 | calories |
| 6g | Fat |
| 14g | carbohydrates |
| 13g | protein |
