Nourishing Stracciatella Soup (with Tortellini option)

This stracciatella soup (Italian egg drop soup) recipe is made with a rich chicken broth, nutritious vegetables, and a flavorful mixture of Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, eggs, and fresh Parsley.

It's incredibly hearty, nourishing, and filling enough to serve as a complete meal. So keep it low carb or make it with pasta like Tortellini or Ravioli—this soup won't disappoint!

Jump to:

• Why we love this soup
• What is Stracciatella soup
• Ingredients & a few notes
• How to add the egg mixture into the soup
• Keep it low-carb & gluten-free
• Add Tortellini or Ravioli for a Heartier Dish
• Make-Ahead and Storage
• Serving Suggestions
• More hearty recipes to try
• 📖 Recipe

Why we love this soup

This is one of my favorite soups and versatile enough to keep adding ingredients or tweak it to your liking.

I like to make this Italian-style egg drop soup with plenty of vegetables and sometimes even add leftover shredded chicken or pre-cooked ground Italian sausage to make it a stand-alone nourishing meal with a salad or farmer's bread on the side.

You can keep it low carb or choose to add tortellini or Ravioli—my daughter's favorite. Sometimes I'll add Pastina or mini farfalle to make it heartier—perfect for smaller kids.

You have plenty of options.

This tasty homemade version includes a hearty chicken broth, celery, carrots, leeks, kale, grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, eggs, fresh Parsley, and an option to add in Tortellini or Ravioli.

So let's make this nourishing recipe for Stracciatella soup.

What is Stracciatella soup

You may know it as Stracciatella Alla Romana or Italian egg drop soup. It's a simple soup made usually from a rich meat-based broth. A raw egg-based mixture is stirred during the simmer, creating little shreds or soft egg pockets usually deliciously flavored with Parmesan-Reggiano cheese and fresh chopped Parsley. Although traditionally a starter soup for Easter with bread on the side, it's one of these recipes that was often adapted and served as a whole winter meal with added vegetables, meats, or pasta in my childhood.

Ingredients & a few notes

STOCK OR BROTH

This soup will always taste richer and better with homemade stock.

But if you choose store-bought broths and stocks, go for slow-simmered, unsalted ones with minimal ingredients.

Traditionally, we make Stracciatella with good chicken stock, but a hearty bone or beef broth can also work.

FINELY CHOPPED VEGETABLES

Vegetables such as leeks, celery, and deep-colored carrots add nutrition and infuse the stock with tremendous flavor.

Carrots add sweetness, as do leeks but with an oniony quality, while celery adds that lovely touch of savory.

They're only simmered long enough to tender but are far from mushy.

Texture-wise, I love them finely chopped in my Stracciatella soup—highly recommended.

GREENS LIKE KALE OR SPINACH (OPTIONAL)

Although optional, curly or Russian kale is tossed in towards the end and tastes amazing in this soup.

When cooked, these dark greens lose their bitterness and make the Stracciatella soup nutrition-rich and a complete meal.

Although I've never done this, you could replace it with spinach. If you do, stir in the spinach leaves at the very end until wilted (for about one minute) and after you've already added the egg mixture.

EGG MIXTURE

I use freshly chopped Parsley, grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, and two large eggs for the mixture.

If your eggs are small, add a third or more to cover the Parsley.

I wish I could tell you that you can substitute the Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, but this is an Italian egg drop soup, after all.

In my humble opinion, nothing compares to the sharp and uniquely bold flavors of these Italian cheeses when it comes to this soup. You don't have to get the best, just a decent brand.

How to add the egg mixture into the soup

Stracciatella soup is all about that egg mixture seasoned with cheese and chopped fresh Parsley—so don't skip it.

I know that most like to prevent the eggs from clumping, but traditionally that's how we more often enjoyed this soup—with soft clumps or little shreds of eggs instead of stringy.

But I'll explain how to do both techniques.

Here are a few things to remember when making the egg mixture and adding it to the simmering broth.

• Go for large fresh eggs. However, you want a reasonably wet mixture, so add an extra egg if the Parsley and cheese seem to overpower the beaten eggs completely.
• Beat the eggs with the cheese and Parsley before adding them to the soup.
• If you like the eggs to become fluffy clouds or soft clumps—our home version—then avoid over-stirring once you add them to the broth. A few stirs will suffice.
• If you prefer a more delicate stracciatella soup where the egg mixture becomes more stringy, slowly pour it while whisking it in the soup until it becomes straggly.

Keep it low-carb & gluten-free

No pasta is needed to enjoy this soup because it's packed with flavors, incredibly nourishing, and filling.

You can make it more wholesome by adding any leftover shredded chicken (chicken stracciatella) or serving it with a chicken salad on the side (low-carb Italian Stracciatella soup).

Add Tortellini or Ravioli for a Heartier Dish

For a more hearty dish, add a cheese, spinach, or meat-filled tortellini—even Ravioli can work here.

Whether refrigerated or kept in the freezer, the pasta goes straight into the soup and is cooked for a few minutes. And like kale, they are added toward the end.

I wouldn't add more than a pack of eight to nine ounces; otherwise, the pasta will soak up all the broth (more on that later—see storage).

A Tortellini stracciatella is always very popular amongst kids and a great comforting winter meal like this sausage broccoli rabe pasta.

Make-Ahead and Storage

If you have leftovers, store the soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.

If you've made it with any pasta, it's best to store the pasta and soup separately so the noodles won't drink up the broth.

The soup warms up quickly on the stove over medium-low heat. When hot, stir back in the noodles and let cook for about a minute. Then serve and enjoy!

I never freeze this soup. Instead, I'll make a big batch of homemade chicken stock, freeze that in smaller portions and only take out what I need to make this hearty Stracciatella soup.

Serving Suggestions

It's a wonderfully filling and savory soup, and the flavors are big and fresh. Sometimes I serve it with a few sides like:

• An Italian-flavored chicken salad
• Extra grated Parmesan, Pecorino, or Asiago cheese
• Italian baked breadsticks (especially around the Holidays)
• Or Rusty Farmer's bread
• It could also be a great side to this amazing Mediterranean grazing board.

More hearty recipes to try

• Sweet and spicy red pasta sauce with creamy cannellini beans (quickly comes together for one hearty meal).
• Vegan pumpkin pasta with spinach (A deliciously seasoned stovetop pasta dish).
• Sausage broccoli rabe pasta with potatoes (this double-carb combo is my daughter's favorite).
• Shrimp and garlicky pesto noodles (a great low-carb option and big in flavors).
• Homemade vegetable minestrone soup (it's hearty, healthy, and easy).
• A hearty vegetable stew recipe (contains tons of vegetables and is incredibly satisfying).

I hope this recipe will go in your soup rotation! Enjoy.

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Have questions? Simply comment below or message me. If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and a starred review below. Thank you!

📖 Recipe