Description
Creamy garlic bread soup transports home cooks through Italian culinary traditions with rich, comforting flavors. Crusty bread, roasted garlic, and smooth cream combine into a hearty meal you’ll savor from first spoonful to last.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups (960 ml) vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 whole head of garlic
- 2 cups stale bread, cubed (French bread or sourdough)
- 4 tbsps (56 g) unsalted butter
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream (or half & half)
- ½ cup (50 g) grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 2 tbsps fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Roast Garlic: Slice off garlic bulb’s crown, drizzle with olive oil, wrap entirely in aluminum foil, and roast in preheated oven at 400F (200C) for 35 minutes until cloves become golden and softened.
- Sauté Foundation: Melt butter in large pot, add diced onions, and cook until translucent and fragrant, creating a flavor-rich base for the soup.
- Combine Ingredients: Squeeze roasted garlic cloves into pot, then incorporate vegetable broth, bread cubes, peppercorns, kosher salt, and thyme leaves, allowing components to simmer and integrate for 15 minutes while occasionally stirring.
- Blend Texture: Use immersion blender or standard blender to transform soup into smooth, creamy consistency, ensuring no substantial bread chunks remain and creating a velvety liquid.
- Finish and Enhance: Fold in heavy cream and Parmesan cheese, stirring continuously over gentle heat for 5 minutes to marry dairy elements and develop rich, complex flavor profile.
- Serve and Garnish: Ladle soup into serving bowls, sprinkle with fresh parsley, and accompany with crisp toasted bread slices for a luxurious and comforting culinary experience.
Notes
- Roast Garlic Perfectly: Choose fresh, plump garlic bulbs and ensure even roasting by fully wrapping in foil, preventing direct heat exposure that might burn delicate cloves.
- Prevent Bread Burning: Stir soup consistently while simmering to avoid bread pieces sticking and scorching at the pot’s bottom, maintaining smooth texture and preventing bitter flavors.
- Achieve Silky Consistency: Use immersion blender in pulsing motion for smoother results, removing all bread chunks and creating luxurious, creamy soup texture without lumps or uneven blending.
- Dairy Incorporation Technique: Add cream and Parmesan gradually while maintaining low heat, stirring continuously to prevent separation and ensure seamless integration of dairy components for rich, velvety finish.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 354
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 706 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 62 mg