My grandmother was the by-product of the Great Depression and as such, her ability to use everything in her kitchen became a way of life for her that never ceased until she took her last breath. She could de-bone a chicken without leaving a single morsel of meat on the bones and she found ways to use left overs in extremely creative ways.

Rather than throw away the heels from her loaves of homemade bread, my grandmother would dry them out on her stove top over night, and then save them in a plastic bin in her cabinet  until she had enough to make one of my all-time favorite soups of hers–Bread Crumb Soup.

So simple, comforting and satisfying, it’s a soup I make throughout the winter and into the early spring because it’s very easy to make and costs practically nothing, especially if you are using your own chicken stock.  My mom always said it’s what our family lived on after Christmas so she could save up for all of our birthdays during the year (I am the youngest of five).

The name of this soup in of itself bespeaks the ingredients: breadcrumbs that have been ground with freshly grated Parmesan cheese to a fine powder, held together with a few farm fresh eggs.
Keep reading for Karen’s Gluten-Free Breadcrumb Soup recipe