Easy Homemade Stracciatella Cheese Recipe

Stracciatella is an Italian cheese product made from pulled mozzarella curds mixed with heavy cream. It is a type of pasta filata ("spun paste") cheese. The word stracciatella means “rag” and comes from the word strattore ("to stretch"). In Puglia, Italy, stracciatella is made from mozzarella di bufala (buffalo milk mozzarella cheese), but in the United States, stracciatella is typically made with pasteurized cow's milk.

Since it's made with cream, stracciatella tastes incredibly rich. Texturally, it's similar to Italian stracciatella soup or Chinese egg drop soup, with wisps of cheese curds bound together by cream. Unlike balls of fresh mozzarella, stracciatella is more liquid than solid, so it's typically best to spoon it out of the container. If you've ever cut into a ball of fresh burrata cheese, the gooey interior that spilled out was stracciatella.

To make stracciatella, start with fresh mozzarella curds—the same type of curds used to make balls of mozzarella cheese. To make the curds pliable, soak them in hot water. You can then stretch the curds into long ropes and then thinner strands. Cut the strands into small pieces and transfer them to a container of cream. Stir the curds and cream together and let sit until most of the cream is absorbed. Stracciatella cheese should be refrigerated and eaten as quickly as possible.

Stracciatella's mild flavor pairs well with many foods. Try it:

1. 1. On toast: For bruschetta, spread this fresh cheese on toast drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkled with flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. 2. On pizza: Add stracciatella to a tomato-sauce-and-prosciutto pizza once it's out of the oven for an elevated, comforting dinner.
3. 3. On pasta: Fresh pasta goes wonderfully with stracciatella. Try a dollop on spaghetti bolognese or gnocchi with marinara sauce.
4. 4. With roasted veggies: Roasted root vegetables on a bed of stracciatella make for an easy appetizer. Try glazing the veggies with honey or balsamic for the perfect combination of salty and sweet.
5. 5. With tomatoes: If you love the flavors of caprese salad, try swapping the mozzarella for fresh stracciatella. The rich, creamy cheese pairs well with acidic tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Garnish with a pile of fresh herbs.