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For the last week or so I’ve been somewhat under the weather. Do you know that feeling where you don’t yet have a cold, but it feels like one is about to happen? That’s me. Tired, a little achey, 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.
Stracciatella, an Italian version of egg drop soup, is made for days like these. “Stracciatella” means “little shred” in Italian, which well describes the “shreds” of egg in this light, nourishing soup.
At its essence, 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 greens or mix some breadcrumbs or semolina flour in with the egg mixture for a little more body.
What I love about this soup is that it is so easy to make, with ingredients that I almost always have on hand—eggs, stock, Parmesan. Yet the simplicity of the soup belies its flavor. It’s delicious! Perfect for a chilly day or chilly body.
By the way, the word “stracciatella” is used to describe other foods in Italian as well. There’s a gelato with shaved chocolate “shreds”, and a cheese used to make burrata.
Italian Egg Drop Soup, Stracciatella Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken stock (lightly salted)
- 1 large egg
- 4 teaspoons finely grated, lightly packed Parmesan cheese (if you have coarsely grated Parm, grind it up to a finer consistency in a food processor)
- 1 Tbsp panko breadcrumbs (toasted for added flavor) or semolina flour (optional, you can skip if you want, you can also use ground puffed rice if cooking gluten-free)
- Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- A handful of spinach leaves, sliced into 1/2-inch ribbons (can also use chard, arugula, sorrel, or any tender green)
Method
1 Place stock in a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a simmer.
2 In a medium bowl whisk together the egg, Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs (if using), and black pepper.
3 Once the stock is simmering, stir in the sliced spinach.
4 Pour/scrape the cheese egg mixture into the simmering stock, do not stir. After a few seconds, stir the egg mixture into the soup. Cook at a gentle simmer for another minute.
Taste the soup and add more salt and pepper if you wish.
Serve immediately.
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Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family's recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.
Italian Egg Drop Soup, Stracciatella
I just had some of this soup at an Italian restaurant , La Veranda, in Etobikoke, Ontario. It tasted like they used fish broth and was disgusting. Reading the recipe, I can see they did something very wrong, and there were no greens, no grated cheese.
One of my favorite soups. Came out fabulous
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I make this with Orzo pasta
Love IT. Even added small shells.
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A ‘polar vortex vice’! I just finished a large cup “thrown together” in five minutes in the microwave. I had on hand leftover Garlicky Spinach with Tuscan Beans, leftover gemelli pasta, open carton of low sodium chicken broth, and an egg (of course). With the presence of the garlic, the cheese was unnecessary. The gemelli added some “bite”, and the beans were just a little something extra! What a taste treat that warms the body through and through!