Acquacotta
Maremma vegetable, bread & egg soup
Slow-cooked onions, celery and tomatoes make a savory broth, served over toasted bread with an egg and grated pecorino.
A mixed-vegetable serving, with bread alongsideVegetables and bread,
a Maremma bowl.
Acquacotta is a vegetable-and-bread soup associated with the Maremma of southern Tuscany. Onions soften into a sweet base, celery adds fragrance, and tomatoes color the broth. Toasted bread underneath catches the liquid, making each bowl substantial without a thick purée.
Preparations vary across the area and with the vegetables available. The home version below centers on onions, celery and tomatoes, with an egg cooked in the soup and pecorino scattered over the bread. It is a first course to eat with a spoon, while the bread is softened but still has some texture.
Explore by food: Bread, pizza & street food · Soups · Vegetables & cheese
Let’s make acquacotta.
An onion, celery and tomato version for four bowls. The photo includes additional vegetables and bread alongside; this recipe serves the soup over bread with cooked eggs.
Four substantial first-course bowls, each with one egg and two small bread slices.
What you’ll need
- 600 gred onions, thinly sliced
- 200 gcelery, thinly sliced
- 800 gcanned peeled tomatoes, crushed
- 45 mlextra-virgin olive oil
- 1.2 lwater, plus up to 300 ml more if needed
- 8basil leaves, torn
- 4 largeeggs
- 240 gstale rustic bread, cut into 8 slices
- 40 gPecorino Toscano, grated
- to tastefine salt and black pepper
The 155-minute cooking allowance includes the slow onion base, two-hour simmer and eggs. Toasting happens during the final simmer. This is one Maremma preparation, rather than a fixed list for every acquacotta.
How to make it
- 01
Soften the vegetables
Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add onions and a little salt; cook for 20 minutes, stirring, until collapsed and lightly golden. Add celery and cook for 5 minutes.
- 02
Build the soup
Add tomatoes, basil and 1.2 l water. Bring to a simmer, then cook partly covered over low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add some of the extra water if it becomes too thick; aim for tender vegetables in enough broth to soak the bread. Season to taste.
- 03
Toast and cook the eggs
During the final 10 minutes, toast the bread in a dry skillet, turning until crisp. Divide bread and pecorino among four bowls. Make four shallow spaces in the simmering soup, crack an egg into each, cover and cook for 6–9 minutes until whites and yolks are firm; allow longer if needed.
- 04
Fill the bowls
Lift one egg carefully into each bowl, then ladle soup around it. Serve at once so the bread absorbs broth without disappearing completely.
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