This hearty soup, known as Pappa al pomodoro in Tuscany and throughout Italy, is cooked with tomatoes, Parmesan, and day-old bread. This soup can serve as the foundation for a more upscale entrée when you top it with grilled fish or prawns.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 40 mins |
| Total Time: | 55 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 1 rib celery, finely chopped
- 4 cups passata (crushed tomatoes)
- 2 tablespoons milk
- salt
- 1 onion, peeled
- 1 carrot
- 1 stalk celery
- 4 cups water
- 8 cups stale Italian bread, crumbled
- 1 ¼ cups grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, shaved
- 5 leaves chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; add chopped onion, chopped carrot, and chopped celery. Cook until softened, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Stir in tomato passata and milk. Season with salt, cover and simmer tomato sauce until flavors are well combined, 20 minutes.
- Combine whole onion, whole carrot, and whole celery stalk in a stockpot; cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Strain vegetables and keep stock warm.
- Stir 1 1/2 cups stock into tomato sauce. Add stale bread; stir and set aside for 15 to 20 minutes to allow the bread to soften.
- Combine tomato-bread mixture, 1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese, and 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a blender; blend until mixture has consistency of a mousse.
- Ladle soup into bowls and serve with shaved Parmesan cheese and drizzled with remaining olive oil. Garnish with basil leaves.
- Cook’s Note:
- If you prepare the soup in advance, you can just reheat it, but add about 1/2 cup of stock to the soup to get the right consistency.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 561 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 66 g |
| Cholesterol | 25 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 9 g |
| Protein | 22 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Sodium | 1226 mg |
| Sugars | 6 g |
| Fat | 25 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |