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Ribollita

Name: Ribollita
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 30 ml olive oil; 120 g yellow onion, finely diced; 100 g carrot, finely diced; 100 g celery stalks, finely diced; 2 cloves garlic cloves, minced; 15 g tomato paste; 200 g canned chopped tomatoes; 180 g cavolo nero, stems removed and leaves sliced; 700 ml vegetable stock; 5 g fine salt; 1 g black pepper; 400 g canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed; 180 g stale rustic bread, torn into chunks; 10 ml extra virgin olive oil

Ribollita is a thick, comforting Tuscan soup where creamy cannellini beans, sweet soffritto, tomatoes, and earthy cavolo nero are bound together with rustic bread. The result is deeply savory, hearty, and silky in a humble, farmhouse way, finished with fruity olive oil.

45 min

2 servings

613 kcal

Italian

Ingredients

Soffritto e verdure

30 mlolive oil
120 gyellow onion, finely diced
100 gcarrot, finely diced
100 gcelery stalks, finely diced
2 clovesgarlic cloves, minced
15 gtomato paste
200 gcanned chopped tomatoes
180 gcavolo nero, stems removed and leaves sliced
700 mlvegetable stock
5 gfine salt
1 gblack pepper

Fagioli

400 gcanned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Pane e finitura

180 gstale rustic bread, torn into chunks
10 mlextra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1
Prepare all the vegetables first: finely dice the onion, carrot, and celery, mince the garlic, strip the tough stems from the cavolo nero and slice the leaves. Tear the stale bread into rough chunks so it will soften evenly in the soup.
2
Heat the olive oil in a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery with a pinch of the salt and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until softened and sweet but not browned; this soffritto builds the base flavor, so do not rush it. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant and slightly darkened.
3
Add the chopped tomatoes, cavolo nero, vegetable stock, black pepper, and about three-quarters of the remaining salt. Bring to a gentle boil, then lower to a steady simmer and cook for 12 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the greens are tender and the broth is flavorful.
4
Add the cannellini beans. Lightly mash about one-third of the beans against the side of the pot with a spoon to thicken the soup while leaving the rest whole for texture. Simmer for 5 minutes, then taste and adjust with the remaining salt if needed.
5
Stir in the bread chunks and simmer for 3-4 minutes, pressing them down so they absorb the liquid. The mixture should become thick, spoonable, and rustic rather than brothy; add a splash of water only if it becomes too tight before the bread softens.
6
Turn off the heat and let the ribollita rest for 5 minutes. This short rest helps the bread fully break down and gives the soup its characteristic hearty consistency.
7
Ladle into warm bowls and finish each portion with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve hot.

Nutrition per serving

613 kcal

Calories

20g

Protein

76g

Carbs

26g

Fat

17g

Fiber

Notes

•For the best texture, use day-old crusty country bread with an open crumb; very soft sandwich bread will turn pasty.
•If you want a looser soup, add 50-100 ml hot water or stock at the end; ribollita thickens quickly as it stands.
•A pinch of dried thyme or rosemary can be added with the tomatoes, though a simple vegetable base is more traditional.
•Leftovers are excellent: reheat gently with a splash of water, as the soup will thicken overnight.

Background

Ribollita is a traditional Tuscan peasant soup made to use up stale bread, beans, and seasonal vegetables, especially cavolo nero. Its name means “reboiled,” reflecting the classic practice of cooking it once and reheating it the next day, when the texture becomes even richer and more cohesive.

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