Tomato Bread Soup
January 5th, 2012
I made this soup yesterday. It was a weird, kind of grumpy day.
I had to make two batches of this banana sweet potato bread I am going to share in the next couple days, (because I forgot like half the ingredients the first time.)
While I was looking for my lost camera card, I found an unpaid parking ticket from like 6 months ago. That can’t be good.
I watched myself on tv and thought “what the hell happened to my hair!?” As my sister said: “that is a situation!” It’s so bad that by the time this is posted, I will have already had it cut again. Can one person have a bad hair year? At least I have a good sense of humor.
And if you are not already depressed by me- check out this weather. That should do it.
But then little Coco-bean walked through the door after her first haircut with her grandma. She was wearing pink cowboy boots and she made me smile ear to ear.
I had almost the same haircut when I was little!
Oh yeah, this soup.
I was going to make a big batch of minestrone. Then I realized I didn’t have any celery because I put it all in my new juicer (more on that later.) Well, I couldn’t make minestrone without my celery, so I stared at the onions and garlic already cooking, and looked at the 2lbs of grape tomatoes that I bought at Costco, and decided I was making tomato soup. Then I saw a big chunk of stale bread left over and thought I would throw that in.
Then I realized I didn’t have any basil, so I went to the store to get it. Then I realized that I could have just bought the darn celery and made the minestrone if was going to bother driving to the store. But then I tasted my soup and it was so good that I finally just got over being grumpy. The end.
Tomato Bread Soup, serves 6
-4 Tbs butter
-1 yellow onion
-3 cloves garlic minced
-2 lbs tomatoes, (if you don’t have fresh, use crushed or whole canned tomatoes)
-4 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
-1Tbs dried oregano
-1 pinch red pepper flakes
-1 cup basil leaves, loosely packed
-3-4 cups rustic bread, torn into pieces (stale is juuust fine!)
-Kosher Salt to taste
-Finely shredded Parmesan cheese for garnish
1) In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat and add the onions and a sprinkle of salt.
2) Let the onions sweat until soft and tender, about 5 minutes.
3) Add the garlic and cook until soft.
4) Add the tomatoes and stir everything together. Cover with the broth and add the oregano.
5) Turn the heat to low and put a lid on the pot. Simmer the soup for about 20-30 minutes or until the tomatoes (if fresh) are bursting from their skins.
6) I use an immersion blender and puree until the soup is not completely smooth, but the tomatoes are all broken up.
7) Then I add the cup of fresh basil leaves and puree those in a little bit (just so there are no full sized leaves.)
8) Next, add the bread to the pot, and stir the bread all around.
9) Put the lid back on the pot and let simmer over lowest heat another 10 minutes. Then I just used a wooden spoon to break up the bread a little bit into the soup.
10) Season with kosher salt if you need it and serve hot with some grated parmesan cheese on top.
OMG. I have been craving tomato soup almost every day since it got cold. I’ve wanted to learn how to make it at home because it would be cheaper and fresher. This looks like the soup I’ve been craving. It’s on baby! As soon as we get home from visiting relatives in California, I’m making this. Thank you!
Jules
2:09 am on January 5th, 2012
Grumpy? This little story made my day. Adorable pictures of you! (and the little coco bean) Didn’t we ALL have that haircut! Ha! And the soup sounds very comforting dispite its (your) beginnings……
4:56 am on January 5th, 2012
i was just looking for a great tomato soup recipe to make for this weekend…and this is it. it looks incredibly comforting!
5:10 am on January 5th, 2012
Your humor is great and I hope you have an ungrumpy day today! Please do a minnestrone soup post, it’s one of my favorites!
7:07 am on January 5th, 2012
Awesome Julie! I think it’s the winter version with the bread :)
7:36 am on January 5th, 2012
lol! thanks Christine!
7:36 am on January 5th, 2012
oh good! I promise- it will make you want to cuddle on the couch- in a good way :)
7:37 am on January 5th, 2012
This recipe sounds divine for post holiday blahs. Can’t wait for the minestrone. Love little Coco’s haircut!
7:47 am on January 5th, 2012
Maybe this should be titled “Soup for my Soupista” :) I feel like you made this soup just for me … I looooooooooove tomato soup and this sounds delicious! This weather blows. I said on Sunday after we had that beautiful day of sunshine that I can’t wait for Spring and oh, I’ll be waitin’ alright (seeing that is only January!) LOVED the pic of you and Coco with matching haircuts. Adorable! Seeing her sweet face brightens me day too!
8:56 am on January 5th, 2012
Girl you are too much! Hopefully you are having a better time of it now. Love your daughter’s haircut…is that you in the rainbow suspenders?? Love it!! Great soup recipe :)
9:13 am on January 5th, 2012
I thought of you soupista!
9:17 am on January 5th, 2012
You were so cute!
9:49 am on January 5th, 2012
I want this for lunch!
10:13 am on January 5th, 2012
Life’s too short to be grumpy – bad hair days be gone – this soup is such a winner – enjoy and smile and be happy!
11:47 am on January 5th, 2012
Well said Lucy!
12:19 pm on January 5th, 2012
Lol! You have to say that- you are my dad!
12:20 pm on January 5th, 2012
This is great! I just had Applebee’s tomato basil soup, which is similar, but different, to this. I think yours looks much better, by the way. I think basil is the new herb right now. That and sage. Yum!
So, I was so excited to see tomato soup here! I am all in the soup weather about now. Thanks!
2:12 pm on January 5th, 2012
Well, at least someone is having a good hair day! Go Coco – she’s really rockin’ that cut.
I love tomato soup. And really, who doesn’t? Great idea to use the grape tomatoes. I actually think they taste way better than canned or supermarket plum tomatoes and they’re available all year round.
2:38 pm on January 5th, 2012
Hey, Heather – can you post a grilled cheese sandwich recipe to go along with this soup? Yum.
2:41 pm on January 5th, 2012
I loooove basil! I have to remember to use it more often, and not just with tomatoes!
2:44 pm on January 5th, 2012
I know it- you gotta love costco with their year round hot house tomatoes!
2:44 pm on January 5th, 2012
um, yes! you don’t have to twist my arm!
2:45 pm on January 5th, 2012
I love good tomato soup. The crispy bread, croutons just make it special. This looks lovely and perfect for a rainy day.
6:23 pm on January 5th, 2012
I laughed till there were tears in my eyes, you say what we feel. I am making this on Sunday night. Yum!
6:53 pm on January 5th, 2012
Ugh! I empathize. I know the feeling of having one of those “grumpy” days. Eww. Nevertheless, your grumpy day helped produce this amazing looking tomato and bread soup.
7:33 pm on January 5th, 2012
Talk about lemon aid out of lemons! I LOVE tomato bread soup!
8:21 pm on January 5th, 2012
Pappa al Pomodoro! This is making me soooo nostalgic for this little restaurant in Florence called Di Cambi that has the most amazing tomato bread soup. I have to have this immediately. I kind of wish I were pregnant so I could make hubby go get the ingredients now. Okay, maybe not.
8:51 pm on January 5th, 2012
Love tomato soup with grilled cheese too. Great recipe to try out. Love the pics. I sported the Dorothy Hamil hairdoo. ;)
12:02 am on January 6th, 2012
love the hair. I pulled out a picture of all the girls in my neighborhood around that age, and we all have the SAME haircut! so funny!
8:15 am on January 6th, 2012
LOL!!! totally! Isn’t that the only time you can demand late night store trips! But I saw a girlfriend 1 week out from a baby the other day, and I remembered why I am not prego now :)
8:16 am on January 6th, 2012
I had never had tomato bread soup before! So you are right! It was a total lemonade out of lemons situation!
8:17 am on January 6th, 2012
Your little Coco would definitely make me smile as well and I would love to swap weather with you – it’s been in the 80′s here and frankly I want some cold and rainy weather – mainly so I could make some of that luscious tomato soup!!!
12:41 pm on January 6th, 2012
Coco is absolutely adorable – a sure sight to turn any grumpy day upside down. This delicious-looking soup would do the same!
7:25 am on January 7th, 2012
[...] Tomato Bread Soup Recipe This entry was posted in Soup by A Mom Inspired. Bookmark the permalink. [...]
7:49 am on January 7th, 2012
Thanks Dara!
8:52 pm on January 7th, 2012
I’ve been looking for a good recipe for tomato soup. The ones in the stores have too many funky ingredients for my taste. Thanks for this one…and the great photos too!
9:39 am on January 9th, 2012
Sorry to hear about the grumpy day, Heather, but I loved your story. As for tomato bread soup, it is one of my all-time favorite comfort foods and I feel you made the right choice to make it instead of minestrone!
1:51 pm on January 9th, 2012
[...] I made this soup yesterday. It was a weird, kind of grumpy day. Tomato Bread Soup | Heather Christo Cooks [...]
7:34 pm on January 12th, 2012
I’ve only recently discovered my love [obsession] for tomato soup. thanks so much for giving me another one to try!!! :)
10:12 pm on January 17th, 2012
Thanks Jen!
6:45 am on January 18th, 2012
delicious :)
5:34 pm on February 7th, 2012
Just digging through your soup recipes and came across this one again. I love this post, so, so much :)
1:53 pm on October 8th, 2012