Oven-baked bread soup with mushrooms and cheese

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 350 g mixed mushrooms, also frozen possible
• 2 onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 liter vegetable broth
• 300 g farmer’s bread or country bread
• 100 g cheese, e.g. Parmesan, Pecorino or vegan alternative
• some olive oil for drizzling
• 2 tbsp oil for frying
• n. B. Pepper, freshly ground
• 2 tbsp thyme leaves, fresh

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

vegetarian or vegan possible

Clean fresh mushrooms, roughly chop the stems, and slice the heads. Lightly chop frozen mushrooms; do not thaw. Dice the onions. Peel and chop the garlic. Adjust the amount according to your taste and the size of the cloves. Tear the bread (preferably stale, but not hard) into pieces. Cut the crust into smaller pieces, and the inside into larger pieces. Grate the cheese. Tear the thyme leaves from the stems. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a sufficiently large, ovenproof pot and sauté the onions, thyme leaves, and garlic for about 5 minutes (add the garlic at the end and be careful not to burn it). Add the mushrooms and fry briefly. Season generously with pepper. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Add the soft bread pieces and about half of the cheese, and stir in. Spread the bread crust and the remaining cheese on top. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C (350°F) for about 30 minutes. Notes: With the specified amount of bread, the soup will be thick and mushy. If you don’t like that, add a little more broth. Parmesan or pecorino and broth add a good amount of flavor and salt, so I didn’t add any extra salt.