Pappa al Pomodoro Is Comforting on a Blustery Day

Originally thought of as peasant food, this soup is a way to use up any leftover bread and tomatoes you may have.
Pappa al Pomodoro Is Comforting on a Blustery Day
This tomato soup is very soft and almost silky with pieces of bread falling apart in the tomato broth base. Dreamstime/TCA
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The weather and seasons are so wacky these days, when spring arrives, it can feel like the peak of winter. This classic Italian dish is what I love to make when I am craving tomato soup on those days.

Seasonal ripe tomatoes aren’t available yet, so what could be better than a steamy bowl of tomato bread soup, fragrant with basil and sage, and drizzled with a fruity olive oil? Pappa al pomodoro is a Tuscan staple. Originally thought of as peasant food, this soup is a way to use up any leftover bread and tomatoes you may have. In my research on this soup, I found that it has been called half soup-half sauce, a soft bread salad, and even tomato mush. Fresh tomatoes are used, and it is traditionally served warm, not hot or cold.

Diane Rossen Worthington
Diane Rossen Worthington
Author
Diane Rossen Worthington is an authority on new American cooking. She is the author of 18 cookbooks, including "Seriously Simple Parties," and a James Beard Award-winning radio show host. You can contact her at SeriouslySimple.com. Copyright 2021 Diane Rossen Worthington. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.