2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
19 ounces crushed tomatoes
15 ounces canned cannellini beans
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 stale baguette, torn (about 3 cups torn bread)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup fresh basil, torn (optional)
salt and pepper

1. Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Reserve a tablespoon of onion for garnish and sauté the garlic and onions until soft.
2. Add the tomatoes and stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, add the beans and bread and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Remove from heat, stir in the basil, if using, and allow to cool slightly.
4. Ladle into bowls and top with parmesan, onion and a light drizzle of olive oil.

Makes 4 servings

Italy, you've done it again. I've heard people talk about Italian Bread Soup before and I've always thought, "How could that be good?" What was I thinking? This is the greatest soup ever! I'll never make my old Tomato Soup recipe again. The parmesan and bread take place of a Grilled Cheese Sandwich and you'll never need a single cracker, if that's your thing. It's thick, it's delicious and it only took me maybe 15 minutes to make. Now the world is just begging me to try this whole "bread salad" thing I've heard about.

What other wonderful things can I say about this soup? It made use of a baguette that's just been sitting half eaten on my counter all week and had dried out to nothing. The torn crust pieces were the best part because it still had a bit of chew to it in the soup. I imagine that would have softened by the time it was to eat leftovers though. If you can somehow get hold of a bunch of baguette end crusts, perhaps by eating a bunch of baguette middles, then I recommend using that. It's also healthy! Tomatoes, garlic, onions and beans are super nutritious. Alright, I'm off to have seconds.