Description
Ribollita is a traditional Tuscan bread and vegetable soup made by slow-cooking a medley of beans, leafy greens, and root vegetables, combined with stale bread to create a hearty, comforting dish full of rustic Italian flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Beans
- 1 can Cannellini beans
Vegetables
- 1 cup Carrot, chopped
- 1 cup Celery, chopped
- 1 Red Onion, chopped
- 1 cup Frozen Spinach, thawed
- 4–5 large leaves Savoy Cabbage, thick stem removed and leaves chopped roughly
- 1 Cavolo Nero (Lacinato Kale), thick stem removed and leaves chopped roughly
- 3 small Potatoes, chopped
- 1 clove Garlic
Seasonings & Others
- 1 tsp Thyme
- 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
- ½ loaf stale Bread (preferably crusty Tuscan bread)
- Salt, to taste
- Black Pepper, to taste
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, for sautéing and drizzling
Instructions
- Prepare the Vegetables: Clean and chop the carrots, celery, onion, and potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Thaw the frozen spinach. Remove the thick central stems from the Savoy cabbage leaves and cavolo nero kale, then chop the leaves roughly.
- Blend Beans: Set aside ½ cup of the cannellini beans from the can. Blend the remaining beans together with their cooking liquid until smooth to create a creamy bean base.
- Sauté Aromatics: In a large pot, drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil and sauté the chopped onion over medium heat for a couple of minutes until translucent. Add the tomato paste and cook for another minute to deepen the flavor.
- Add Beans: Pour in the blended bean cream and the reserved whole beans. Stir to combine evenly.
- Add Vegetables and Seasonings: Add all the chopped vegetables (carrot, celery, potatoes, spinach, Savoy cabbage, cavolo nero). Season with salt, black pepper, and thyme then stir well.
- Simmer the Soup: Add enough water to barely cover the vegetables. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook gently for about 2 hours. Check occasionally and add additional water if the soup becomes too dry or thick.
- Prepare the Bread: Halfway through cooking, rub the garlic clove over slices of stale bread, chop into large chunks, and add them directly to the pot. Stir gently to let the bread soak up the flavors and thicken the soup.
- Serve: Ladle the ribollita into bowls and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil on top before serving. Enjoy warm.
Notes
- Using stale bread is traditional as it soaks up the soup better without disintegrating immediately.
- You can substitute Cavolo Nero or Savoy cabbage with other hearty leafy greens if unavailable.
- Leftovers taste even better the next day as the flavors meld further.
- Adjust water quantity during simmering to achieve your preferred soup thickness.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Tuscan, Italian
Keywords: Ribollita, Tuscan soup, bread soup, vegetable stew, Italian recipe, cannellini beans, kale soup
