Pappa al Pomodoro

This was my first attempt at tomato soup. I have said this before and I will say it again: My life has never been the same since I made this. Why would I have made tomato soup before when there were always cans of Campbell’s in the pantry? Once I accepted the fact that I probably wouldn't find any more sales and coupons for canned soup I started paying attention to tomato soup recipes. One day while watching television, I saw Claire Robinson make her version of tomato soup on 5 Ingredient Fix. Aha! I’m embarrassed to admit that I had no idea making tomato soup was so simple.

Such simple ingredients to create a luxurious soup.

Yes, it is another picture of onions. I am very proud of my onion-cooking abilities.

Almost everyone is in the pot.

Don't be afraid. It's just bread simmering in a pot of soup.

What drew me to Claire’s recipe? She used both fresh tomatoes and canned tomatoes. I can’t always get decent tasting fresh tomatoes so the canned tomatoes would add help with the tomato flavor. I also liked the idea of roasting the fresh tomatoes. Anything that’s been roasted and has some char is always a good idea in my book. I also took this as an opportunity to try making another bread soup.

I took Claire’s recipe and made it mine. Z.’s red sauce is one of my favorite foods on this planet. I think one of his secrets is how low and slow he cooks the onions. So I did the same thing with the onions for my tomato soup. Since I didn't need to stick to 5 ingredients, I added chopped fresh garlic (she used garlic-infused olive oil). I also added a red bell pepper (roasted, of course) and I still had some gorgeous red chilies. I liked the sweetness of the bell pepper with the floral heat of the chili. I made one last small change. I made croutons with some of the leftover bread to garnish the soup. I discovered what makes amazing homemade croutons, which I will share my secret another time. I wonder what other variations of this soup I could make? Enjoy!

Tomato Bread Soup

by Ace Nation

Keywords: soup/stew vegan tomatoes bread

Ingredients

For soup

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for roasting
• 1 yellow onion, sliced thinly into half-moons
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound Roma tomatoes, cut in half, seeds removed
• 2 14 ounce cans diced tomatoes (or 1 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes)
• 1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and cut into large wedges
• 1 red chili, such as a Fresno chili
• 1/3 loaf of Italian bread (or whatever you have), torn into small pieces, about 3 cups
• 1 1/2 cups water
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

To roast the vegetables

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In a bowl, toss the Roma tomatoes with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with kosher salt and black pepper. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Then repeat with the red bell pepper but spread on a separate pan. Roast the tomatoes until soft and just beginning to brown, about 15-20 minutes. Roast the red bell pepper until charred and browned on one side, about 20 minutes. To peel, place immediately from the oven in a bowl and cover with a tight fitting lid or plastic wrap. Allow to steam until cool enough to handle. Then, carefully remove the skin from the pepper. Chop into smaller chunks.

For the soup

In a soup pot or large sauce pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over low to medium-low heat. Add the onions, stirring occasionally, cook until golden, about 25 minutes. Add the garlic and chili, cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is softened, 5-7 minutes.

Add diced tomatoes and any juices, roasted tomatoes, roasted pepper, and water. Turn up the heat slightly, bring to a boil, simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the bread and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Carefully blend soup with an immersion blender or in a stand-up blender until smooth. Return to a pot and keep warm. If the soup is too thick, add a little water at a time, about 1/8 cup, until you reach the desired consistency.

Serve garnished with the leftover croutons.

Enjoy!

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