Stracciatella is a simple Roman-style egg drop soup that combines chicken stock, fresh eggs, cheese, and parsley. It’s perfect anytime as a first course but is especially good when you’re under the weather and want something light but nourishing to the core.
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I can’t think of another type of food that’s more warming and nourishing than soup, and specifically soups like escarole and bean soup, Italian wedding soup, Italian beef soup, and this stracciatella soup.
Stracce means “rags” in Italian, and while the term stracciatella can refer to other things (cheese and a flavor of gelato), the recipe here is for stracciatella soup and the “little rags” being the small curds of egg that are formed during the egg dropping process.
This light and flavorful soup is made with just a few staple ingredients and can come together very quickly making it an ideal soup to make when you’re not feeling your best.
It’s also a wonderful first course to serve for holidays, especially Easter when eggs are top of mind for recipes like Italian Easter bread and deviled eggs!
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Stock. Homemade chicken stock or brodo, and beef stock are great for stracciatella alla Romana, but you can also use a low-sodium boxed stock or stock made from a chicken or beef base. I’m using chicken stock in the photos of this recipe.
- Eggs. Fresh eggs are an essential ingredient in this egg-drop style soup. When dropped into the soup, the eggs form curds, thus the “little rags” reference.
- Cheese. You can use either Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano. Just keep in mind that Pecorino is on the saltier side.
- Parsley. I always add parsley to my stracciatella soup, but if you don’t have it you can omit. Spinach, chard, or kale are other great green additions to this soup.
- Nutmeg (not pictured). Adding a pinch of nutmeg brings another layer of flavor but if you prefer to not use it, just omit.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- In a Dutch oven or stock pot, bring the chicken or beef stock to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
- In a large bowl beat the eggs and cheese together along with the nutmeg and freshly ground black pepper.
- Turn the heat on the stock to low and slowly drizzle the egg and cheese mixture into the pot.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes, then remove from the heat, add the parsley, and taste test. If needed, add salt and black pepper to taste. Serve in bowls with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and more grated cheese, if desired. Stracciatella soup is especially good with a slice of garlic bread!
More soup recipes
If you’re looking for more brothy nourishing soups, give these recipes a try.
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Stracciatella Soup (Italian Egg Drop Soup)
Ingredients
- 6 cups (1.4L) low-sodium chicken stock
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup (75g) grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 pinch nutmeg or to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup minced flat-leaf Italian parsley
- extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
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Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or stock pot, bring the stock to a boil then lower to a simmer.
- In a bowl, beat the eggs and cheese together along with the nutmeg and freshly ground black pepper.
- Turn the heat to low and drizzle the egg and cheese mixture into the pot. Cook for a few minutes then turn the heat off and taste test adjusting salt and pepper if required. Mix in the parsley. Serve in bowls with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy!
Notes
- This is a very simple soup. It can be made a bit more substantial by adding in fresh spinach leaves or chard, kale, etc.
- Leftovers can be saved in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be reheated on the stovetop or microwave.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Quick,easy,tasty! I added some sliced green onion
So happy you enjoyed, Jerry!
I had made this years ago and forgot all about it…until I saw this in my inbox. It couldn’t have come at a more opportune time bc my husband was just in rehab after a long hospital stay, seriously ill, and I had been bringing snacks and soup bc his eating was a challenge also. I brought Chinese eggdrop soup which he was able to get down easily. This Italian version of eggdrop soup was a perfect soup to bring to him and tasted better than hospital food! No more trips to Chinese takeout needed. Because he needed as much nutrition as he could get, I used half chicken broth and half BONE broth. The eggs, cheese, and bone broth were a triple hit of protein and nutrition he needed. Thanks for the recipe.
So happy you and your husband enjoyed, and wishing him get well soon!
I as a little apprehensive of the curdled eggs once I got passed them I did enjoy the taste… I make Greek Avgolemono soup I was interested to see if the taste was the same, I have a very same taste for lemon… obviously the use of cheese was in this recipe
Happy you enjoyed!
I have a terrible cold and made this last night. It only took a few minutes and was just what I needed!
Tasty and comforting.
So happy you enjoyed, Tina, and hope you feel better soon!
That’s awesome! Exactly how my Italian grandmother showed me how to make Stracciatella Soup many years ago! (I’m 68 years old – so a long time ago!) Since discovering your YouTubes, Sip and Feast is my go to for all recipes! You do an excellent job of showing how to prepare! And of course, James the taste tester is always a joy to watch! Thanks so much for all your excellent recipes!
So happy to hear that, Anita!
So delish! Comforting!
We’re happy you enjoyed, Carol!
I’ve been making this soup with spinach for almost 20 years after I had it from an Italian restaurant near where I worked in Hauppauge. It’s so easy to put together and I will even bring it into work for a few select people now that I live in Tacoma, WA. They love it, too!
Adding some ditalini doesn’t hurt, either!
Thanks for the comment, Lovey, and happy the recipe resonated with you.
Love this…my Grandmother made it all the time!! she always squeezed a little lemon in it…
Delicious 🥰
My family always had made a version of this for holidays but with endive and it gets put into the broth first, then the eggs wrap themselves around it and make delicious chunks of cheesiness. I’m going to make this with some lacinato kale I have in my fridge!
This is a great recipe- high in protein and low in calories! You always have winning recipes and every single one comes out outrageously delicious! Perfect timing to find in my inbox today. Thank you.
So happy you enjoyed, Tricia!
I need to lose some weight and this is full of protein and low in calories! Perfect timing to find this in my inbox! Thank you!
We hope you love it!
Thank you, James and Tara! The soup is wonderful
So happy to hear that, Christine!
My grandmother used to make this! Thanks for bringing back a great memory.
Love, love it , very easy and tasty . Made a big pot and put the containers in the freezer.
So happy you enjoyed!
Oh my, my grand mother use to make this, didn’t know it had a name. She made it the same way as this recipe.