Winter Tomato Bread Soup

I put leftover crusty bread to good use in my winter version of a classic summer soup, Pappa al Pomodoro. By using jarred tomatoes instead of fresh and swapping out the basil for parsley you can enjoy tomato bread soup all winter long.

Use the best quality canned whole tomatoes that you can- preferably with no additional added herbs or spices. If you have tomatoes that you canned yourself, even better!

Ingredients:
½ yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
28oz jar of whole tomatoes
2 to 3 cups water
2 cups crusty bread
Italian parsley
Olive oil

Toss the bread with a bit of olive oil and place in a 350 degree oven until lightly toasted- this gives the soup a hardy texture and nice crunch.

Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions and celery, cook until soft. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.

Add the tomatoes (plus all the juice) and 2-3 cups of water. You want to make sure that the soup base has enough liquid so when you add the bread it doesn't soak it all up. Add salt (if needed) and fresh ground pepper. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.

Run the mixture through a food mill, blender or food processor. Don’t over blend, you want a bit of texture.

Pour the blended mixture back into the pot, add the crusty bread and stir. Simmer on low for another minute or so until the bread is soft.

Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with chopped parsley and fresh ground pepper.