Tuscan tomato bread soup (pappa al pomodoro)

Name: Tuscan tomato bread soup (pappa al pomodoro)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced; ½ French bread, day-old, torn into 1-inch pieces; ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for serving; 1 pinch red pepper flakes; 1 can crushed tomatoes, 28 oz; 2 cups water; 1 vegetable bouillon cube, check the box: most cubes make 2 cups each; 1 pinch sugar; ½ tsp salt; 1 package fresh basil, leaves torn; ¼ cup grated parmesan (optional)

Day-old bread simmered into garlicky tomato and basil until it melts into a thick, spoonable soup, the Tuscan way of turning pantry scraps into something wonderful.

40 min total
20 min hands-on
Follow-a-recipe easy
Serves 4
About $1.76 a serving
330 calories
Good the next day
Vegetarian

Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.

Ingredients

For 4 servings.

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
½ French bread, day-old, torn into 1-inch pieces
1 can crushed tomatoes, 28 oz
1 vegetable bouillon cube, check the box: most cubes make 2 cups each
1 package fresh basil, leaves torn
¼ cup grated parmesan (optional)

From your pantry

¼ cup olive oil, plus more for serving
1 pinch red pepper flakes
2 cups water
1 pinch sugar
½ tsp salt

Each serving has about 330 calories, 9 g protein, 42 g carbs and 15 g fat, and costs about $1.76 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.

Missing something?

No French bread? Sourdough bread works.
No crushed tomatoes? Diced tomatoes work.
No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.

Steps

Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.

the garlic thinly and tear the bread into 1-inch pieces, crust and all.
Dolly’s tip: Bread that’s a day or two old works best. Fresh bread turns gummy. If yours is fresh, toast the pieces in the oven first.
Warm the oil in a large pot over medium-low heat and cook the garlic and pepper flakes, stirring, for 2 minutes, until the garlic is pale gold.
Low heatTimer: 2 min
Add the crushed tomatoes, water, bouillon cube, sugar and salt and over medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes.
Medium heatTimer: 10 min
Stir in the bread and half the basil, turn the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the bread has soaked up the tomato and fallen apart.
Low heatTimer: 10 min
Stir hard with a or wooden spoon to break up any big pieces of bread, until the soup is thick and porridge-like.
Turn off the heat, stir in the rest of the basil, taste for salt, and serve with a of olive oil and parmesan.
Dolly’s tip: In Tuscany it’s eaten warm or at room temperature, never piping hot, so it’s fine to let it sit for 10 minutes.