Acquacotta
A rustic Tuscan bread and vegetable soup where stale bread soaks up a savory tomato broth and is topped with a runny egg. Simple, humble, and deeply satisfying.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 385
- Protein
- 12g
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 whole garlic cloves
- 400 grams canned crushed tomatoes
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 200 grams stale bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
Instructions
- 1
Peel the garlic cloves and crush them gently with the side of a knife so they split open but stay in one piece.
- 2
Pour 3 tablespoons of olive oil into a large pot and set it over medium heat until the oil shimmers and slides easily when you tilt the pot, about 90 seconds.
- 3
Add the crushed garlic cloves to the hot oil and stir constantly until the kitchen smells strongly of garlic and the cloves turn golden at the edges, about 2 minutes.
- 4
Pour in the crushed tomatoes and stir once to combine, then let the mixture bubble gently over medium heat for 3 minutes to deepen the flavor.
- 5
Pour in the vegetable broth and stir once, then increase the heat to medium-high until the soup comes to a steady boil, about 5 minutes.
- 6
Add the bread cubes to the boiling broth and stir gently until they are fully submerged and soft enough to squish between your fingers, about 4 minutes.
- 7
Taste the soup and add a pinch of salt and pepper, then reduce the heat to medium to keep it at a gentle simmer.
- 8
Using the back of a spoon, make a shallow indent in the bread surface, then crack one egg directly into the indent and repeat on the opposite side for the second egg.
- 9
Cover the pot with a lid and keep the heat on medium until the egg whites turn opaque and set while the yolks jiggle slightly when you gently shake the pot, about 3 minutes.
- 10
Remove the pot from the heat and carefully ladle the soup with one egg into each of two bowls, making sure each bowl gets one egg in the center.
Tools you’ll need
- Large pot with lid
- Wooden spoon
- Knife
- Ladle
- Two soup bowls
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