Ribollita Recipe: An Easy Recipe for a Hearty Tuscan Soup

Italian cuisine is famous for using simple ingredients the Italians carefully prepare to extract the most flavour to make delicious dishes. Soups are some of the simplest and cheapest dishes to make, yet they also have the potential to be the most satisfying and tasty. One soup that perfectly sums up the principles of Italian cuisine is ribollita, and our ribollita recipe is really easy to make.

Also known as zuppa di ribollita, Ribollita is a popular Italian soup that the Italians have made for hundreds of years. The historical origin of the soup is Tuscany, although it is eaten across Italy, and there are many recipe variations. The word ‘ribollita’ means reboiled, as the soup was originally made from leftover beans and vegetables.

Ribollita is a bean and vegetable soup that is similar in many ways to minestrone and minestra d’orzo. However, the standout ingredient that makes it different from the other vegetable soups is stale bread, which is used to thicken the soup.

It is important to choose the right bread and to follow the steps for preparation to get the right texture in your soup. First, choose a crusty bread, such as ciabatta or baguette, and leave it for at least a day before using it. When making the soup, you should tear it into large chunks and then toast it in the oven to make it crisper and drier. It is also important to only add the bread at the end of cooking.

Our ribollita recipe is a modern take on the traditional Italian soup that is easy to make, budget-friendly, and super tasty. Here is our ribollita recipe, with useful information, a full list of ingredients, and step-by-step instructions on how to make ribollita.

Useful Information

Ingredients for the Ribollita Recipe

• 1 loaf of ciabatta or similar crusty bread
• 1 litre of vegetable stock
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 lb/ 450 g kale or spring cabbage with the veins and thick stems removed
• 2 celery sticks, peeled and sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup of dry white wine
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 can of chopped tomatoes
• 1 can of cannellini beans (or other white beans)
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp dry oregano
• Optional- ½ teaspoon of dried chilli flakes
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Grated Parmesan for garnish
• Extra virgin olive oil

How to Make the Ribollita Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 400F/ 200C.
2. Tear the ciabatta (or other crusty bread) into large chunks and spread across a baking tray.
3. Drizzle the bread chunks with extra virgin olive oil and toss the bread with your fingers so the oil is absorbed into each piece.
4. Put the baking tray into the oven for 10 minutes to lightly toast the bread.
5. Add three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to a large pan and put over medium heat on the hob.
6. Next, add the carrots, celery, and onion to the pot and cook until softened.
7. Then, add the garlic to the pan and cook for another minute. Make sure you do not let the garlic turn brown.
8. Add the vegetable stock, white wine, and chopped tomatoes to the pan and cook for another 20 minutes. Give the ingredients a good stir to combine.
9. Remove approximately half a cup of the broth mix from the pan and put it into a food processor along with half the can of drained cannellini beans, then blend to create a puree.
10. Next, add the thyme, bay leaf, oregano, and a pinch of salt to the pan. You can also add the dried chilli flakes if you choose to use them as an ingredient. Simmer for 20 minutes.
11. Add the remaining beans and the bean puree to the pan, along with the kale or spring cabbage. Stir all the ingredients together and simmer for another three or four minutes.
12. Then, add around half the toasted ciabatta to the pot and stir again.
13. Continue to cook until the kale is tender, then remove from the heat.
14. Remove the bay leaf and sprigs of thyme from the soup.
15. Serve the soup in bowls and top with the remaining toasted bread and Parmesan cheese (optional).

Additional Tips for Making Zuppa di Ribollita

• You can add a little heat to the soup by adding a teaspoon of dried chilli flakes.
• If you do not like oregano, replace the herb with another of your choice, such as dried basil or thyme.
• Although the soup is vegan, if you add Parmesan to the top, it is important to check the information on the packaging. Some Parmesan cheese is not vegan, so it is an optional ingredient.
• If you want to make the soup in a slow cooker while you are out, then use dried beans rather than canned. Do not add the cabbage or bread until you return home and are ready to reboil the soup. It will take approximately six hours on a high setting or 12 hours on a low setting to cook ribollita in a slow cooker.
• Readers who enjoy soups with beans may also like our chorizo and three-bean soup recipe or our recipe for Moroccan chickpea soup.