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Passatelli in Brodo (Breadcrumb and Parmesan Noodles in Broth)
A soft dough of breadcrumbs, Parmigiano, egg, lemon zest and nutmeg pressed into thick strands straight into simmering meat broth, a warming first course from the Romagna hills.
Sammarinese · easy · serves 4
prep 15 min · cook 10 min · plus 15 min hands-off time
~179 cal · 12g protein · 20g carbs · 5g fat · 2g fiber · 2g sugars · 1g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Passatelli are a pasta of the Romagna and the northern Marche, the countryside that surrounds San Marino on every side, and they are one of the first courses served in the trattorias on the Titano. They are not really pasta at all but a dough of stale breadcrumbs, grated Parmigiano and eggs, scented with lemon zest and nutmeg, pressed through a perforated iron into short, thick, rough strands that are cooked in a good meat broth.
The name comes from that pressing. The tool is the ferro per passatelli, a slightly curved disc with holes and two handles, and Romagna families keep one in the drawer the way others keep a rolling pin. A potato ricer with large holes does the job just as well. In Pellegrino Artusi's cookbook of 1891 the dough was enriched with beef marrow; home cooks today leave it out and use more cheese.
It is a cold-weather dish, eaten piping hot with an extra spoonful of Parmigiano, and it turns a pot of homemade broth and a heel of old bread into something special.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
- 100 g fine dry breadcrumbs, plain
- 120 g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated, plus more to serve; Parmigiano Reggiano is made with animal rennet, so strict vegetarians should use a vegetarian-rennet hard cheese
- 3 eggs
- 1 lemon lemon zest, finely grated
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
- a pinch salt
- 1.5 l good chicken or beef broth, preferably homemade
Instructions
- 1Mix the breadcrumbs, cheese, lemon zest, nutmeg and salt in a bowl. Beat the eggs, pour them in and work everything together with your hands into a firm, smooth dough that is soft but not sticky.✎ Chef’s noteIf the dough feels wet, work in a spoonful more breadcrumbs; if it crumbles, add a spoonful of broth. It should feel like soft modelling clay.
- 2Wrap the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes so the breadcrumbs absorb the egg evenly.
- 3Bring the broth to a gentle simmer in a wide pot.
- 4Working in two or three batches, press the dough through a passatelli iron or a potato ricer with large holes, holding it over the pot and cutting the strands off with a knife every 4 to 5 cm so they drop into the broth.
- 5Let them cook without stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, until they float and are cooked through. Ladle into warm bowls with plenty of broth and serve at once with extra Parmigiano.✎ Chef’s noteStirring in the first minute breaks the soft strands, so leave them alone until they rise.
Romagna and Sammarinese home tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
City of San Marino. The Sammarinese piadina is its own thing, thicker than the Rimini version, made with flour, water, lard and salt and cooked on a terracotta testo. Torta tre monti, layers of crisp wafer with cocoa and hazelnut cream under dark chocolate, is named for the three peaks of Monte Titano and dates from after the Second World War.
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San Marino. San Marino calls itself the world's oldest republic, dating itself to 301 AD, though that date was only fixed by decree in 1941 and historians put its actual institutions in the 13th century. The tiny mountain republic within Italy cooks Emilia-Romagna-style, filled pasta, roasts, and the layered dessert torta tre monti. Piadina flatbread and Italian tradition define its table.
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Europe. Europe has written a great deal of its food into law. A regulation of 1992 created the protected designation of origin and the protected geographical indication, tying a name to a place and a method, and an EU evaluation published in 2021 counted more than three thousand registered names across those schemes, from cheeses and hams down to particular shapes of bread.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from San Marino
Nido di RondineSan Marino's "swallow's nest": pasta rolls filled with ham and cheese, sliced, and baked in tomato and béchamel.
PiadinaA thin griddled flatbread folded around soft cheese with ham, or with jam, the daily bread of the region.
Cappelletti in BrodoLittle hat-shaped filled pasta floating in a clear, rich broth, the festive first course of San Marino.
Browse all San Marino recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan, Whisk.
Storing it: Soup keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated and freezes well. Reheat gently and loosen with a little water or stock if needed.
Make it a San Marino meal
BustrengoDessert
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Frequently asked questions
What is Passatelli in Brodo (Breadcrumb and Parmesan Noodles in Broth)?
A soft dough of breadcrumbs, Parmigiano, egg, lemon zest and nutmeg pressed into thick strands straight into simmering meat broth, a warming first course from the Romagna hills.
Where does Passatelli in Brodo (Breadcrumb and Parmesan Noodles in Broth) come from?
Passatelli in Brodo (Breadcrumb and Parmesan Noodles in Broth) is a Sammarinese dish from City of San Marino, San Marino.
Can Passatelli in Brodo (Breadcrumb and Parmesan Noodles in Broth) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Passatelli in Brodo (Breadcrumb and Parmesan Noodles in Broth) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Passatelli in Brodo (Breadcrumb and Parmesan Noodles in Broth) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Passatelli in Brodo (Breadcrumb and Parmesan Noodles in Broth) take to make?
About 40 min in all: 15 minutes prep and 10 minutes cooking, plus 15 min of hands-off waiting the method needs, serving 4.
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