Baked Tuscan Vegetable And Bread Soup Recipes

TUSCAN VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• In a small bowl mash half of the beans with a masher or the back of a spoon, and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, garlic, thyme, sage, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add the broth and tomatoes with the juice and bring to a boil. Add the mashed and whole beans and the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes more.
• Serve topped with Parmesan, if desired.

TUSCAN VEGETABLE SOUP (ACQUACOTTA)

Steps:

• Place the toasted bread in two soup bowls.
• Place the onion and celery in a 3-quart, heavy-bottomed, nonreactive pot. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and stir to coat. Cook over a medium-low heat, or until the onion is translucent but not brown. Add Swiss chard (or porcinis, if using) and stir briefly to wilt. Add hot pepper, tomatoes, and simmering water. Season lightly with salt and cook over a low heat (barely a simmer) for 20 minutes, until vegetables are very soft.
• As vegetables are cooking, bring about an inch of water and a half teaspoon of salt to a boil in a deep skillet. At the end of the vegetables' cooking time, turn the skillet heat down to a gentle simmer. Add the parsley to the soup.
• Break the eggs into a small bowl, one at a time, and slide them into the simmering water. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the whites are set, but the yellow is still runny. When done, use a large slotted spoon to place one egg on each toast slice in bowls. Ladle broth and vegetables over each egg and top with a generous sprinkling of the cheese.

TUSCAN BREAD SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread bread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until pieces are dry, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and set aside.
• In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste; cook, stirring, 1 minute.
• Add cabbage, broth, 2 cups water, and toasted bread. Simmer over medium heat until soup is thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in parsley.

VEGAN TUSCAN BREAD SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add spinach, onion, and celery. Cover and cook, stirring a few times, until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add broth, dark red kidney beans, cannellini beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic powder, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Heat to a boil, about 30 minutes. Boil for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Place a slice of bread in the bottom of a bowl. Ladle soup on top. Repeat with remaining bread.

TUSCAN BREAD SOUP

Steps:

• Toast the bread lightly on both sides. Cut each slice into 4 pieces and set aside.
• Put the water in a stockpot, add the kale, carrots, celery and onion and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the garlic, potatoes and beans (with liquid) and simmer for 20 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Ladle a third of the soup, about 4 cups, into a 5-quart ovenproof casserole. Cover the soup with half of the toast squares in a single layer and drizzle with half of the olive oil. Ladle in half of the remaining soup and add the rest of the toast squares, drizzling them with the remaining olive oil. Add the rest of the soup, pressing down the toast squares to be sure they have been moistened.
• Cover the casserole and bake for 50 minutes. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

TUSCAN BREAD AND VEGETABLE SOUP (RIBOLLITA)

Steps:

• Prepare the broth, if necessary.
• Then, pour the olive oil in a large pot.
• Add the celery, carrots, garlic, onion, and herbs.
• Cook, stirring frequently over medium heat until the celery and other aromatics are tender and golden, about 20 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and cook 10 minutes.
• Stir in the beans, remaining vegetables, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the broth and water to just cover.
• Bring to a simmer.
• Cook gently, over very low heat, until the vegetables are tender, about 2 hours.
• Let cool slightly.
• When ready to serve, pour about 4 cups of the soup into a blender or food processor.
• Puree the soup, then transfer it to a pot along with the remaining soup; reheat gently.
• Choose a soup tureen or pot large enough to hold the bread and soup.
• Place a layer of bread slices on the bottom.
• Spoon on enough of the soup to cover the bread completely.
• Repeat layering until all the soup is used and the bread is soaked.
• Let stand at least 20 minutes; it should be very thick.
• Stir the soup to break up the bread.
• Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with the red onion.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

BAKED TUSCAN VEGETABLE AND BREAD SOUP

Steps:

• In large saucepan, bring chicken stock, chicken breasts and bay leaves to boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Remove chicken and discard bones; dice meat and set aside. Discard by leaves. Keep stock warm.
• Meanwhile, in large skillet, heat 2 tbsp of the oil over medium heat; cook onion, garlic, carrots and celery for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining oil, green pepper, cabbage, thyme and rosemary; cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
• Add vegetable mixture to stock in sauce pan along with tomatoes and pepper; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add spinach, parsley, zucchini, kidney beans and reserved diced chicken; cook for 5 minutes. Remove 1 cup (250 ml) of the soup and set aside.
• Ladle half of the remaining soup into 24-cup (6L) Dutch oven or casserole; cover with four of the bread slices and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Cover with remaining soup; layer with remaining bread. Drizzle reserved soup over top; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. (Recipe can be prepared to this point, cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.).
• Bake, covered in 350°F oven for 20 minutes (45 minutes if refrigerated); uncover and bake for 20 minutes longer (45 minutes if refrigerated) or until hot.
• Serve soup in large warmed bowls. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, if desired.