When I lived in Florence, I’d make comfort foods come the cold winter months. And, one soup that’s so simple but so satisfying is this Ribollita Soup Recipe which I know you’ll love.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Like the more sophisticated, interesting cousin to minestrone, Ribollita is a vegetable soup whose purpose is mostly to use up stale bread. But in that genius way that is so Tuscan, which means there is a lot of flavor for this humble soup.
This Ribollita Soup Recipe is essentially a minestrone or broth soup except that you simmer it with chunks of bread, which makes for a more substantial take on vegetable soup. If you’re a fan of bread bowls for soup, you’ll love this.
Recipe Ingredients
Here are the ingredients for this ribollita soup recipe:
- Dried Cannellini Beans
- Fresh Rosemary
- Garlic Cloves
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- Broth
- Red Oniono
- Carrots
- Celery
- Fresh Thyme
- Canned Diced Tomatoes
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
- Ciabatta Bread
- Kale
- Napa Cabbage
How To Make This Ribollita Soup Recipe
Here is how to make this ribollita soup recipe:
- Soak And Cook The Beans: Soak the cannellini beans and then cook them until tender then blend some of them. Or use high-quality canned beans.
- Cook The Garlic And Onions: Saute the garlic and onions until soft.
- Simmer The Vegetables: Add the remaining vegetables and cook until thickened.
- Add The Bread And Cool: Add the bread and cool (you don’t have to do this but it will make for a more flavorful soup).
- Reheat And Add The Beans and Greens: Rewarm the soup then stir in the remaining beans and greens then serve.
More Of Our Best Soup Recipes
Do cook this Ribollita Soup Recipe ASAP. But also? Make sure you give these delicious soup recipes a try too:Go stock up on all your cooking essentials then head into the kitchen, make this, and share it with us by tagging @saltandwind and #swsociety on social!
Frequently Asked Questions
The name means “reboiled” because it's essentially a twice-cooked soup in that you make it, let it cool down, and then reheat it the next day (a step that makes for lots of good flavor).
Some people add pancetta (and go head if you want!) while others go without the kale and cabbage, but this is the way the trattoria next to my Florence apartment would make it. Okay, they'd actually put in so much bread that your spoon could stand up straight when put in the bowl but I was a little less aggressive here. (Though, if you have a lot of stale bread or want to seriously carb load, add as much bread as you'd like!).
As you can imagine, this recipe only gets better the longer it sits so it's a total natural for the slow cooker.
At this point you have a few choices. For a more traditional take, let the soup cool down, refrigerate it overnight, then warm it over low heat before serving. Otherwise, add the kale and cabbage and reserved beans and stir. Most recipes have you add the kale or cabbage at the start but I like to add it just a couple minutes before serving so that it's just a tad wilted but not overcooked.
Once it's done, serve it with additional olive oil, parmesan cheese, and chili flakes (if using). There's kinda nothing more perfect than this soup for company, especially if you're looking for something to feed house guests while you prep a big holiday meal. It's satisfying, healthy, and really easy to make.
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{Ribollita} Rustic Tuscan Bread Vegetable Soup Recipe
Ingredients
Cook The Cannellini Beans:
- 1 1/2 cups dried cannellini beans
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 garlic cloves plus 1 head of garlic, top cut off
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for garnish
Make The Ribollita Soup:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth or water
- 1 cup red onion finely chopped
- 1 cup carrots finely chopped
- 1 cup celery stalks finely chopped
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional) plus more for garnish
- Rind of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese plus more cheese for garnish
- 4 cups ciabatta bread or 2 to 4 cups unseasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 bunch kale stemmed and chopped
- 1/2 head Napa cabbage stemmed and chopped
Instructions
- Soak And Cook The Cannellini Beans: Place beans in a large bowl and cover with a few inches of water. Refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours to soak. Drain beans then rinse. Once the beans are soaked, place them in the slow cooker and top with 2 sprigs of rosemary, 4 garlic cloves, and 4 tablespoons of the extra-virgin olive oil. Cover with the water or low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth and cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 12 hours or on high-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or until beans are tender but not mushy (when you blow on the beans, their skins should come off easily but they shouldn’t be mushy).
- Make The Ribollita Soup: Discard rosemary and garlic and reserve 2 cups of the beans for later. Using a hand blender to blend the remaining beans into the cooking liquid. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, cook 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook and stir about 5 minutes or until onion is tender.
- Turn the slow cooker to high-heat then add in the onions, carrots, celery, potato, tomatoes, thyme, pinch of dried chili flakes, and the parmesan rind. Cover and cook about 1 hour more or until vegetables are soft and soup has thickened slightly. Add the bread (or breadcrumbs, if using) and stir to incorporate. (If desired, to meld the flavors, cool soup; cover and chill for up to 24 hours).
- Serve The Ribollita Soup: Reheat soup in the slow cooker or in a pan over low-heat setting, stir in the reserved beans, kale, and cabbage and cook until the greens are just wilted, about 10 minutes. Serve topped with additional olive oil, grated cheese, and chili flakes, if using.
