Stracciatella Alla Romana (Roman Egg Drop Soup) Recipe (2024)

By Samin Nosrat

Stracciatella Alla Romana (Roman Egg Drop Soup) Recipe (1)

Total Time
About 25 minutes
Rating
4(1,141)
Notes
Read community notes

Tendrils of quickly cooked eggs, seasoned with cheese, nutmeg and pepper, float in a meaty stock in this traditional Italian soup. To avoid clumps that make the dish seem more like failed scrambled eggs than a delicate broth, pour the egg mixture into the hot stock in a thin stream, whisking as you go and promptly pulling it off the heat when done. In the dead of winter, when warmth is elusive and colds seem to be overtaking everyone, there's nothing better.

Learn: How to Make Soup

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Ingredients

Yield:About 6 servings

  • ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2medium yellow onions, diced
  • Kosher salt
  • 6large eggs
  • ½cup finely grated fresh Parmesan, rind reserved, plus more for serving
  • Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 8cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
  • 2tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

333 calories; 21 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 19 grams protein; 1001 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Stracciatella Alla Romana (Roman Egg Drop Soup) Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Set a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add oil. When it shimmers, add the onions and a generous pinch of salt. Reduce heat to medium. Stirring occasionally, cook onions for 10 to 15 minutes until tender. It’s fine if they start to take on a little color.

  2. In a large measuring cup or medium bowl with a spout, thoroughly whisk together the eggs, ½ cup grated Parmesan, nutmeg, black pepper, and a generous pinch of salt.

  3. Step

    3

    When onions are tender, add Parmesan rind and stock to pot. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce to a strong simmer. While gently whisking soup with one hand, pour egg mixture into pot in a thin stream with the other. Once all of the egg mixture has been added, turn off the heat. Remove Parmesan rind. Taste and adjust for salt.

  4. Step

    4

    Ladle soup into bowls and serve immediately, garnished with Parmesan, black pepper, and parsley.

Ratings

4

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1,141

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Polly

I like to add fresh baby spinach and a bit of fresh lemon juice.

Phyllis

I find that it is best to take the soup off the heat before pouring in the egg/cheese mixture. It prevents the cheese from clumping and the eggs will stream beautifully.

Katherine

Step One: Set a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add oil. When it shimmers, add the onions and a generous pinch of salt. Reduce heat to medium. Stirring occasionally, cook onions for 10 to 15 minutes until tender. It’s fine if they start to take on a little color.
When onions are tender, add Parmesan rind and stock to pot.

Chinese egg drop soup

If you leave out the cheese, this is identical to my mom’s Chinese egg drop soup. To make it even more authentic, add a bit of chopped green onion and sesame oil right before serving.

Lynnjehle

I prefer David Tanis' recipe for this soup - It's cleaner, purer tasting. Leave out the onion and add 3 whole garlic coves while heating the broth. Add thinly sliced scallions to the Italian parsley on top. Bellissima! You can make a smaller quantity with 1 quart of broth and 2 eggs.

Rob-in-Philly

Great as is and the key is the home made stock...never use store bought 'broth' or those K-ration cubes. Now to kick this up a notch to a great winter dinner or lunch add pulled rotisserie chicken and the baby spinich. and those herb or garlic scones or parma cheese bicscuts, or....yum.

June

I add baby spinach. Otherwise pretty much follow this as it is.

North Star

kinda weird that the times photographer would shoot a picture with the cheese /eggs all clumped up...it should be in ribbons. Take the broth off the stove and whisk the cheese/egg mixture in a slow steady stream... Ribbons! and it wouldn't be Stracciastella without some fresh lemon juice to serve... otherwise a great recipe... perfect on a lenten friday

Dede

I love to add some rough chopped escarole.

Anne DePalma

I have been making this soup for decades and have never added onions; it's very flavorful (and easier to make!) without them. I also like to add some small pasta (acini de pepe or stellete) to make it heartier.

Rob-in-Philly

It works but I find the key is using a stock made from a base of roasted veges including onions, carrots, celery, and parsnip, with added fresh thyme and a bit of rosemary, a bayleaf, peppercorns and mushroom stems. Otherwise the soup 'liquor' is too bland and broth like.

pasuga

Not recommended to freeze, the eggs get funky.

CarmelN

Trying adding some small meatballs (ground beef and veal combined is best) or some shredded chicken

Dee Capaldi

Can you use onion powder? If not, garlic? My mother made hers with no nutmeg. Swiss chard or spinach torn, hence the name, instead of parsley. She also put in mini (@ a centimeter in diameter) meatballs. It is our “go to if you are ill” soup and the first course of many holiday meals. I add extra garlic and onion powders to the broth. It is delicious, nourishing and healing. Mangia bene.

Terri

Would this still be as yummy as it sounds if I made it with Veggie Broth?

Ron

We've made this soup a couple of times and have really enjoyed it. One key issue that impacts the texture of the finished soup is the whisking while the egg mixture is being poured into the stock. The first time I made this, I whisked too vigorously, which broke the egg ribbons into smaller pieces. It still tasted really good, but looked too "muddy" because of the small egg pieces throughout the soup. The second time I made it, I focused on GENTLE whisking, creating the desired "ribbons".

Kirill

This is a great hangover soup.

Josh Wilson

Great. Subbed in celery for half of the onion. Definitely doesn't need added salt -the stock and parmesan have plenty.

Scott

This was a super easy, quick, delicious soup. We'll make this one again.

maggie in canada

My version from an Italian home chef website: proportions are 6 cups homemade chicken stock; 3 large eggs; 3 tbsp fresh chopped Italian parsley; 5 tbsp freshly grated cheese - half parm, half pecorino; pinch freshly grated nutmeg; and to give the eggs some body - 2 tbsp semolina. Combine all ingredients well and add slowly to the simmering broth, stirring constantly. It will be cloudy at first and then become clear. Chiffonade 2 cups of fresh spinach if desired and add to broth until soft.

Yum

My eggs clumped because of a personal error but I was able to reduce the recipe by 6 for a single serving and it was amazing

Dan

Definitely use homemade chicken stock. It makes all the difference and produces a much richer flavor.

Kim P.

This was delicious! Followed recipe with home made broth but subbed Swiss chard in for the parsley, as I was out of parsley. Wonderful rich flavor as written, however my family likes their soup a bit more meaty, so I broiled some meatballs and placed them in individual bowls, then ladled the soup over the meatballs. Delightful, my family loved it. This recipe is going into our rotation!

Only As Good As The Broth

The broth makes this soup, or in my case, breaks it.

Barbara

This is a wonderful soup on a cold night! Delicious.

Sally

I thought this was bland and boring. But when I reheated it the next day, I added lots of fresh-ground mixed peppercorns (black, green, white and szechuan) and found it was transformed over just using black pepper.

Lynn

Is it possible to make this using vegetable broth ?

PJ

Take the soup off the heat before pouring in the egg/cheese mixture.

Kat

Adding mini meatballs and escarole or baby spinach makes a soup close to Nonna’s.

Babis77

I only had bone marrow stock in the freezer, but it was equally delicious. I’ve often made the Chinese version with homemade chicken stock. I also took off the heat before adding the egg and cheese mixture.

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Stracciatella Alla Romana (Roman Egg Drop Soup) Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is Roman soup made of? ›

Stracciatella alla romana is the egg drop soup of Italian cooking. It starts with a rich meat broth (either chicken or beef), into which a beaten mixture of whole eggs and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano is streamed in to form tiny, light, and flavorful clouds. A bit of fresh nutmeg and lemon complete the picture.

What is the history of stracciatella soup? ›

Stracciatella, The Soup

Giada refers to this soup as "Italy's version of egg drop soup," and it's the ultimate quick and comforting meal. The recipe originated in Rome hundreds and hundreds of years ago, and is said to have been created when families had loads of leftover broth on Christmas from cooking their meat.

What is egg drop soup made of? ›

Egg drop soup is a popular takeout staple at Chinese restaurants made with wispy beaten eggs in chicken broth. It's normally seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper, thickened with a cornstarch slurry, and garnished with chopped green onions.

What does egg drop soup translate to in English? ›

Egg drop soup, also known as egg flower soup, (Chinese: 蛋花湯; pinyin: Dànhuātāng) is a Chinese soup of wispy beaten eggs in chicken broth. Condiments such as black or white pepper, and finely chopped scallions and tofu, are commonly added to the soup.

What is the most common soup in Italy? ›

Minestrone is the ubiquitous Italian soup, made up of different kinds of seasonal chopped vegetables often paired with potatoes, beans and mushrooms.

What is the rarest soup in the world? ›

Bird's Nest Soup

This soup is an expensive delicacy in China where it has been enjoyed for over 400 years. Always in high demand, edible bird's nests are among the most expensive animal products humans consume. Prices can soar to $3,000 per pound. Bird's Nest Soup is made from the nests of a small Southeast Asian bird.

What does stracciatella mean in Italian? ›

This process creates the shreds of chocolate that give stracciatella its name, the word meaning 'little shred' in Italian.

What is the flavor of stracciatella? ›

This elegant Italian version of chocolate-chip ice cream unites creamy vanilla gelato with luscious dark chocolate slivers. Those chocolate slivers are made by hand-spinning melted Ghirardelli chocolate into fresh vanilla gelato.

What is the meaning of stracciatella soup? ›

Stracciatella (Italian: [strattʃaˈtɛlla]; in Italian, a diminutive derived from the verb stracciare ('to shred')), also known as stracciatella alla romana, is an Italian soup consisting of meat broth and small shreds of an egg-based mixture, prepared by drizzling the mixture into boiling broth and stirring.

Why is my egg drop soup so thick? ›

One note here: you should use as much or as little cornstarch as you need to get the consistency of the soup to YOUR liking – if you prefer a thinner, runnier soup, use less cornstarch. If you prefer a thicker Egg Drop Soup, use more!

Is it OK to eat egg drop soup? ›

This soup has so many healing benefits and is a great option for when you're feeling a cold coming on, inflamed from eating too much junk food, to help alleviate sinus pressure, cramps and many other uncomfortable situations. The bone broth is also great for your gut health and helps with digestive issues.

Why is my egg drop soup cloudy? ›

If you like smaller egg “flowers”, stir the soup and pour the egg at the same time to create those small pedals of flavor! Another key tip - make sure the soup isn't too hot when pouring the egg, otherwise the soup will become cloudy.

Is egg drop soup good for your stomach? ›

Yes, egg drop soup is often considered soothing for an upset stomach. Its mild flavor and easy-to-digest ingredients, like eggs and broth, can provide comfort and nourishment.

Why is egg drop soup good for you? ›

Protein is essential for muscle repair, immune function, and overall cellular health. Easy to digest: Being mostly liquid and containing soft, cooked ingredients, egg drop soup is a great option for someone whose appetite is impaired by illness and who can't handle large, rich meals.

Who invented egg drop soup? ›

Description. Egg drop soup was invented by a woman named Xia Liu, whose husband Rong, a chef of a small-time walk-up restaurant who would often boast to younger women that he knew every possible way to prepare an egg.

What is the difference between noodles and Roman? ›

Ramen is made with wheat flour, salt, water, and a type of alkaline water called kansui. This last ingredient is what sets them apart from regular noodles. Noodles, on the other hand, are made using the first three ingredients alone.

What is Mexican soup made of? ›

Tortilla soup is Mexican soup. Name from fine corn tortilla pieces submerged in a broth of tomato ,garlic, onion,and chili de Arbol and epazote. Served with sour cream fresh avocado, fresh cheese cubes, and pieces of pasillia chilies.

What was the stone soup made of? ›

Stone soup is the name given to a wide variety of hearty meat and vegetable soups that stems from a European folktale about community sharing. Stone soup typically features humble but delicious ingredients like potatoes, peas, cabbage, and affordable cuts of beef or chicken.

Did the ancient Romans eat soup? ›

Soup-making was common, including preparing dishes similar to modern-day shchi (cabbage soup) and borscht. Greens, spices, and sauces were in high demand. Ingredients of many ancient Roman recipes consisted of about 80% different seasonings.

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