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.

Stracciatella soup with spoonful held over bowl.

This post may contain affiliate links. Our disclosure policy.

I can’t think of another type of food that’s more warming and nourishing than soup, and specifically soups like pastina in brodo, 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.

Ingredients shown: eggs, parsley, chicken stock, block of Parmigiano Reggiano, and extra virgin olive oil.

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.

Stracciatella soup recipe process shot collage showing bringing chicken stock to a simmer, mixing the eggs and cheese together, pouring the mixture into the pot, and seasoning the soup.

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!

Want To Save This Recipe?

Enter your email and we'll send it to you. Plus, get great new recipes from us every week!

Ladle of stracciatella soup held over pot with block of parmesan in the background.

More soup recipes

If you’re looking for more brothy nourishing soups, give these recipes a try.

If you’ve enjoyed this Stracciatella Soup recipe, give it a 5-star rating.

Watch us on YouTube, follow along on our Facebook Page, and become a Patreon member to receive access to exclusive full-meal videos and content.