If you’ve never made stracciatella, you absolutely must give it a go. “It’s so, so easy and satisfying,” writes chef Christian Petroni in his cookbook Parm to Table. So simple, in fact, that you can quickly whip it up on a hectic Wednesday evening without breaking a sweat.
If you’ve had a traditional version of this comforting Italian classic, then this slightly more creative take on the standard soup may surprise you a bit: “The version that I’m doing here has a few more items added to it, but that’s the beauty of this,” Petroni says. “There are so many variations on it, and then you have a soup hearty enough to be a dinner. Add little meatballs, poach them in the broth. Add crispy bacon on the side. Set up a bar and let everyone customize it.” No matter what route you choose, you’re going to adore the rich, chili-spiked broth.
Oh, and before you get started, Petroni wants to clarify something: In case you’ve ever wondered what stracciatella the soup has to do with stracciatella the ice cream flavor, both have sort of messy “rags” (stracci), the former of egg and the latter of chocolate ribbons. Feel free to bust out that fun fact while you’re being peppered with compliments from soup-slurping friends and family.
Bone Broth Stracciatella
2 to 4 servings
Ingredients
- 4 quarts bone broth
- 6 high-quality large eggs
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup grated sharp pecorino (preferably Locatelli)
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)
- 2 bunches Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves rough chopped and stems finely chopped
- 1 fresh red chile, sliced
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
Instructions
- Simmer the broth and cook down to 1 quart (this is a great place to use your Parmesan rinds you’ve been saving). Crack the eggs in a bowl, add the salt, black pepper, and pecorino, and beat it. (If you have fresh parsley on hand, chop some — stems and all — and throw it in here.)
- Add the greens and red chile to the broth and bring back to a simmer. You can keep cooking to hammer the greens, but you can also move to the next step immediately.
- Stir the broth, making a whirlpool — a delicious Jacuzzi — then stir in the egg and cheese mixture and chopped chard stems. Stir in the butter and enjoy.
Excerpted from the book PARM TO TABLE: Italian American and American Italian Recipes from Ponza to the Bronx by Christian Petroni. Copyright © 2025 by Christian Petroni. Photography © 2025 by Tom McGovern. From Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted by permission.
