Pappa al Pomodoro (Tuscan Bread-Tomato Soup)

About This Recipe

Pappa al pomodoro is Tuscan peasant cooking at its most honest: stale bread thickens a garlicky tomato base until the soup turns thick, almost porridge-like, and every spoonful tastes of good olive oil and basil. It began as a way to use up bread too hard to eat plain, and that thrift is still the point — the better the bread and the riper the tomatoes, the better the soup. The technique is simple but has a rhythm: garlic blooms gently in olive oil, canned or fresh tomatoes cook down until sweet, then torn bread is stirred in off the heat so it swells and absorbs the sauce rather than turning to paste. A rest of ten minutes lets the bread fully soften before the final stir. Served warm or at room temperature with a generous pour of raw olive oil and torn basil on top, pappa al pomodoro is the kind of dish that tastes better the next day, once the bread has had time to really drink in the tomato.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 800 gripe tomatoes(or canned whole peeled tomatoes)
• 300 gstale country bread(crust removed, torn into chunks)
• 5 tbspextra-virgin olive oil(plus more to finish)
• 4 clovesgarlic(sliced)
• 750 mlvegetable stock
• 1 handfulfresh basil leaves(torn)
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 1 pinchchile flakes(optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Warm the garlic in oil

   Heat 5 tbsp olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook gently for 2 minutes until fragrant but not browned.

2. 2

   Cook the tomatoes down

   Add the tomatoes, crushing them with a spoon, and simmer for 15 minutes until they break down into a thick, jammy sauce.

   If using fresh tomatoes, blanch and peel them first for a smoother texture.

3. 3

   Add stock and bread

   Pour in the stock and bring to a gentle simmer, then stir in the torn bread. Turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes so the bread fully absorbs the liquid.

4. 4

   Beat it smooth-ish

   Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the bread breaks down into the tomato, forming a thick, spoonable porridge-like soup.

5. 5

   Season and rest

   Season with salt, pepper, and chile flakes if using. Let the soup rest another 10 minutes off heat — it thickens further as it cools slightly.

6. 6

   Serve with olive oil and basil

   Ladle into bowls, drizzle generously with raw olive oil, and scatter torn basil over the top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Variations

• •

  Add a rind of Parmesan to the simmering tomatoes for extra savory depth, removing it before serving.

• •

  Stir in a handful of arugula at the end for a peppery, slightly bitter contrast.

• •

  Make it spicier with extra chile flakes or a whole dried peperoncino simmered with the garlic.

Storage

Keeps refrigerated for up to 3 days; the soup thickens further overnight, so thin with a splash of stock when reheating gently on the stove.

Frequently Asked Questions