Italian Style Egg Drop Soup Named "Stracciatella"

Not long ago a reader of mine asked me about an Italian style of egg drop soup recipe that she couldn't remember the name of.

"I spent 3+ years in southern Italy (Naples) and had a soup with chicken, spinach and other things, and I think an egg or two was put in (raw) and stirred. I do not know what the soup was called. My landlady made it for my son and I, and I didn't speak much Italian at that time so conversation was rough. Any idea of the soup I'm asking about?"

Well, this is the egg drop soup that she was asking about, the Italian style is called Stracciatella or shredded soup due to the eggs that are whisked in.

Originally the authentic recipe is from Rome but there are variations in all Italy.

Linda (USA) asked me something very similar about this recipe:

"My daughter's best friend's nonna, straight from Italy, makes pastina, soup like, with egg. Every recipe I find seems much more complicated then what my daughter describes. HELP!"

Nancy (USA) asked too:

"My mother made a soup ravioli that had egg, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese. I'm not sure of the other ingredients. Please help."

Dear Linda & Nancy, I wrote here the authentic recipe Stracciatella alla Romana. You can give your own twist adding spinach instead of parsley, and use chicken broth instead of the meat one, even baby pasta (pastina) instead of bread crumbs or both can be added as you like, or make a ravioli soup.

Given a closer look at the ingredients of stracciatella soup, it is really recommended in a cold winter to warm you up, or when suffering from flu.

Stracciatella Soup

Ingredients: serves 6

- 8 cups (lt.2) good meat broth or chicken broth
- 5 eggs yolk + white
- 1 lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon (gr.10) of grated nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons (gr.30) finely chopped parsley or spinach
- 4 oz (gr.100) freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 4 tablespoons (gr.60) bread crumbs or baby pasta
- salt

TIP!
If possible the best is to make your own broth, nothing tastes better than homemade broth.

Tomato Bread Soup
Tomato bread soup traditional Tuscan soup...

Preparation: easy

1. As you bring the broth to a boil in a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk and combine them with cheese and bread crumbs, salt, add lemon juice, parsley and scented with nutmeg.

2. Now pour the mixture in the broth, lower the heat and cook for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk for a minute, then turn off the heat and serve the dish hot.

If desired you can add more Parmesan at the table.