QiMeal
Acquacotta
Acquacotta · ready in 1 h 8 min · 4 servings · 362 kcal per serving · easy · 10 ingredients
Acquacotta is the Maremma shepherd soup of cooked water, where onion, celery, tomato, bread, and egg become rustic comfort.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 58 min
- Total
- 1 h 8 min
- Serves
- 4
- kcal
- 362
- Difficulty
- easy
Ingredients · 4 servings
- 3 tbspOlive oil
- 300 gOnion, thinly sliced
- 160 gCelery, thinly sliced
- 2 cloveGarlic, thinly sliced
- 600 gTomato, chopped
- 1000 mlWater
- 4 sliceStale bread, thickly sliced
- 4Egg
- ¾ tspSalt
- 1 tspBlack pepper, freshly ground
Equipment
stovetop, knife, cutting board, measuring spoon, wide pot, ladle, small cup, serving bowl, wooden spoon, lid, spoon
Instructions
- Prepare Ingredients
Gather the onion, celery, garlic, tomato, bread, eggs, oil, water, salt, pepper, a pot, knife, board, ladle, and 4 bowls. · 10 min
What to look for: All ingredients are measured, sliced, and ready beside the pot.
- Heat Oil
Heat the olive oil in a wide pot over medium heat until it shimmers, then add the sliced onion, celery, and garlic. · 2 min
What to look for: The oil looks glossy and moves easily across the pot base.
- Sweat Vegetables
Cook the vegetables gently, stirring often, until the onion turns translucent and the celery softens without browning. · 12 min
What to look for: The onion is glossy and pale, and the celery bends easily.
- Build Tomato Base
Add the chopped tomato, salt, and black pepper, then cook until the tomato breaks down and the juices look glossy. · 10 min
What to look for: The tomato has collapsed into a loose sauce with visible oil sheen.
- Simmer Soup
Pour in the water, scrape the pot base, and simmer uncovered until the broth tastes sweet and the vegetables are tender. · 20 min
What to look for: The broth bubbles gently and turns orange red with soft vegetables.
- Slide Eggs
Crack 1 egg into a small cup, slide it into the simmering soup, and repeat with the remaining eggs, spacing them apart. · 6 min
What to look for: The eggs sit in separate pockets and the whites begin turning opaque.
- Finish Poaching
Cover the pot and cook gently until the egg whites are set and the yolks are still soft, about 4 minutes. · 4 min
What to look for: The whites are firm and the yolks still look rounded under a thin film.
- Soften Bread
Place 1 slice of stale bread in each warmed bowl and ladle hot soup around it to soften the crumb. · 2 min
What to look for: The bread absorbs broth at the edges while keeping a rustic center.
- Serve Hot
Serve each bowl with 1 poached egg on top, a spoonful of broth over the bread, and black pepper at the table. · 2 min
What to look for: Each bowl has soft bread, vegetable broth, and a whole poached egg on top.
Nutrition (per serving)
| kcal | 362 |
|---|---|
| Protein | 13 g |
| Carbohydrates | 40 g |
| of which sugars | 11 g |
| Fat | 17 g |
| of which saturated | 3 g |
| Fibre | 5 g |
| Sodium | 753 mg |
Nutri-ScoreA
Allergens
Contains: gluten, eggs
Storage and reheating
- Fridge: up to 2 days
- Freezer: not recommended
- Warm gently on the stovetop until steaming and the eggs reach 74°C / 165°F, adding water if the bread has thickened the soup.
Ingredient substitutions
Olive oil
- Butter: Less traditional for this Tuscan soup, but it can cook the vegetables gently.
Onion
- Garlic: Use only when onion is unavailable, since onion is central to the soup.
Celery
- Onion: Keeps the soup sweet and rustic, but loses the celery aroma.
Garlic
- Onion: Adds sweetness instead of sharp garlic aroma.
Tomato
- Water: Creates a paler, older style soup with much less acidity and sweetness.
Water
- Tomato: Use chopped tomato to make a thicker and more acidic soup base.
