It's hard to get more classic than this healthy, easy take on Tuscan ribollita soup. Made with day-old bread and loads of vegetables, this {Ribollita} Rustic Tuscan Bread And Vegetable Soup recipe it's the ultimate in healthy comfort food!
4tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oilplus more for garnish
Make The Ribollita Soup:
2tablespoonsolive oil
8 cupslow-sodium chicken or vegetable brothor water
1cup red onionfinely chopped
1cupcarrotsfinely chopped
1cupcelery stalksfinely chopped
6sprigsfresh thyme
1(28 ounce) candiced fire-roasted tomatoes
1pinchcrushed red pepper flakes(optional) plus more for garnish
RindofParmigiano Reggiano cheeseplus more cheese for garnish
4cupsciabatta breador 2 to 4 cups unseasoned breadcrumbs
1bunch kalestemmed and chopped
1/2headNapa cabbagestemmed 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.