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Passatelli in Brodo
In the village of Monteveglio, about 12 miles west of Bologna, Italy, we tasted delicious homemade passatelli in brodo. Paolo Parmeggiani, owner of the small restaurant/hotel Trattoria del Borgo, demonstrated the dish—made with stale bread, cheese, eggs, broth and little else—which exemplifies cucina povera, or peasant cooking. Passatelli are small, squiggly dumplings, made by extruding dough through smallish holes, that are simply poached and served in chicken broth. We found that in lieu of a traditional passatelli maker, a potato ricer with 3/16-inch perforations works well for extruding the dough. Another alternative is to use a cooling rack with a ⅜-inch wire grid (instructions are included in the recipe). To make passatelli dough, Italian cooks use stale bread processed into breadcrumbs, but since we rarely have leftover bread, we start with fresh bread and dry it in the oven. Homemade chicken broth is a cornerstone of this dish, but if store-bought is the only option, be sure to use low-sodium, and you may wish to boost its flavor by dropping a chunk of Parmesan rind into the broth as it heats.
-Editor's Note, 2/24/25: We recently redeveloped this recipe, which originally appeared in the November-December 2020 issue of Milk Street Magazine, as well as season four of Milk Street Television.
4-6
Servings
Tip
Don’t use pre-grated Parmesan or domestic Parmesan-like cheese. With so few ingredients in the passatelli, using true Parmigiano-Reggiano is essential for flavor. Purchase it in a chunk, not pre-grated, as the cheese loses freshness once it’s grated. Plus, if you buy a chunk, you will have a piece of rind to simmer in the broth as a flavor booster.
1¼ hours
30 minutes active
Ingredients
-
7
ounces stale country-style bread, cut or torn into rough 1-inch pieces (about 5 cups)
-
3
large eggs
Directions
-
01Heat the oven to 300°F with a rack in the middle position. Distribute the bread on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast, stirring occasionally, until dried and crisped but not browned, about 20 minutes. Cool completely.
Reviews
December 6, 2022
Making this again
This reminds me of my Granny’s Chicken and Sliders. Just needs a diced onion floating around in it. I used a spatzel maker and just put the dough on it and pushed it through with a spatula. I thought it was easy and didn’t take mush time. Best of all, most of the clean up is done while the drought is resting.
October 5, 2022
Yummy
Absolutely delicious. I have had this recipe saved for a while now and finally made it. I was a little intimidated that this would be a lot of work. However, it was SUPER easy. Also, as mentioned by another reviewer, definitely has a matzoh ball soup feel to it. Will definitely make it again.
October 1, 2024
Pure comfort food
I just made this and it was great. The dough could have been a bit thicker but I've read that the addition of a little flour could help.
August 21, 2026
Passatelli
I recently watched the video of Season 4, Episode 20 (1/22/21) on August 20, 2026. In that video, panko was used instead of the bread crumbs, but no amount was given for the amount of panko needed. This looks like a great recipe and I'm looking forward to trying it. Thank you for your help in clearing this up for me.
I did see the Editor's Note that this recipe was redeveloped, but nothing was mentioned about panko, only stale bread.
I did see the Editor's Note that the recipe was redeveloped 2/24/25, but it uses the original recipe rather than the panko.
-
October 22, 2024
Very good
This was really flavorful. Any idea if the pasta freezes well, so I can make that ahead and just put it in the broth frozen to heat up?
I made this last month. It's in the pantheon. I would love to try this with matzoh meal for the coming holiday. Or matzohs processed into panko-like crumbs. Any suggestions or should I head out into this Sinai on my own? (I realize that real parmesan is probably not kosher, but do I sound like a I care about that?)
I am happily waiting for the passatelli to cool. My first batch didn't turn out as firm and puffy as the rest of the batches. The broth wasn't simmering enough. Instead of simmer, I'd say the broth is closer to a low boil. I'm adding some chicken to it since it's for lunch. Also tossing in a few peas and carrots just for giggles. I've tasted the passatelli. The consistency is like spaetzle. It almost looks like polenta in color. I used some parmsan reggiano and grana padano cheese. I thought it would taste too strong, but it does not. It's very good. It's a nice change from plain old pasta or rice in a soup.
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Heads up, you missed a TK :) "We came up with a simple Instant Pot version (p. TK)"