I'm Making Jamie Oliver’s 20-Minute Italian Soup All Winter

Growing up, one of my favorite folktales was Stone Soup, the classic story about a community who had to rally together, albeit reluctantly, to feed a group of hungry travelers. While they didn’t want to share their goods at first, the travelers convinced them they could make soup out of a few stones as long as everyone contributed a bit of what they had. Like magic, villagers started to offer vegetables, meat and even spices until the soup was perfect. Whenever I make a big pot of soup, I visualize the story. A few carrots here, a bit of onion here, a few scraps of meat there, and you’ve transformed a few humble ingredients into something warm and nourishing. 

These days, most recipes for soup include ingredients lists that are much longer than ‘three round stones,' but Pappa al Pomodoro Soup is one of those classic recipes that seems to magically come together with just a handful of meager ingredients, as if it came straight from the pages of a book of fables. 

This classic Italian soup hails from Tuscany and is a staple of cucina povera or ‘poor kitchen’, a style of cooking born out of necessity where every last bit of scrap was used. In the example of Pappa al Pomodoro, stale bread, tomatoes, and just a few other ingredients transform from scraps into a thick, nourishing, flavorful soup.

How to Make Jamie Oliver’s Pappa Al Pomodoro

While there are many different recipes available for this classic dish, one of my favorites is from Jamie Oliver. It takes all of 21 minutes from start to finish, but has a flavor like it’s been simmered all day. Oliver’s Pappa al Pomodoro Soup is authentic, and while there aren’t any secret ingredients that set it apart from others I’ve tried, what makes it stand out is the way he builds flavor by using almost an entire bunch of basil.

The base of the soup starts out with a drizzle of olive oil and lots of minced garlic. Just when the garlic starts to smell fragrant, you add almost a full bunch of fresh basil leaves which infuses the oil, and ultimately the soup, with a bright, vibrant, herbal flavor. 

After just a few moments of cooking (enough time to allow the basil to bloom in the oil), you add canned tomatoes. I usually use one (28-ounce) can of whole peeled tomatoes, followed by a full can of water. I like to use a potato masher to break down the tomatoes.

Once the soup comes to a boil, reduce it to a simmer, then add stale bread and cook it for about five minutes, or until the bread softens and sort of melts into the soup. Usually I just use bits of stale sourdough I have hanging around, but this will work with any style of bread as long as it’s fairly dried out. Stale bread really soaks up all of the flavors of the soup and give it a stew-like texture.

The soup is finished with a flurry of grated Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil. This is such a comforting and quick dish to make for a work-from-home lunch, or it makes a great weeknight dinner when paired with a crunchy salad. 

While you’ll unfortunately need more than just a few stones to make this soup, the ingredient list is very short, and are things I usually have on hand. If I’m feeling fancy, I’ll even simmer a parmesan rind in with the water and tomatoes for a little extra umami flavor.