Name: Ribollita Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 42 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving; 1 yellow onion, finely chopped; Fine sea salt, to taste; 1 large carrot, chopped; 2 celery ribs, chopped; 1 heaping cup of seasonal vegetables (I use peeled and diced Russet potatoes. See Note 1); 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 3 cloves garlic, finely minced; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 1 teaspoon dried rosemary; A pinch of red pepper flakes; 1 bay leaf; 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes; 3 cups vegetable broth; 1 14-ounce can cannellini or navy beans, drained and rinsed; 2 cups tightly packed green kale, stems removed, leaves chopped; 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped; Freshly grated parmesan cheese, for serving; Crusty bread, for serving (Note 2 & 3)

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This Ribollita recipe is a rustic Tuscan soup that’s made with seasonal vegetables, white beans, Italian seasoning, and optional day-old bread to help thicken it up. It’s an easy, healthy, and deeply satisfying vegetarian meal to enjoy any time of the year.

Table of Contents

What is Ribollita soup?

The word “ribollita” translates to “reboiled” in Italian. This is a hearty Tuscan vegetable soup often made from leftovers. It’s traditionally made by adding beans and day-old bread to leftover soup to help thicken it up the next day.

Reboiling the soup can also help to further develop the flavors and texture. There are many different ways to make this soup. My ribollita doesn’t start with leftovers and I prefer to serve my bread on the side for dipping.

Ribollita soup ingredients

Olive oil: I like to sauté the vegetables in extra virgin olive oil, which provides this soup with good flavor.

Onion, carrot, and celery: The combination of onions, carrots, and celery is known as ‘soffritto’ in Italian, which provides the essential flavor base of this soup.

Seasonal vegetables: You can add whatever seasonal vegetables you have to this soup. I like to use peeled and diced Russet potatoes because that’s usually what I have in my pantry.

Other suggestions include, sweet potatoes, green beans, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, yellow squash, butternut squash, fennel, turnip, or acorn squash.

Alternatively, you can just add extra carrots, celery or kale if you prefer.

Tomato paste: This helps to enhance the flavor and add richness to the soup.

Garlic: This gives the soup good flavor. I recommend using fresh garlic for the best taste.

Seasoning and herbs: I use dried thyme, dried rosemary, red pepper flakes, a bay leaf, and fresh basil in this soup.

If you don’t have thyme or rosemary, you can substitute with 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning.

If you don’t have basil, you can substitute with fresh parsley instead. This helps to add a bright element to the soup.

Diced tomatoes: I use finely diced Italian tomatoes in this recipe. They are less watery than regular tomatoes and add a nice sweetness to this soup.

Vegetable broth: I like to use Better Than Boullion Seasoned Vegetable Base in this recipe. You can use any vegetable broth or chicken broth you prefer.

Cannellini beans: You can use any type of white beans in this recipe, such as white kidney beans (also known as cannellini beans), navy beans, or borlotti beans (also known as cranberry beans).

Kale: I use green curly kale since this is the easiest type of kale to find at my local grocery store. You can use lacinato kale if you prefer.

If you don’t like kale, you can substitute with Swiss chard or cabbage.

Parmesan cheese: I like to sprinkle freshly grated parmesan cheese on top of each bowl of soup before serving.

Keep this recipe vegan by leaving out the cheese or using dairy free parmesan cheese instead.

Crusty bread: I like to serve toasted bread on the side for dipping. You can cut up day-old bread into cubes and add it to the soup when you add the beans and kale to let it soften if you prefer.

The best type of bread for Ribollita is Italian bread, ciabatta, sourdough, or a loaf of French bread.

What to serve with Ribollita soup

This is a hearty soup and can easily be a filling vegetarian lunch or dinner on its own. Other items I like to serve with this soup include:

A side salad (Italian chopped salad, garden salad, Caesar salad)
Caprese salad
Roast chicken
Baked or grilled salmon
Baked sole
Chicken cacciatore
Roasted vegetables
Chicken piccata

How to make ahead and store Ribollita

This soup is one of the best soups to make ahead because it tastes better the next day. Since the soup is meant to be “reboiled” the next day, you can prep it the day before if you desire.

To store: Once the soup has cooled down to room temperature, store it in an airtight container in the fridge until it’s ready to be reheated. It will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.

I would leave the bread out of the soup and add it the next day for the best flavor and texture.

To freeze: Ribollita soup freezes well. Let it cool down and transfer it to a freezer-safe bag or container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months and let it thaw in the fridge overnight before reboiling.

To reheat: In a large pot over medium heat, warm the soup until its heated through.

Please let me know how you like this Ribollita recipe in the comments below! Your feedback and review encourages me to keep creating new and yummy recipes. I hope you love this Tuscan soup as much as I do.