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This 15-minute stracciatella soup is essentially an Italian take on egg drop soup. It’s incredibly simple to make and is perfect on chilly days.
Leave it to the Italians to have beautiful words for even the most unglamorous of concepts. “Stracciatella” (strah-chi-ah-tay-lah) literally means “rags” in Italian. I first came across the word as a gelato flavor on my first trip to Italy (“I’ll take the stra…stra…that one!”). When it comes to gelato, the “rags” are bits of chocolate mixed throughout a creamy vanilla base. However, we were excited to learn that the concept of “stracciatella” also applies to soup. In this case, the rags are eggs – a kind of Italian egg drop soup.
Contrary to its fancy name, this stracciatella soup was one of the easiest we’ve ever made! It only takes about 15 minutes to put together, and it is a delicious way to enjoy your dark, leafy greens. (You could also substitute chard for the spinach.) The cheese and egg add a wonderful savory flavor – if you happen to have some Pecorino on hand, it’s a great option, though Parmesan works just as well.
What is stracciatella soup?
Straccietella soup is an Italian soup with “shreds” or rags of eggs floating in a broth. It’s popular around Rome in central Italy, and was traditionally served around Easter. Some American versions of the soup include spinach. For our take below, we added white beans to up the plant-based protein and make the soup a little more filling.
Stracciatella soup ingredients
Our favorite part about this recipe is that we almost always have the ingredients on hand. So we can whip up a batch of stracciatella at a moment’s notice! For this easy stracciatella soup recipe, here’s what you’ll need:
- Veggie broth (try using our Homemade Vegetable Broth if you like)
- Fresh spinach
- Garlic
- Cannellini beans
- Olive oil
- Eggs
- Parmesan cheese
- Salt & pepper
How to make stracciatella soup
To make this Italian soup, you first need to bring the vegetable broth to a boil. In a separate skillet, you’ll infuse garlic into olive oil: add the oil and place the whole garlic cloves in the pan, and heat for several minutes to infuse the oil. Once browned, remove and discard the garlic. Then add the spinach to the skillet and heat for a few minutes.
Now it’s time to make soup! Add the wilted spinach to the boiling broth and cook at a steady simmer. While that’s going, beat the cheese and eggs with a fork in a liquid measuring cup. Next, drizzle a small amount of the hot broth into the eggs to temper them. With a spoon, rapidly stir the hot broth and spinach mixture and slowly pour the egg mixture into the soup. Add the cannellini beans, then season with salt and pepper. And there you have it: tasty, cozy, and comforting stracciatella soup!
We adapted this recipe off of a version by Lynne Rossetto Kasper shared on The Splendid Table. Thanks for Lynne for the inspiration!
On tempering the eggs
When you’re making this soup, make sure to follow the instructions on adding the egg carefully. It’s important to heat the broth enough to get the “rags” of eggs to form: we know from experience! Tempering the eggs before adding them to the soup ensures that they scramble a little bit without completely seizing up. You want some rags, but not too many. Let us know if you give it a try – and enjoy the start of soup season!
This stracciatella soup recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten-free.
Stracciatella Soup Recipe
This 15-minute stracciatella soup is essentially an Italian take on egg drop soup. It’s incredibly simple to make and is perfect on chilly days.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 2 bunches spinach
- 2 cloves garlic
- 15-ounce can cannellini beans
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
- Kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, bring 8 cups of vegetable broth to a boil.
- Clean, de-stem, and chop two bunches of spinach. Peel 2 cloves garlic. Drain and rinse the cannellini beans.
- Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large skillet, place the whole garlic cloves in the pan, and heat for several minutes to infuse the oil. When the garlic has browned, remove and discard it. Add the spinach to the skillet, stir to combine it with the oil, and heat, covered, for 3 minutes.
- When the broth has come to a boil, add the wilted spinach and cook for two minutes at a steady simmer.
- In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, beat 3 eggs with a fork. Grate ½ cup of Parmesan or Pecorino cheese and add to the beaten eggs. Temper the eggs by drizzling a small amount of the hot broth into the eggs while beating the eggs.
- With a spoon, rapidly mix the soup broth to create a “whirlpool” and slowly pour the egg mixture into the soup (don’t stop stirring). The eggs should immediately form into “rags”. Make sure that that broth is at a steady simmer before you add the eggs; if the broth is not hot enough, the eggs may incorporate into the broth instead of forming rags.
- Add the cannellini beans. Season with about 1 teaspoon of kosher salt (to taste) and lots of fresh ground pepper. Serve immediately.
Notes
Inspired by The Splendid Table
Looking for more easy soup recipes?
Outside of this stracciatella soup, here are a few more of our favorite easy soup recipes:
- Hearty Sweet Potato and Kale Soup
- Italian Vegetable and Gnocchi Soup
- Tomato Artichoke Soup
- Quinoa Black Bean Vegan Chili
- Creamy Leek Soup
More quick Italian recipes
Italian recipes are kind of our thing. Here are a few more that we love to serve:
As Ken mentioned (above)…NUTMEG!! In my book, nutmeg is essential wherever spinach finds itself, and this soup was all the more delicious because of it.
I already love your blog, so I headed straight to your soups section when I knew I wanted to make something with white beans, spinach and garlic. This was the perfect find! The brothiness is wonderful right now for cold-ridden husband and I. Next time I’m determined to get the rags right (the pot wasn’t tall enough to create the whirlpool effect)!
Thanks so much for a delicious dinner!
This is great – so glad it hit the spot! It is a little tricky sometimes to get the rags — hope it works next time :) Thanks for making it!
I’m glad Relay Foods show cased your recipes this week. Everything sounds so delicious and I can’t wait to try them. In regards to this soup; is it possible to freeze any left overs? I’m single and probably won’t want to eat it 4 meals in a row.
My favorite soup! Add, subtract, you can’t go wrong. Important instruction is whirlpool to achieve the rags!!! Try any bean, veggie, even chicken to add a little fun.
My next is going to be with beef stock and cabbage, I’ll let you know if it sucks!
My Grandmother from near Venice had a recipe that I make all winter long for my family. No Spinach and no Beans.
Italian Spinach and Egg “Stracciatella” Soup
Makes 1 Quart.
4 eggs
32 Oz No Fat Chicken broth
Zest of one Lemon
8 Heaping Tablespoons of Italian Bread Crumbs
4 Heaping Tablespoons of grated Asiago or Parmesan Cheese. ( Not packaged Kraft etc)
½ Heaping Teaspoon of Ground Nutmeg
1. In a mixing bowl, put Breadcrumbs, Lemon Zest, eggs and Cheese.
2. Mix this into a “Batter”.
3. Start the broth boiling
4. When it comes to a boils add the Nutmeg
5. Carefully, remove 2 cups of boiling broth and pour it into the Batter in the bowl.
6. Use a fork to break the batter into small pieces.
7. Carefully pour the bowl into the remaining broth
8. Reduce heat to simmer
9. Continue to break up the batter
10. Cook for a minimum of 15 minutes.
11. Serve with additional cheese on top and Corn Break (Optional)