Best Italian Bread Soup Recipes

ITALIAN BREAD AND CABBAGE SOUP WITH SAGE BUTTER

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring the stock to the boil in a large saucepan and add the cabbage, cavolo nero and/or kale. Cook for a few minutes until softened (you may have to do this in 2 batches). Remove the cabbage to a large bowl, leaving the stock in the pan.
• Toast all but 5 of the bread slices on a hot griddle pan or in a toaster, then rub them on 1 side with the garlic halves, and set aside.
• Next, heat a large 4-inch-deep ovenproof casserole-type pan on the stove top, pour in a couple of glugs of olive oil and add your pancetta and anchovies. When the pancetta is golden brown and sizzling, add the rosemary and cooked cabbage and toss to coat the greens in all the lovely flavors. Put the mixture and all the juices back into the large bowl.
• Place 4 of the toasted slices in the casserole-type pan, in 1 layer. Spread over 1/3 of the cabbage leaves, sprinkle over a 1/4 of the grated fontina and Parmesan and add a drizzle of olive oil. Repeat this twice, but don't stress if your pan's only big enough to take layers - that's fine. Just pour in all the juices remaining in the bowl and end with a layer of untoasted bread on top. Push down on the layers with your hands.
• Pour the stock gently over the top until it just comes up to the top layer. Push down again and sprinkle over the remaining fontina and Parmesan. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper and drizzle over some good-quality olive oil. Bake in the preheated oven for around 30 minutes, or until crispy and golden on top.
• When the soup is ready, divide it between your bowls. Melt the butter in a frying pan and quickly fry the sage leaves until they're just crisp and the butter is lightly golden (not burned!). Spoon a bit of the flavored butter and sage leaves over the soup and add another grating of Parmesan. Such a great combo!
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PAPPA AL POMODORO (ITALIAN BREAD AND TOMATO SOUP)

Steps:

• Sauté the garlic and onion in olive oil with the chili pepper until the garlic has lightly browned and the onion is just getting golden; add the tomato; season with salt; add half the basil leaves torn into tiny pieces; crush the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon and stir; cook until the tomatoes fall apart (about 20 minutes).
• Put the bread into the sauce; the bread will soak up the sauce and it will get quite thick; add enough stock to soften the bread and to make it liquidy; add the remaining basil and cook until the bread becomes a kind of mush (this is called'pappa').
• Serve, sprinkling with parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over each serving.

ITALIAN RIBOLLITA (VEGETABLE AND BREAD SOUP)

Steps:

• Place the olive oil in a deep pan and heat over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until transparent, about 5 minutes. Mix in the carrots, celery, potatoes, zucchini, and leek. Stir and cook 5 minutes more. Pour in the hot water to cover the vegetables. Stir in the Swiss chard, Savoy cabbage, and kale. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 1 hour.
• Place 1 can of beans in a blender or food processor bowl. Blend until smooth. Stir pureed beans into the vegetable mixture along with the second can of beans. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomato puree.
• Prepare the soup by layering slices of bread with the vegetable mixture in a casserole or soup dish. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
• To serve the soup, place in a pot, and reheat over medium heat. Serve hot.

ITALIAN BREAD AND CABBAGE SOUP WITH SAGE BUTTER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place stock in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add cabbage and kale and cook until softened. Transfer cabbage to a large bowl and set stock aside.
• Toast 12 slices bread and rub one side of each slice with garlic and set aside. Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and anchovy fillets; cook until pancetta is golden brown and sizzling. Add rosemary and cooked cabbage mixture; toss to coat. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Place 4 slices of toast in an even layer in Dutch oven. Top with one-third of the cabbage mixture. Top with one-quarter of fontina and Parmesan cheese. Repeat process two times, until all the toasted bread and cabbage mixture is used. Top with remaining 4 slices untoasted bread, pushing down with your hands. Gently pour stock into Dutch-oven until it just comes to the top layer of bread. Top with remaining cheese. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
• Transfer Dutch oven to oven and bake until top is golden and crisp. Just before serving, heat butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add sage leaves and cook until crisp and butter is golden. Serve soup immediately drizzled with sage butter and topped with sage leaves and Parmesan, if desired.

ITALIAN COUNTRY BREAD SOUP

Steps:

• Spread bread cubes in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly toasted.
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan cook zucchini or yellow squash, sweet pepper, and onion in hot oil for 5 minutes.
• Stir in stock or broth and undrained tomatoes.
• Bring to boiling; reduce heat.
• Simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until vegetables are just tender.
• Ladle soup into bowls.
• Top each serving with toasted bread cubes and, if desired, Parmesan cheese.

ITALIAN BREAD AND CABBAGE SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Place stock in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add cabbage and kale and cook until softened. Transfer cabbage to a large bowl and set stock aside. 3. Toast 12 slices bread and rub one side of each slice with garlic and set aside. Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and anchovy fillets; cook until pancetta is golden brown and sizzling. Add rosemary and cooked cabbage mixture; toss to coat. Transfer to a large bowl. 4. Place 4 slices of toast in an even layer in Dutch oven. Top with one-third of the cabbage mixture. Top with one-quarter of fontina and Parmesan cheese. Repeat process two times, until all the toasted bread and cabbage mixture is used. Top with remaining 4 slices untoasted bread, pushing down with your hands. Gently pour stock into Dutch-oven until it just comes to the top layer of bread. Top with remaining cheese. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. 5. Transfer Dutch oven to oven and bake until top is golden and crisp. Just before serving, heat butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add sage leaves and cook until crisp and butter is golden. Serve soup immediately drizzled with sage butter and topped with sage leaves and Parmesan, if desired.

ITALIAN BREAD SOUP

Steps:

• 1. Put broth, water and tomatoes, with their liquid into a 5 qt. pot; Mash tomatoes to make smaller bite size pieces--I use a potato masher for this step.
• 2. Add bread cubes; cover and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally til thick.
• 3. Meanwhile, remove casing from sausage; brown well; remove from pan and drain on paper towels to reduce extra fat.
• 4. Saute onions until golden in the pan drippings; remove with slotted spoon to avoid adding extra fat to the soup.
• 5. Add mean, onions, seasonings and Parmesan to the simmering broth. Cook about 5 minutes longer, or until it starts to come to a boil.
• 6. Garnish each bowl with additional Parmesan.