Ribollita (Tuscan Bread and Bean Soup)
Quick answer
Ribollita is a traditional Tuscan soup that sautees cannellini beans, cabbage, carrot, tomato, celery, and onion in olive oil, simmers them in vegetable stock, and thicke...
What makes this special
- Stale bread torn into a kale and bean broth thickens this traditional Tuscan Ribollita soup.
- Stale bread torn in thickens the soup without any roux or cream
- Named 'reboiled': the soup reaches its best flavor reheated the next day
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Dice 1 onion, 1 carrot, and 80 g celery into small even pieces.
- 2 Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat.
- 3 Add the cabbage and tomato, keeping the heat at medium.
Ribollita is a traditional Tuscan soup that sautees cannellini beans, cabbage, carrot, tomato, celery, and onion in olive oil, simmers them in vegetable stock, and thickens the pot by tearing in stale baguette near the end of cooking. The name itself means 're-boiled,' reflecting its origin as leftover soup reheated with bread. Starch from the beans and the bread's absorption of broth create a hearty body without any roux or cream. The cabbage grows sweeter the longer it simmers, and a finishing drizzle of olive oil adds richness to the otherwise lean vegetable base. Reheating the next day allows the flavors to meld further, which is why this soup traditionally tastes better on the second day.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Prep
Dice 1 onion, 1 carrot, and 80 g celery into small even pieces.
Cut 250 g cabbage and 200 g tomato into bite-size pieces so they soften at a similar pace in the pot.
- 2Control
Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat.
Add the onion, carrot, and celery, then cook about 6 minutes, stirring often, until the onion looks translucent and the vegetables smell sweet, not browned.
- 3Heat
Add the cabbage and tomato, keeping the heat at medium.
Cook about 7 minutes, stirring from the bottom, until the cabbage loses about half its volume and the tomato releases enough juice to moisten the vegetables.
- 4Control
Add 400 g cannellini beans and 900 ml vegetable stock.
Once the soup reaches a boil, lower to gentle heat, leave the lid slightly ajar, and simmer 25 minutes so the beans thicken the broth without scorching.
- 5Control
Tear 150 g stale baguette into bite-size pieces and stir it into the pot.
Simmer on low heat for 10 more minutes, stirring more often once the bread absorbs broth, until the soup looks thick and spoonable.
- 6Finish
Season with salt and pepper after the bread has thickened the soup, then turn off the heat and rest 5 minutes to settle the texture. Serve warm with a light final drizzle of olive oil.
After the steps
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