Italian Stracciatella Egg Soup (Print Version)

Delicate egg ribbons and Parmesan swirl through savory Italian broth with fresh spinach in this comforting classic.

# What You'll Need:

→ Broth

01 - 5 cups (1.2 liters) chicken broth, or vegetable broth for a vegetarian version

→ Egg Mixture

02 - 3 large eggs
03 - ½ cup (50 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
04 - 2 tablespoons fine breadcrumbs (optional, for a thicker texture)
05 - 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
06 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Finish

07 - 2 cups (60 g) fresh baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped (optional)
08 - Extra grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

# How to Make It:

01 - Pour the chicken or vegetable broth into a medium saucepan and set it over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer, avoiding a full rolling boil.
02 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, grated Parmesan, breadcrumbs (if using), chopped parsley, salt, and pepper until smooth and well combined.
03 - Reduce the broth heat to low. While stirring the simmering broth continuously with a fork or whisk, slowly drizzle in the egg mixture in a thin stream. The eggs will cook on contact, forming delicate, wispy ribbons throughout the soup.
04 - Stir in the chopped spinach, if using, and cook gently for about 1 minute until just wilted. Taste the soup and adjust the salt and pepper as needed.
05 - Ladle the hot soup into bowls and finish with an extra sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The egg ribbons look wildly impressive but take zero skill to pull off, which is honestly the best kind of cooking trick.
  • It uses pantry staples you probably already have, making it the ultimate back pocket meal for chaotic evenings.
  • You can stretch it or dress it up depending on what is wilting in your crisper drawer.
02 -
  • If your broth is boiling when you add the eggs you will get tough clumps instead of delicate ribbons, so keep the heat low and be patient with the drizzle.
  • Stirring in only one direction helps the eggs form longer more elegant strands rather than a chaotic mess of tiny curds.
03 -
  • Beat the egg mixture until it is completely smooth with no visible whites remaining, since streaks of unblended white will look unappetizing in the finished soup.
  • Use a fork instead of a whisk for stirring the eggs into the broth because the tines create more natural looking ribbons than a whisk does.

Go Back