Healthy Soup Recipes:
Stracciatella Romana
Among my grandmother's greatest healthy soup recipes was this Stracciatella Romana (Roman Egg Soup) that was a wonderfully light and healthy soup, perfect for treating a cold. The chicken stock and lemon juice is great for helping you breathe easy, and the eggs and parmesan contributed lots of nutrients and flavor while not being overpowering.
Lemon juice is high in vitamin C, which has been shown to reduce the length and severity of cold symptoms by stimulating the immune system. Lemon also contains limonoids, which have been shown to fight a variety of cancers, including that of the breast, lung, skin, stomach and colon. To purchase lemons that are at the peak of ripeness, containing the most antioxidants, choose lemons that are heavy for their size, with a thin, smooth skin, as opposed to those with a thicker, bumpier skin that are more peel than lemon. Avoid unripe ones that are tinged with green, or ones past their prime that feature wrinkled skins with a dull appearance. Lemons can be stored in a dark place at room temperature for a week, and in your refrigerator's crisper for about a month. If you can't use your lemons in that amount of time, you can squeeze the juice and freeze it in ice cube trays, transferring the cubes to plastic freezer bags for convenient use.
Eggs are an excellent source of protein, vitamins and minerals. One egg contains 6 grams of high-quality protein and 9 essential amino acids, with only 60 calories per egg. They are also an excellent source of choline, containing about 300 micrograms of choline in each egg yolk. Choline is an important nutrient that helps regulate the brain, nervous and cardiovascular systems, and over 90% of Americans are deficient in. It is especially important to pregnant women, as choline is necessary for proper fetal brain and memory development.
This is one of the healthy soup recipes that is so simple to make that it can be whipped up in only about 10 minutes. It's a great quick, warm meal that will warm your insides.
Stracciatella Romana (Roman Egg Soup)
| Yield | 4 |
|---|
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
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| Cook Time | 5 minutes |
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Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 3 eggs
- 3 tablespoons bread crumbs
- 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- ½ juiced lemon
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, begin to warm the chicken stock over medium-high heat.
- While the stock is heating, beat the eggs in a medium bowl, then add the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and lemon juice, mixing well. Add some sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
- Bring the chicken stock to a boil, then turn off the heat.
- Pour the egg mixture into the chicken stock, stirring immediately with a wire whisk. Keep stirring for about a minute, then ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with a little chopped parsley.
