Everyone loves fresh bread, but what do you do when you have come to the end of a loaf and it is going a bit stale? Recycle it into a lovely, easy a quick soup! Making bread soup is a very old idea back in the days where every calorie counted. Now, with money getting tighter, it might be a good idea to check out a new way of dealing with leftovers.
Makes 6 cups, about 4 servings.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 c. cubed bread, about 150 grams
- 1 small parsnip (3/4 c. chopped fine) (optional)
- 1 small carrot (3/4 c. chopped fine)
- 1/2 leek (3/4 c. chopped fine)
- 2 T. butter
- 4 c. broth or mixture of broth and water
- 2 stalks of celery, sliced
- 1/2 c. cream
- 1 tsp. salt, or to taste
- Freshly ground pepper
- Chopped parsley for garnish (optional)
Preparation:
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in 3 quart sauce pan.
Cut bread into 1/2 inch cubes to equal 2 cups. Brown bread cubes in 1 tablespoon butter. Remove from pan.
Add the second tablespoon of butter and brown the parsnip, carrot and leek in it. You may substitute vegetables for those on hand.
Add bread back in plus celery and broth. Cover pan and cook 5 minutes. (Broth recipe here)
Add cream and simmer 20 minutes or more. Salt and pepper to taste and garnish with parsley.
Notes
I used this homemade bread recipe to make the bread that went into the soup.
You may cut the calories by using cooking spray instead of butter, but if you want to use milk instead of cream, do not boil the soup after adding the milk or it will curdle. You may use a milk and flour paste to add a little body to the soup at the end. I find, with the bread thickening the soup, that it is not necessary.
This soup gets better as it stands and is just as good the next day.
