Recipes from Italy

  • Recipes
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Italian Soups

    Pappa al Pomodoro Recipe | Tuscan Tomato Bread Soup

    Published: Jan 28, 2021 · Modified: Mar 2, 2024 by Silvana Nava · This post may contain affiliate links

    Pappa al Pomodoro or Tuscan bread and tomato soup, is one of the most famous dishes of Tuscan cuisine. Pappa al Pomodoro is a delicious, easy and quick-to-make preparation made with stale bread and tomatoes.

    Enjoy it in winter as a hot soup or in summer as a cold first course.

    Tomato passata and stale bread, both cooked with extra virgin olive oil, basil leaves and garlic, for a healthy and tasty soup, perfect even for vegetarian and vegan.

    pappa al pomodoro

    Jump to:
    • Pappa al Pomodoro | Tuscan Tomato and Bread Soup Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Kitchen Tools and Equipment
    • How To Make Pappa al Pomodoro Recipe: Instructions
    • Storage
    • Authentic Tuscan Pappa al Pomodoro: Only 3 Ingredients of Excellent Quality
    • Tips and Tricks for Making The Best Pappa al Pomodoro
    • Pappa al Pomodoro: Curiosities

    Read also:

    • Panzanella Salad
    • Passatelli Soup
    • Lombard Bread Cake
    • Pasta all’Ortolana | Pasta with Vegetables
    • Italian Minestrone Soup Recipe
    • Ribollita | The Authentic Tuscan Soup Recipe

    Pappa al Pomodoro | Tuscan Tomato and Bread Soup Recipe

    • Prep Time: 20 Min
    • Cool Time: 45 Min
    • Servings: 6

    Ingredients

    • 400 g ( 0,90 lb ) of stale bread
    • 500 g ( 1,1 lb ) of tomato passata or crushed canned peeled tomatoes
    • 1 liter of vegetable broth
    • 2 cloves of garlic
    • extra virgin olive oil
    • ½ tablespoon of sugar
    • 6/8 fresh basil leaves
    • a pinch of fine salt
    • a pinch of freshly ground black pepper

    pappa al pomodoro

    Kitchen Tools and Equipment

    No special tools are required to make Pappa al Pomodoro recipe, but a pot with a thick bottom is better for slow and uniform cooking.
    Traditionally in Tuscany they use a terracotta casserole. This type of pot is not only ideal for soups and sauces but is also very beautiful and characteristic.
    Pappa al Pomodoro is also often served in terracotta dishes that give the table a rustic look and an warm old-time atmosphere!

    How To Make Pappa al Pomodoro Recipe: Instructions

    pappa al pomodoro recipe step 1

    Step 1) - Start preparing the bread. The bread must be stale and dry at least 3-4 days before but, if it's still a little soft, toast it for a few minutes in the oven. Cut the bread into pieces, rub them with a clove of garlic then cut into smaller chunks. Arrange the bread on the bottom of a saucepan. The perfect one would be earthenware or a non-stick pan with a thick bottom.

    pappa al pomodoro recipe step 2

    Step 2) - In a bowl, pour the tomato passata or crush the peeled tomatoes. Add 1 cloves of garlic, peeled and lcut in half. Let it flavour the tomatoes for a few minutes. Pour a little bit of extra virgin olive on the bread to flavour it.

    pappa al pomodoro recipe step 3

    Step 3) - Cover the pieces of bread with 2 or 3 tablespoons of tomato passata. Continue in the same order, alternating a layer of bread + oil and one of tomato. Leave the garlic in the soup.

    pappa al pomodoro recipe step 4
    Step 4) - Finally, at the last layer, add the basil leaves cut into small pieces with your hands, the sugar and a pinch of fine salt. Cover with two ladles of vegetable broth.

    pappa al pomodoro recipe step 5

    Step 5) - Cook with the lid on for about 45 minutes over low heat. Stir often and add more broth when you see that's completely absorbed. When the bread is blended with the tomato sauce and the soup has reached the right consistency, turn off the heat and let it rest for a few minutes. Pappa al Pomodoro must have a dense and fairly dry consistency. So if it's too liquid at the end of cooking, let it boil a little longer without the lid so to let evaporate the excess broth.

    Taste it and season with salt if necessary then add a little of freshly ground black pepper. Serve Pappa al Pomodoro with a basil leaf on top and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

    pappa al pomodoro

    Storage

    Pappa al pomodoro can be stored for up to 2 days in the fridge and placed in an airtight container.

    Authentic Tuscan Pappa al Pomodoro: Only 3 Ingredients of Excellent Quality

    Tomatoes 

    In Tuscany they make pappa al pomodoro with tomatoes called Pisanelli or Costoluti, but you can use San Marzano tomatoes that are perfect for this recipe. During the summer, when the tomatoes are red ripe and very tasty, it's better to use fresh tomatoes. In the winter, you can opt for San Marzano canned peeled tomatoes or for an excellent tomato passata made with our recipe during the warm season.

    Bread 

    Traditional pappa al pomodoro recipe wants unsalted Tuscan bread. We know that it's hard to find outside of Tuscany, so a good rustic crusty pagnotta made with our recipe will do just fine. The most important thing is that the bread is stale and dry for at least three or four days.

    Extra virgin olive oil

    Maybe the most important ingredient of pappa al pomodoro recipe: Tuscan extra virgin olive oil of excellent quality. We know that Tuscan oil is not always easy to find. So we recommend that you use any good oil as long as it is extra virgin and of high quality.

    At last, but not at least, garlic and basil to flavor the bread, tomatoes and oil.

    Tips and Tricks for Making The Best Pappa al Pomodoro

    Bread and Salt

    Traditional recipe of Pappa al Pomodoro wants Tuscan bread. This typical local bread is free of salt and in Tuscany they call it "pane sciocco". Obviously, you can use the bread that you have available or the one you prefer, but the advice, if you don't use unsalted bread, is to be careful with salt: maybe it's not necessary to add any.

    Garlic

    Garlic is a key ingredient in this recipe. If you don't want its flavor to be too intense, you can avoid rubbing the slices of bread too much, or do it after removing the greener central part of the garlic. Even the clove of garlic that is used to flavor the tomato, can be removed before or halfway through cooking or let it dissolve in the soup according to your tastes.

    Basil

    Pappa al pomodoro traditional recipe wants some herbs to flavour the soup. People often use fresh basil but you can flavor the recipe with the herbs you like. Thyme or rosemary are also good, depending on taste.

    pappa al pomodoro

    Pappa al Pomodoro: Curiosities

    What does "Pappa" mean?

    In Italian the word "pappa" indicates the food that is given to babies when they learn to eat and have to switch from milk to more solid baby foods. "Pappa" therefore indicates a very dense and soft consistency.

    "Viva la Pappa col Pomodoro"

    Pappa al Pomodoro became famous outside of Tuscany in 1912, because it was published in the famous pages of "Il Giornalino di Gian Burrasca" by the Florentine writer Vamba (aka Luigi Bertelli). Although the recipe has much older origins.

    In 1960 the recipe became much more famous when Rita Pavone (a famous singer in the 60s) sang the song titled "Viva la pappa col pomodoro", written by Lina Wertmüller and set to music by Nino Rota. That was the theme song for a very successful television series inspired by the "Il Giornalino di Gian Burrasca". Pappa al Pomodoro thus became a symbol of Tuscan cuisine in Italy and in the world.

    More Italian Soups

    • pasta e piselli alla napoletana
      Pasta e Piselli alla Napoletana (Neapolitan Pasta and Peas)
    • pasta e fagioli recipe
      Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta and Beans Soup)
    • canederli recipe
      Canederli: Traditional Tyrolean Bread Dumplings with Speck
    • red cabbage soup recipe
      Creamy Red Cabbage Soup with Ricotta Salata and Nuts
    67 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet

    Comments

    1. Mary says

      February 15, 2023 at 3:24 am

      Enjoyed reading the recipes and intend making some.
      Thank you.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Barbara & Silvana

    CIAO! Barbara & Silvana here! We are the authors of these amazing Italian recipes. Living in Italy, they are part of our culture, tradition and everyday life. And we want to share them with you all, straight from Italy! Learn more about us! Read our story!

    Popular Recipes

    • authentic italian tiramisu recipe
      Authentic Italian Tiramisu Recipe

    • authentic carbonara recipe
      Traditional Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe

    • authentic italian gelato recipe
      How to Make Authentic Italian Gelato at Home

    • limoncello recipe
      Limoncello Recipe – Make Authentic Italian Limoncello at Home

    See more Popular Recipes →

    Italian Spring Recipes

    • Sweet Italian Easter Bread
      Treccia di Pasqua (Sweet Italian Easter Bread)

    • meatloaf with hard boiled eggs
      Meatloaf with Hard-Boiled Eggs

    • uova alla monachina
      Uova alla Monachina (Crispy Italian Béchamel-Stuffed Eggs)

    • neapolitan casatiello recipe
      Casatiello Napoletano (Traditional Neapolitan Easter Bread)

    See more Italian Spring Recipes →

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Disclaimer

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • About us
    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 recipesfromitaly.com is a website of the company CIUMBIA S.A.S. - VAT 12138380964 - Milano

    67 shares