Tuscan Pappa al Pomodoro
Serves 4
15 mins prep
25 mins cook
40 mins total
Tomatoes are the star ingredient in homemade pappa al pomodoro, a Tuscan-style tomato bread soup. This rustic soup is incredibly simple, calling for just a handful of basic ingredients: Fresh ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, and crusty bread. It’s a classic Italian tomato puree thickened with bread, rather than milk, cream or cheese.
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Put 2 cups of the bread cubes in a blender or food processor along with the water, ¼ cup olive oil, garlic and ½ teaspoon salt. Blend to form a smooth paste.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot and place over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook until onion is very soft, but not browned, 8-10 minutes.
Add tomatoes, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste. Turn the heat to medium and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and continue cooking the tomatoes until they become very soft, about 25 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, mash the tomatoes into a coarse puree.
Add the bread mixture to the tomatoes and stir. If the soup seems very thick, add a little bit more water to thin it out. The texture should be dense and creamy, but still spoonable. Cook for a few minutes, then remove from the heat.
Drizzle olive oil over the remaining bread cubes. Put them in a skillet over medium-high heat and toast until golden and crisp, stirring them around, for about 5 minutes.
Taste the soup and season with additional salt and pepper. Garnish with the toasted bread, basil leaves an a swirl of olive oil. Serve warm or at room temperature.
