Pappa al Pomodoro

It's no secret I L-O-V-E love soup! It just makes you all warm and cozy and goes amazingly with bread (I L-O-V-E bread very much too!). This soup is a triple threat, it's yummy, super easy to make and it has bread IN it! It comes from Rachel Ray's Express Lane Meals cookbook and I usually have most of the ingredients on hand so a quick soup is always a possibility.

Ingredients

• 1 loaf of chewy bread, such as ciabatta
• 1/2 EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 spring fresh rosemary
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 small onion
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup fresh basil, about 20 leaves
• salt and pepper
• Freshly shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano or grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Chop about 2 cups (a couple of mounds) of the bread and reserve the rest to pass at the table.

Heat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup of the EVOO, 4 times around the pan, then add the sprig of rosemary and the garlic. Peel and halve the onion and, using a box grater or other handheld grater, grate the onion directly into the soup pot. Saute the mixture for 5 minutes, then remove the rosemary stem. Add the chicken stock and the tomatoes and bring to a bubble. Add the bread chunks and stir until the bread has melted into the soup; the result is a soup-er thick consistency. Tear or shred the basil and stir it into the soup. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste and ladle the soup into bowls. Top it with and extra swirl of EVOO, 1 tablespoon per bowl, and lots of shaved Parm or grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

That's it! You'll have a delicious meal on the table in no time!

Enjoy!