Ways to use your leftover bread

Did you know that bread is one of the most wasted food items in the UK? In fact, approximately 900,000 tonnes of bread are wasted in the UK each year. Not only is this a crime considering 1 in 4 people cannot access or afford good food, but food waste is also a major contributor to climate change due to emissions from decomposing food in landfills.

While systemic change and redistribution solutions like City Harvest are needed to combat food waste at scale, we can all do our bit to reduce food waste at home. Using leftovers or stale food items to create new and tasty dishes is a great way to prevent food waste at home. This particular leftover bread recipe is inspired by the Tuscan bread soup, ‘Pappa al Pomodoro’ which is often served thick and hearty. 

The word ‘pappa’ is commonly used to mean ‘baby food’ or ‘puree’, nodding to this dishes soft and unchallenging texture once the bread has softened in the tomato sauce! 

Here’s our take on a pappa al pomodoro using as little as 4 main ingredients!

Pappa al Pomodoro

Ingredients (makes 2-4 servings)

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 350 g baby plum tomatoes (halved), or larger tomatoes (quartered)
• 200 ml passata 
• 100 ml room temperature water
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• Leftover bread (about 2-4 slices)
• 1 handful fresh basil, roughly chopped or torn
• 1 tsp sea salt (or more to taste)
• extra virgin olive oil, grated parmesan and freshly cracked black pepper to serve

Method

1. Heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a medium-large frying pan.
2. Once warm, add your finely sliced onion to the oil and gently simmer on a medium heat until the onions are translucent and beginning to caramelise.
3. Add half of your salt to the onions and continue to stir to prevent burning.
4. Add your halved or quartered fresh tomatoes to the onion in the pan. Cook these gently until they start to blister and break down.
5. Add your passata to the tomatoes and onions once the vegetables break down and begin to resemble a sauce. Stir to prevent burning.
6. As the sauce starts to reduce, add a little water to thin out the mixture.
7. Grab your leftover or hardened bread and add it to the top of the sauce in the frying pan, breaking it into smaller bits to cover the entire base.
8. Allow the sauce to gently simmer underneath and soften the stale bread. If you have a lid for your pan, add this now to allow the sauce to steam and soften the bread thoroughly.
9. Once the bread has broken down, add any additional liquid or salt so the finished result is a stodgy, lumpy stew (this one tastes a LOT better than it looks!)
10. Tear up fresh basil and stir it into the stew at the last minute.
11. Serve the stew warm (or save and have it cold – however you prefer it), and garnish it with freshly grated parmesan cheese (or vegan alternative), black pepper and an extra splash of extra virgin olive oil.