making the best out of stale bread

Yesterday, I bought a lovely baguette at Southern Season...which we never ate. And I forgot to pack up to prevent it from getting stale. So I woke up this morning to find a loaf of bread beginning to go stale at the ends. I remembered making a tomato bread soup a few years back, and promptly scoured the internet for recipes and my pantry, fridge, and freezer for ingredients. I mixed and matched and came up with the following, recipe, which was rather tasty. The only negative is that there is very little protein in this soup. I'd recommend eating it with an open-faced sandwich. The ingredients might sound a little odd, but its what I had on hand, and came out delicious. I'll have some nice lunches this week, and I think it will freeze well too.

Tomato-Bread Soup- makes 8 lunch portions at 3 points plus each

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups chopped onions (I used a combination of yellow & red that I had leftover)

2 garlic cloves, chopped

4 cups chicken stock or broth (I used frozen turkey stock)

2 tbsp tomato paste

3 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes in their own juices (I used 1 plus a large 28 oz can)

2 tbsp jarred pesto (could substitute chopped fresh basil; will also decrease points value, and might make you want to add more garlic or parmasean)

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

4.5 oz stale bread, cubed (could also use fresh)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large dutch oven. Add onions, and stir till coated. After about a minute, add chopped garlic and cook till softened. Add chicken stock, bring to a boil. Add the tomato paste, and stir till incorporated. Add tomatoes, pesto, vinegar, red pepper flakes, and some fresh black pepper (DON'T ADD SALT YET!). Stir and bring to a boil. Add bread, stir, and bring to a boil. Bring temperature down to a simmer, and cover for 20 minutes. Soup should look mushy and gluey at this point. Add cheese and parsley and taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper as needed. Serve and enjoy!