Tomato Soup with Parmesan Cheese and Croutons

There are certain easy, delicious dishes that are the building blocks of a confident home cook. You make them again and again, they turn out perfectly each time, and they give you the self-assurance to try new and more challenging dishes. This soup is just such a dish. You can serve it to friends and family, but it’s also a wonderful meal to make for yourself: Pour it into a beautiful bowl and the bright red broth, sprinkled with basil and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, gives you that great farm-to-table feeling, even though the main ingredient came out of a can.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped, juice reserved
• 3 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• 1/2 loaf Italian bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (3 cups)
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over moderately high heat.
2. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the tomatoes and reserved juice and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
4. Add the stock, bread, water, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to the saucepan and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the bread has absorbed the liquid and the soup is thick, about 20 minutes. If the soup feels too dense as it’s cooking, add another cup of water.
5. Stir in the basil, and add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Ladle the soup into bowls, and top each bowl with about 1 tablespoon grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

TIP:

• Supermarket Italian bread works just fine for this recipe.