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Bread and Tomato Soup with Poached Eggs (Acquacotta)
In Colle di Val D’Elsa, cookbook author Giulia Scarpaleggia prepared this classic Tuscan soup for us. It is called acquacotta, or “cooked water,” because the thrifty dish originally was made with little more than day-old bread, vegetables and hot water, with eggs poached directly in the mix. Scarpaleggia’s soup was rustic and comforting, yet fresh and light. In our adaptation, we rub the warm toasted bread with a garlic clove before tearing the slices into pieces and placing them in each serving bowl. While we like runny yolks, feel free to let the eggs cook for 8 to 10 minutes for a firmer set.
4
Servings
Tip
Don’t allow the soup to boil when poaching the eggs. Maintaining a gentle simmer prevents the eggs from overcooking and ensures that the whites don’t separate from the yolks.
1½ hours
45 minutes active
Ingredients
-
¼
cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing and to serve
-
1
medium red onion, finely chopped
Directions
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01In a large saucepan over medium, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion, celery, pepper flakes and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes with juices, 4 cups water, the Parmesan rind (if using), 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, then reduce to medium-low and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until darkened and slightly thickened, about 1 hour.
Reviews
January 30, 2025
Aquacotta
Easy, from the pantry ingredients for breakfast, lunch or supper. We added browned Italian sausage the second time we made it. Very versatile recipe. Love it.
March 4, 2025
Easy, tasty lunch or dinner.
Really delicious soup made with ingredients on hand. Also a great use of some dried out bread. Looking forward to making this again and again.
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