Savor the Taste of Italy with Pappa Al Pomodoro – An Exquisite Tomato and Bread Soup

Here’s a laid-back, easy-to-follow version of your Italian Tomato and Bread Soup recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, either smashed or thinly sliced
• One 28-ounce can of whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth
• 1/4 cup of fresh basil, chopped or torn
• 2 to 3 cups of dry bread, torn or cut into cubes

Steps:

1. Warm up the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Toss in the garlic and sauté it for a minute.
2. In a separate bowl, give the tomatoes a good hand-crushing. Then, add them to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Let it all simmer, partially covered, for about ten minutes.
3. Pour in the broth and basil, and bring it back to a simmer for another ten minutes.
4. Add the bread cubes and let it simmer for another ten minutes until the bread is soft. If you want, you can use a potato masher to break down the bread to your liking.
5. Serve it up with some Parmesan cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of fresh basil. Enjoy the simplicity and top-notch ingredients!

Notes:
For the bread, I like to use ciabatta take-and-bake rolls because I rarely have a loaf of dry bread lying around. I toast them in the oven until they’re nice and crunchy, then tear them into small chunks to add to the soup. My rule of thumb is about 1 cup of broth per roll. So, 4 rolls for 4 cups of broth, 5 rolls for 5 cups of broth, and so on. Adjust the bread to broth ratio to make the soup as thick or thin as you like!