Tuscan Bread and Tomato Soup (Pappa al Pomodoro)

Name: Tuscan Bread and Tomato Soup (Pappa al Pomodoro)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: European, Italian, Mediterranean
Ingredients: 1pound stale country bread; 2tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1small onion, chopped; 2 to 3garlic cloves (to taste), minced; 1½pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped, or 1 (28-ounce) can, with juice; 1tablespoon tomato paste; Pinch of sugar; Pinch of sugar; ¼teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional); Salt and freshly ground pepper; 4cups water; 2 to 3tablespoons slivered fresh basil

3 steps

Prep:10minCook:30min

Pappa means pap, which is what this soup is. If you ever needed proof that stale bread needn’t go to waste, this soup is it. And this stale bread recipe can be made with canned tomatoes, so you can make it throughout the year. When the weather is hot, you can serve this at room temperature.

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 03:35:17 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Great

Glycemic Index

Moderate

Glycemic Load

High

Nutrition per serving

Calories315.5 kcal (16%)

Total Fat8.2 g (12%)

Carbs50.3 g (19%)

Sugars13.3 g (15%)

Protein13.2 g (26%)

Sodium727.6 mg (36%)

Fiber9.4 g (33%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

5 servings

1 poundcountry bread

stale

2 tablespoonsextra virgin olive oil

1.5 poundstomatoes

ripe, peeled, seeded, and chopped, can, with juice

1 tablespoontomato paste

sugar

¼ teaspoonred pepper flakes

optional

salt

freshly ground pepper

4 cupswater

2 tablespoonsfresh basil

slivered

Instructions

Step 1

If your bread is too hard to cut, douse it with water first. Then remove the crusts and cut into cubes. You should have about 7 cups.

Step 2

Heat the oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about a minute, until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have cooked down, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Step 3

Stir the bread cubes into the tomatoes. Add the water, half the basil, and about 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and simmer, stirring and mashing the bread, for about 10 minutes, until the soup is thick, like oatmeal. Stir in the remaining basil, taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot, warm, or room temperature.