Tuscan tomato bread soup is one of those rustic recipes born from the need to reuse stale bread with ingredients from family gardens, which then became part of the daily life of Tuscan families. Its fame was boosted by the 1965 TV series ‘Gian Burrasca’ with Rita Pavone, featuring a song that became well-known. As with any traditional recipe, there is no original recipe, but every family has their own, and this is my family’s! If you want to discover a simple and tasty dish, follow me!
For more recipes that reuse stale bread, I recommend checking out these links
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer, Fall
- Energy 358.59 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 47.02 (g) of which sugars 6.78 (g)
- Proteins 8.02 (g)
- Fat 15.11 (g) of which saturated 1.80 (g)of which unsaturated 0.03 (g)
- Fibers 5.62 (g)
- Sodium 1,304.97 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 250 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
To make Tuscan tomato bread soup, the essential ingredients are tomatoes and, of course, stale Tuscan bread. Then, some use broth, others use water, some add basil, and some don’t… precisely because there is no official recipe! In the FAQ at the end of the article, I’ll try to answer questions about possible ingredient substitutions
- 1.1 lbs Tuscan bread (stale)
- 1.8 lbs tomatoes, ripe, fresh
- 2.5 cups water
- 4 leaves sage
- 6 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 1.5 tbsps salt
- 1.5 tsps garlic
- to taste pepper
What to Use to Make Tomato Bread Soup
- 1 Knife for bread
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Ladle
Steps
Making Tuscan tomato bread soup according to my family’s recipe is very easy; the only slightly tricky part is the cooking, but I’ll try to be as exhaustive as possible!
On a cutting board, cut the stale bread into chunks. I also had some stale whole wheat Tuscan bread left over, so I added that too, since the idea is not to waste leftover bread!
Place the bread in the chosen saucepan, with a diameter of at least 9.45 inches
Drizzle a bit of oil over the bread.
Roughly chop the tomatoes and add them to the saucepan
After cleaning the sage with a damp cloth, break it up and add it to the pot
Finish with the garlic clove cut into pieces.
Add 2 cups of water (about two glasses) and light the very low fire. Stir to distribute the ingredients well with a ladle and cover with the lid.
About ten minutes later, the volume will have already decreased a bit, and the bread will be moistened. Use a wooden ladle to start mashing the bread to make it more amalgamated.
Cover with the lid and let it cook for another ten minutes. After the time has passed, add the remaining water, stir, and add the salt and pepper.
After another ten minutes of cooking, the consistency should be like the photo. If not, add a little more water and keep cooking.
Tuscan tomato bread soup should be quite thick. My family likes it very rustic, with some pieces of bread not completely melted, but if you prefer a smoother consistency, you can use an immersion blender to make it smoother. Before enjoying the tomato bread soup, perhaps drizzled with a bit of raw olive oil, I recommend letting it rest for at least half an hour to let the flavors meld together.
Tips and Storage
Tuscan tomato bread soup is also good the next day, either cold or slightly reheated. For a tasty variation, you can grate some aged Tuscan pecorino cheese, giving it a stronger and more savory flavor. Tuscan tomato bread soup keeps in the fridge for three days, but I bet it won’t last that long! Have you ever tasted this staple of Tuscan cuisine? Come tell me on Instagram!
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What if I don’t have Tuscan bread?
Like with panzanella, you can use rustic bread with a good crust instead of Tuscan bread, like Neapolitan rustic bread.
What can I use instead of fresh tomatoes?
This soup is often made even in winter when tomatoes are not in season. In this case, just use tomato puree (about 17.6 oz).
My Tuscan tomato bread soup sticks; what can I do?
The bread probably absorbs a lot of liquids, so you can add more water or a little bit of tomato puree. The trick is to stir often from the bottom to the top, to mix the ingredients and let the liquid part go to the bottom.
I have ripe but not juicy tomatoes; what should I do?
In this case, you can add half a can of tomato puree and a little more water to achieve greater body.
