Hearty Sourdough Soup Bowl

Prep time: 10 min              Cook Time: 20       Serves: 2-3 If you’re someone who likes a side of toasted bread along with your soup, this recipe will hit home. Imagine that bite of chunky bread, dipped into goodness, and how it just melts in your mouth. Now imagine that for every bite of the meal. Yes, we’re turning a day-old bread into the star ingredient for this Hearty Sourdough Soup Bowl. French onion soups feature a cheesy toast dunked right in, most Mediterranean soup dishes use bread as a thickening agent to add volume and keep more mouths fed. With this simple hack that’s been around, you can turn a simple bowl of broth to a hearty & wholesome meal. Let’s dive right in so you can cozy up with this super soon!   Ingredients

• Sourdough bread (100 gms / ¼ a loaf 

• Tomatoes (country) -  4 medium, diced 

• Potatoes - 1 large, diced 

• Corn - shelled kernels, 1 cup 

• Onion - 1 large, diced 

• Garlic pods - 5-6 peeled 

• Butter - 3-4 cubes

• Chili Flakes 

• Pepper  

• Basil + Oregano / multi-herb mix 

• Rosemary 

• Olive oil - 6-7 tbsp

• Salt - to taste (optional)
  

Method for Hearty Sourdough Soup Bowl 

1. In a large casserole, add olive oil and saute gently. Crush garlic pods and toss them into the mix. Once softened, add diced tomatoes and cook over low flame till the tomatoes are cooked to a mash
   

2. Add diced potatoes, corn, salt and some crushed pepper. Cook with a closed lid on medium flame for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check for salt and spice, it should taste concentrated
   

3. Add 3 cups of water to the mix in the casserole and bring to a boil. Reduce the flame to medium and let it simmer for 10 minutes. The soup will be watery, but with the starchy veggies and reduction the flavors will come together to form a thin yet flavorful soup

   
   

4. While the soup base is getting reduced, you can prep the bread chunks. Cut them into big chunks, grate some garlic, drizzle olive oil, and season with a pinch of salt. Dry roast them in a shallow, wide pan till the edges are crispy and brown
   

5. Stir the stock and make sure the potatoes are cooked. Then, add all the herbs and chili flakes and adjust salt as per need. Keep all the flavors slightly subdued so the sourdough can hero prominently. Simmer again for 5 minutes 
   

6. Check in on your soup, watch the level of water that has reduced. When it comes down to half of what you started with, toss in the roasted bread and switch off the flame. Cover the casserole with a lid and serve after two minutes of cooling down 

Serve in a shallow soup bowl or a pasta paste so that the bread chunks don’t get too soggy and you can scoop out bites easily. Pair with a salad on the sweeter side to balance the tangy flavor of this Hearty Sourdough Soup Bowl and bon appetit! Note: I prefer using sourdough bread as it soaks up the stock and renders a wonderful tangy taste to the dish. Alternatively you can use a baguette but avoid milk breads, focaccia, and wholegrains as these might not soak up the stock that well / change the flavor.