Description
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.
Ingredients
Units
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- 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)
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and a large pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the carrot, celery, and the seasonal vegetables. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the bay leaf, diced tomatoes, and vegetable broth, and stir to combine. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat, and let simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the beans and chopped kale. Cook for another 5 minutes until the kale wilts.
- Stir in the chopped basil and taste to adjust with salt if needed. Ladle warm soup into serving bowls and drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over each portion (if desired). Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and serve with a side of crusty bread for dipping.
Notes
- Seasonal vegetable suggestions: Russet potatoes, yellow potatoes, white potatoes, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, yellow squash, butternut squash, fennel, turnip, or acorn squash.
- 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.
- Toasting the bread: If you’re using fresh bread, preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the bread into slices (or tear it into large pieces) and put it on the sheet pan in a single layer. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the bread. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes until the bread gets nice and toasted or golden brown. Add the toasted bread to the soup when you add the kale and beans OR top each bowl of soup with the toasted bread before serving.
- Leftover Ribollita will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. 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. I would leave the bread out of the soup and add it the next day for the best flavor and texture.
- Make it vegan by leaving out the parmesan or using dairy-free parmesan cheese.
- Nutrition information is a rough estimate based on 4 servings.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 42 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 312
- Sugar: 9.7g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 10.2g
- Saturated Fat: 1.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5.4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 51.6g
- Fiber: 8.6g
- Protein: 7.5g
- Cholesterol: 0mg