Tuscan Tomato Bread Soup (Pappa al Pomodoro)
Stale rustic bread simmered with ripe tomatoes, garlic and olive oil until thick and spoonable, finished with a drizzle of raw oil and fresh basil. The classic Tuscan way of turning leftovers into something delicious.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Peel the tomatoes
Score a small X at the base of each tomato, then dip them in boiling water for 20–30 seconds until the skins start to loosen, and transfer to cold water. Peel off the skins and chop the tomatoes roughly, keeping all the juice and seeds, which add flavour and body.
- 1 kg tomatoes
✅ Done when: the skins slip off easily and the flesh underneath looks slightly cooked
Dry the bread
If your bread isn't already rock hard, tear it into rough chunks, spread it on a tray and dry it in the oven at 150°C (300°F) for about 10 minutes. This firms it up without browning it, so later it swells and softens evenly instead of turning gluey.
- 500 g bread
✅ Done when: the bread is dry and firm but still pale, not toasted
Build the base
Warm the olive oil in a large heavy pot over low heat, then add the garlic and onion. Cook gently for 5–7 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and the garlic smells fragrant; don't let the garlic brown or it will turn bitter.
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 onion
✅ Done when: the onion is soft and translucent and the garlic is fragrant but pale
Simmer the tomatoes
Add the peeled tomatoes with all their juice to the pot, along with the salt, pepper and chili flakes if using. Simmer uncovered for 15–20 minutes, pressing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a spoon, until the sauce is thick and jammy, not watery.
- 1 kg tomatoes (peeled, from step 1)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 pinch chili flakes
✅ Done when: the sauce has reduced to a thick, deep red, jam-like consistency
Add stock and bread
Pour in the hot vegetable stock, then add the dried bread and most of the basil. Stir well and simmer gently for 10–15 minutes, stirring often and mashing the bread against the pot with the back of a spoon, until it breaks down completely into a thick, spoonable mash with no dry lumps left.
- 1 liter vegetable stock
- 500 g bread (from step 2)
- 1 handful basil leaves
✅ Done when: the soup is thick, creamy and spoonable, with the bread fully broken down
Rest, then serve
Turn off the heat, cover and let the soup rest for 10–15 minutes; this lets the bread finish soaking up the tomato broth and settles the flavours. al pomodoro is traditionally served warm rather than hot, so there's no rush. Ladle into bowls, drizzle generously with raw olive oil, scatter over the remaining basil and finish with a crack of black pepper.
- 2 tbsp olive oil (to finish)
- to serve basil leaves (extra)
✅ Done when: the soup has thickened slightly more and cooled to warm, not hot
Peel the tomatoes
Score a small X at the base of each tomato, then dip them in boiling water for 20–30 seconds until the skins start to loosen, and transfer to cold water. Peel off the skins and chop the tomatoes roughly, keeping all the juice and seeds, which add flavour and body.
- 1 kg tomatoes
✅ Done when: the skins slip off easily and the flesh underneath looks slightly cooked
Dry the bread
If your bread isn't already rock hard, tear it into rough chunks, spread it on a tray and dry it in the oven at 150°C (300°F) for about 10 minutes. This firms it up without browning it, so later it swells and softens evenly instead of turning gluey.
- 500 g bread
✅ Done when: the bread is dry and firm but still pale, not toasted
Build the base
Warm the olive oil in a large heavy pot over low heat, then add the garlic and onion. Cook gently for 5–7 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and the garlic smells fragrant; don't let the garlic brown or it will turn bitter.
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 onion
✅ Done when: the onion is soft and translucent and the garlic is fragrant but pale
Simmer the tomatoes
Add the peeled tomatoes with all their juice to the pot, along with the salt, pepper and chili flakes if using. Simmer uncovered for 15–20 minutes, pressing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a spoon, until the sauce is thick and jammy, not watery.
- 1 kg tomatoes (peeled, from step 1)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 pinch chili flakes
✅ Done when: the sauce has reduced to a thick, deep red, jam-like consistency
Add stock and bread
Pour in the hot vegetable stock, then add the dried bread and most of the basil. Stir well and simmer gently for 10–15 minutes, stirring often and mashing the bread against the pot with the back of a spoon, until it breaks down completely into a thick, spoonable mash with no dry lumps left.
- 1 liter vegetable stock
- 500 g bread (from step 2)
- 1 handful basil leaves
✅ Done when: the soup is thick, creamy and spoonable, with the bread fully broken down
Rest, then serve
Turn off the heat, cover and let the soup rest for 10–15 minutes; this lets the bread finish soaking up the tomato broth and settles the flavours. al pomodoro is traditionally served warm rather than hot, so there's no rush. Ladle into bowls, drizzle generously with raw olive oil, scatter over the remaining basil and finish with a crack of black pepper.
- 2 tbsp olive oil (to finish)
- to serve basil leaves (extra)
✅ Done when: the soup has thickened slightly more and cooled to warm, not hot
The Story Behind the Dish
Pappa al pomodoro grew out of Tuscany's cucina povera, the frugal farmhouse cooking that found a use for every scrap in the kitchen. Stale Tuscan bread, famously baked without salt, was never thrown away; soaked in good olive oil and ripe summer tomatoes, it became something far better than its humble parts.
Once simple fare for farm families stretching a few ingredients, it has since become a signature dish of Tuscan trattorias and home kitchens alike, especially in the height of tomato season.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It shows what Tuscan cooking does best: turning stale bread and ripe tomatoes, with little more than garlic, oil and basil, into a dish that tastes far richer than its ingredients suggest.
💡 Fun Fact
Because traditional Tuscan bread is baked without salt, cooks learned to season dishes like this one generously, which is why pappa al pomodoro always needs a confident hand with salt and good olive oil.
Tuscany
43.77°N, 11.26°E
Related recipes
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!