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Stracciatella alla Romana (Italian egg drop soup) is a wonderful quick and easy meal. It’s warming, nourishing and ready in under 15 minutes.
Why we love this recipe
Many ancient cultures have a version of egg drop soup, used for centuries to fortify tired souls at minimal cost. Stracciatella alla Romana (sometimes called Italian egg drop soup or stracciatella soup), named for the little shreds of egg it contains, is the Roman incarnation.
In our version, baby spinach adds a modern and healthful twist and makes this soup a complete light meal with a piece of crusty whole-grain bread. You can’t beat it for a quick lunch or dinner on a busy day.
I first published this recipe here in 2009. I’ve updated the post for clarity, but the recipe remains the same.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the short list of humble ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe. With so few of them, quality goes a long way.
- If you have homemade chicken stock (or even turkey stock), this is a great place to use it. If not, a good-quality boxed chicken broth will work. To make this recipe vegetarian, you can substitute vegetable stock.
- Use pecorino, parmesan or a combination. Pecorino (made with sheep’s milk) is a little bit saltier and tangier, while parmesan is a bit sweeter. They both work very well in stracciatella soup.
- Semolina is a flour used in pasta-making and sometimes in pizza dough. It’s just a type of durum wheat with a very high gluten content, a flaxen color, and a coarser grind than all-purpose flour. See below for suggested substitutions if you don’t have it.
How to make it
Here’s what you’ll do to make a great pot of soup in no time. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Heat the stock in a medium pot.
- Meanwhile, is a bowl or a spouted glass measuring cup, use a fork to whisk together the eggs with the cheese, semolina, and seasonings.
- When the stock comes to a boil, wilt the spinach.
- Lower the heat so the broth is just simmering. Use the fork to swirl the broth. While swirling, slowly pour in the egg mixture. It will form shreds throughout the soup. After pouring, continue swirling and cooking for 30 seconds or so. That’s it!
Expert tips and FAQs
“Stracciatella” comes from the Italian verb stracciare, which means to shred. The gelato flavor, with shreds of chocolate, derives from the soup. There’s also a cheese!
In this recipe, semolina is used to thicken up the soup a bit. f you don’t have it, you can grind up a little bit of panko or use very finely ground plain bread crumbs. Or — in a pinch — just leave it out.
If you’re seeking a slightly more substantial meal, try stirring in some cooked white beans, chickpeas, or shredded chicken after swirling in the eggs.
This soup only takes a few minutes to make, and it’s at its best shortly after cooking. I don’t recommend making it in advance.
If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a day or two and reheat gently before serving.
More great ways to use eggs and spinach
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Stracciatella alla Romana (Italian Egg Drop Soup)
Ingredients
- 4 cups (475 ml) chicken stock
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ tablespoons (16 grams) finely ground semolina
- ¼ cup (60 grams) grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 5 ounces (140 grams) baby spinach
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice for serving, optional
Instructions
- In a medium pot over medium-high heat, bring the chicken stock to a gentle boil.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl or spouted glass measuring cup, use a fork to whisk together the eggs, cheese, semolina, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
- When the stock boils, add the spinach and cook until wilted, about a minute.
- Turn down the heat until the broth is simmering very gently. Begin swirling the broth with the fork. Pour in egg mixture in a slow stream.
- Continue swirling over low heat for 30 seconds or so after you’ve poured in all the egg mixture. It will set into tiny shreds and then begin to settle.
- Ladle into bowls, squeeze in some fresh lemon juice if you like, and serve immediately.
Notes
- If you have homemade chicken or turkey stock, this is a great place to use it. If not, a good-quality boxed chicken broth will work. To make this recipe vegetarian, you can substitute vegetable stock.
- Use pecorino, parmesan or a combination. Pecorino (made with sheep’s milk) is a little bit saltier and tangier, while parmesan is a bit sweeter. They both work very well in stracciatella soup.
- Semolina is a flour used in pasta-making and sometimes in pizza dough. It’s just a type of durum wheat with a very high gluten content, a flaxen color, and a coarser grind than all-purpose flour. In this recipe, semolina is used to thicken up the soup a bit. f you don’t have it, you can grind up a little bit of panko or use very finely ground plain bread crumbs. Or — in a pinch — just leave it out.
- If you’re seeking a slightly more substantial meal, try stirring in some cooked white beans, chickpeas, or shredded chicken after swirling in the eggs.
- This soup only takes a few minutes to make, and it’s at its best shortly after cooking. I don’t recommend making it in advance.If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a day or two and reheat gently before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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So good! Extremely fast and easy to make, the perfect combo. I was worried about how much spinach there was but it all works together so well, I don’t think I’d change a thing.