Creamy and Chunky Tomato and Sourdough Bread Soup

I was looking for a way to use up a third of a stale homemade sourdough loaf. I recalled making bread soup before and decided I would make some for supper. This was a quick and easy soup and I was pleased with how it came out. Bruce enjoyed it as well.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes (794g)
• 1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes (411g)
• Water
• 1 teaspoons salt
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of dried basil
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes or to taste (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/3 loaf of stale sourdough bread, cut into chunks or cubes
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)
• Garnish – grated cheddar cheese or grated smoked Gouda or grated Manchego cheese or grated Parmesan

Tools:

Can opener, large pot, wooden spoon, knife, cutting board

Instructions

1. Carefully cut up the 1/3 loaf of stale sourdough into cubes of chunks.
2. Open the can of crushed tomatoes and pour them into the large pot. Carefully rinse the inside of the can so the remaining tomatoes are in the bottom of the can with 1/2 a can of water. Add the water and tomatoes to the pot. It is okay to use more water, but you shouldn’t use less.
3. Open the can of diced tomatoes and pour them into the large pot. Carefully rinse the inside of the can sit the remaining tomatoes are in the bottom of the can with 1/2!a can of water. Add the water and tomatoes to the pot. It is okay to use more water, but you shouldn’t use less.
4. Over medium low heat, start warming up the tomatoes and water. Stir with the wooden spoon.
5. Add the salt, black pepper, basil, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, garlic powder and onion powder to the tomatoes in the pot. Stir well to mix in.
6. Allow the tomatoes to come to a simmering boil. Add the cream. Stir it through the tomato mixture. The tomato mixture color will lighten up.
7. Add the cubes or chunks of the stale sourdough to the soup. Let the soup simmer while the bread softens. The bread will case the soup to thicken, so if you want a thinner soup, add more water. Once the bread is soft, the soup is ready.
8. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with the grated cheese of your choice. The cheese really adds flavor to the soup.

Notes:

I made this soup with ingredients I had on hand. I liked the chunky texture of the diced tomatoes and bread against the creamy texture of the crushed tomatoes and cream.

Half and half could work instead of heavy cream, but I wouldn’t recommend going any lighter.

To make this vegan, you could use coconut cream and vegan cheese. You could also leave out the cream and cheese and just have a tomato soup.