Eggs are one of the main ingredients in stracciatella.
Roman egg drop soup, stracciatella, is an easy and elegant dish that was once more common on tables than it is in modern times. Once tasted, the dish often turns lovers of Italian food and Italian soups into the folds of cooks, who happily prepare it over and over again as a type of comfort food. In some families, stracciatella was served at the beginning of formal meals. However, the few ingredients in Italian egg drop soup show its most rudimentary appeal, with only a handful of ingredients needed, ease of preparation, and memorable taste.
Some cooks like to add spinach to stracciatella.
One of the main ingredients in stracciatella is broth, and different types of broth can be used, including chicken broth, reduced-sodium chicken broth, and homemade brodo di Carne, turkey-based or beef-based broth. Stracciatella’s basic ingredients also include eggs, salt, Parmesan cheese, and lemon zest or lemon juice, with the optional addition of chopped parsley in some Italian egg drop soup recipes. Pepper and grits are options, and some cooks prefer to add nutmeg and spinach or Swiss chard.
Stracciatella can be a light and easy dinner, and a side of hearty sourdough bread will complete the meal.
In some circles, this traditional Italian soup was considered a meal to be eaten only by the poor, or cucina povera. The name of the soup is based on how the eggs look after a cook has put them in the broth. They look like straccetti, or little torn rags that some people say resemble ribbons, known in some circles as “broken soup.” The faster a cook runs the whisk, the smaller the “ragged rags” become. Stracciatella can be a light and easy dinner after a long day at work or babysitting, and a side of sourdough or Italian bread will complete the meal.
Some cooks prefer to get a little creative with their stracciatella recipes. They add all kinds of vegetables to the broth, like squash, celery, bell peppers, tomatoes, or carrots. Others like to top the soup with a bit of pesto or cut up pieces of basil, or include baby parsnips or other types of pasta. Some families who must follow a gluten-free diet have adapted the recipe to make it edible for those who must avoid gluten in their diet.