Herbed Tomato Bread Soup
This delicious soup embraces the flavors from a classic stuffing and transforms them into a hearty soup that is perfect for an easy dinner after the holidays!
Sincerest form of flattery. Growing up as a youngest child, I often heard the expression “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”, usually following a tantrum about stealing clothes or something similar (love you Kate lol). Growing up a bit, I see this more as inspiration. In Italy, there is a classic soup called Pappa al Pomodora that is made with herbs and crusty bread. After Thanksgiving, I grabbed my copy of Better Homes and Gardens, and flipping through found this great spin using leftover stuffing. It wouldn’t be my kitchen if I didn’t take this and make it my own, so I added my take on this recipe, but heavily inspired by their creativity. Hats off BHG for this great idea!
The real star. Feeling nostalgic about the holidays, I have fond memories of Thanksgiving. My aunt is almost entirely Italian, and their house is where we often spent Thanksgiving. It wasn’t a holiday unless there was a bowl of rigatoni and a ton of fresh herbs in….everything. Of all the food, stuffing was always my favorite, and I bet there was four times as much sage in her stuffing than any other family’s recipe. It became my comfort food. For this soup, I used less broth to keep it thicker, and while still using my stuffing, I added a lot more of the fresh herbs to embrace those flavors even more. Since I originally make my stuffing with a lot of onions and celery, those flavors came through as well. A lot of this soup hinges on how you make your stuffing originally, and if you are planning ahead, I encourage using an herb-y bread if possible. My critique here might be the basil. I absolutely love basil but it is a strong flavor, and given that this soup is utilizing the herbs associated with stuffing, I felt the basil changed the profile to try and create a tomato basil soup. While pretty for a garnish, I would advise against adding this to the soup and instead emphasize the sage and thyme. Worth the experiment and a recipe I will definitely make again!!
How are you using your leftovers from the holidays? I’d love to hear from you!
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Herbed Tomato Bread Soup
Equipment
- Stock Pot
- Kitchen knife
- Immersion blender
Ingredients
- 1 medium Onion
- 6 cloves Garlic
- 28 oz Crushed Tomatoes
- 14 oz Diced Tomatoes
- 1 sprig Fresh Rosemary
- 1 sprig Fresh Thyme
- 6 leaves Fresh Sage
- 2 cups Chicken Stock
- 1 1/2 cup Stuffing I used my homemade with Roasted Garlic and Herb Focaccia Bread, fresh herbs, onion, and celery.
- 4 leaves Fresh Basil
- 2 tbsp Shaved Pecorino Cheese
Instructions
- In stockpot, warm olive oil and cook onions until translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Pour in tomatoes and stock and place lid on, allowing to simmer for a few minutes. Chop your fresh herbs and stir in with a liberal amount of salt.
- When the flavors seem to have molded together (about 20 minutes), add in your stuffing and stir well. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes and remove from heat.
- Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth and add additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with grated cheese and a basil leaf. Enjoy!
