Rich and hearty, Ribollita is an iconic Tuscan soup that has been enjoyed for centuries. A delicious combination of vegetables and beans, this thick, stew-like dish is a staple of the region’s humble but flavorful cuisine. Perfect as a main course or for soaking up with some freshly-baked bread, the simple ingredients of Ribollita make for a truly satisfying meal.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- Bread as a garnish: Traditionally stale day-old bread is added directly to ribollita soup. And as the stale bread cooks in the soup, it soaks up the liquid causing it to both soften and break down. However, to be completely honest I’m not the biggest fan of this method. Because if you leave the bread in there too long (like overnight for leftovers) It just ends up turning into mush. So instead I prefer to add chunks of fresh bread as a garnish. And that way the bread can still soak up the broth and soften. While still having a slight crunch which results in a much more interesting texture.
- Puree half the beans for a creamy soup: Do you want a thick and creamy soup? Then I highly recommend that you puree half of the beans in a food processor before adding them. And they don’t need to be completely broken down into a paste. Because as they cook they’ll continue to break down. which will thicken the broth resulting in a smooth and velvety texture.
- Additional vegetables: One thing I love about this soup is the fact that you can easily add any vegetable to your liking. Some of my favorites include bell peppers, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and even zucchini. Just add them to the soup at the same time you add the beans and potatoes, and let them cook in the soup until tender.
- Make this soup vegan friendly by swapping out the chicken stock with either vegetable stock or water.
- Parmesan rind: Are you planning on garnishing this ribollita soup with some freshly grated parmesan? Then I highly recommend that you cut off the rind and add it to the soup as it cooks. Trust me it’s a little Italian secret that adds an amazing amount of flavor to the broth. Just make sure that you remove it with the bay leaf and thyme springs at the end of cooking. That way it doesn’t end up in someone’s soup bowl, lol.
- Brighten it up: While it’s not traditional, I sometimes like to add a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten up this soup. And you can either add the juice of a whole lemon to the entire soup itself at the end of cooking. Or squeeze a wedge into each individual bowl of soup.
Other Soup Recipes You Might Enjoy
Ribollita (Tuscan Bean & Kale Soup) Recipe
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients
¼ Cup of extra virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
1 Large onion, diced
1 Large carrot, peeled and chopped
2 Celery sticks, diced
6 Cloves of garlic, minced
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
28oz. Can of whole tomatoes, squeezed by hand
1 Cup of dry white wine
6 Cups of chicken stock, vegetable stock, or water
2 15oz. Cans of cannellini beans, washed & drained
1 Russet potato, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
1 Bay leaf
2 Sprigs of thyme, can also use ½ teaspoon of dry thyme leaves
1 Bunch of Tuscan kale, center ribs removed and leaves roughly chopped
3 Savoy cabbage leaves, roughly chopped
Salt & pepper to taste
Optional Garnish:
1 Large loaf of crusty bread, ripped into bit-sized chunks
Grated parmesan
Instructions
- Saute onion, carrot, and celery: Add the ¼ cup of olive oil to a large heavy bottom pot and place it over medium high heat. Once hot toss in the onion, carrot, and celery. Saute these vegetables for 5 minutes or until the onion softens and turns translucent. Then add the garlic and red pepper and continue to saute everything for another minute.
- Add tomatoes: Pour the crushed tomatoes into the pot and give everything a good stir. Let this come to a simmer and let it cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the white wine: Pour in the dry white wine and stir it into the tomato and vegetable mixture. Let this come to a simmer once again and continue to cook everything for another 5 minutes.
- Bring the soup together: Pour the stock or water into the pot. Then add the beans, potato, bay leaf, and thyme along with a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Give everything a good stir and let the liquid come to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid, and reduce the heat to low so that the liquid is at a simmer. Let the soup simmer for 30 to 40 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Remove bay leaf and thyme springs from the soup.
- Add the leafy greens: Add the kale and cabbage to the soup, and stir to mix everything together. Let the soup simmer for another 15 minutes or until these two ingredients have wilted.
- Taste the soup and add additional salt and pepper to your liking.
- Serve the ribollita in bowls and garnish with pieces of bread, a drizzle of olive oil, and shredded parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Ribollita (Tuscan Bean & Kale Soup) Recipe
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- ¼ Cup of extra virgin olive oil plus more for finishing
- 1 Large onion diced
- 1 Large carrot peeled and chopped
- 2 Celery sticks diced
- 6 Cloves of garlic minced
- Pinch of red pepper flakes optional
- 28 oz. Can of whole tomatoes squeezed by hand
- 1 Cup of dry white wine
- 6 Cups of chicken stock vegetable stock, or water
- 2 15 oz. Cans of cannellini beans washed & drained
- 1 Russet potato peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
- 1 Bay leaf
- 2 Sprigs of thyme can also use ½ teaspoon of dry thyme leaves
- 1 Bunch of Tuscan kale center ribs removed and leaves roughly chopped
- 3 Savoy cabbage leaves roughly chopped
- Salt & pepper to taste
Optional Garnish:
- 1 Large loaf of crusty bread ripped into bit-sized chunks
- Grated parmesan
Instructions
- Saute onion, carrot, and celery: Add the ¼ cup of olive oil to a large heavy bottom pot and place it over medium high heat. Once hot toss in the onion, carrot, and celery. Saute these vegetables for 5 minutes or until the onion softens and turns translucent. Then add the garlic and red pepper and continue to saute everything for another minute.
- Add tomatoes: Pour the crushed tomatoes into the pot and give everything a good stir. Let this come to a simmer and let it cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the white wine: Pour in the dry white wine and stir it into the tomato and vegetable mixture. Let this come to a simmer once again and continue to cook everything for another 5 minutes.
- Bring the soup together: Pour the stock or water into the pot. Then add the beans, potato, bay leaf, and thyme along with a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Give everything a good stir and let the liquid come to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid, and reduce the heat to low so that the liquid is at a simmer. Let the soup simmer for 30 to 40 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Remove bay leaf and thyme springs from the soup.
- Add the leafy greens: Add the kale and cabbage to the soup, and stir to mix everything together. Let the soup simmer for another 15 minutes or until these two ingredients have wilted.
- Taste the soup and add additional salt and pepper to your liking.
- Serve the ribollita in bowls and garnish with pieces of bread, a drizzle of olive oil, and shredded parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
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