Ribollita, or Tuscan bean soup, is a hearty, nutritious meal that fills your belly full of good stuff. Simple and comforting, it feeds an army and is great warmed up the next day!
An Authentic Tuscan Recipe
Several years back, I took a two-week trip to Florence, Tuscany, and Modena, eating, drinking, and thoroughly enjoying myself. I can still taste all the fabulous Parmesan Reggiano, prosciutto, pasta, figs, olives, wine… the list is long, my friends.
On my first day home, I went to the market to buy ingredients to remake one of the dishes I enjoyed while in Tuscany: Ribollita.
Because part of my trip to Italy included a culinary adventure. A group of complete strangers signed up for a journey through Tuscany, all under the tutelage of Peggy Markel. She introduced us to authentic Tuscan recipes, wines and the people who produce them, and we had the honor of cooking alongside chefs making homemade pasta, soups, biscotti, and more. This group of complete strangers cooked several recipes together, sat down to enjoy our cooking, and left the table fast friends. I was a lucky duck to go on this trip solo, and leave with ten newfound friends!
I will share more about my trip and all the amazing foods in future posts. Today I am sharing this Tuscan Bean Soup recipe. I’m working from my memory on how we made it – sadly, I forgot the recipe in my hotel room when I left – but I believe my version tastes almost as good. The only things missing are the Tuscan sunset, and the friends I got to share it with!
The List of Ingredients
Ribollita is a practical dish, often made with leftovers. If you are making it from scratch with no leftovers to use up, of course, then you will start out with a fairly long list of ingredients. Totally worth it, though, and not that much trouble to prep:
- Carrots: Peeled, halved, and sliced.
- Celery Stalks: These were also peeled, halved, and sliced, although you could skip the peeling step.
- Potatoes: You want fairly waxy potatoes for soup, so they don’t fall to pieces. I used Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed.
- Greens: Kale and swiss chard. Remove the stems and give them a rough chop. It will look like you have an enormous amount, but they cook down to just a fraction of their volume raw.
- Green Beans: Trim the ends off of the green beans and cut them into bite-sized lengths.
- Diced Tomatoes: Look for canned San Marzano diced tomatoes.
- Chicken Broth: Homemade chicken broth is great, but you can also use good quality store-bought chicken broth, or substitute vegetable broth for a vegetarian recipe.
- Beans: This is an Italian white bean soup, so use your favorite white beans – cannellini are good – with the liquid (check for gluten-free, if you want to make a gluten-free soup).
- Herbs: Italian parsley, rosemary, and sage, chopped.
- Sourdough: Good crusty, sourdough bread. You can substitute gluten-free bread, or omit it if you would like.
- Garnishes: Grated parmesan, and olive oil for drizzling.
How to Make Ribollita
- Cook the Garlic and Onion. To start, heat some olive oil in a large Dutch oven set over medium-low heat. Add garlic and onion stirring to coat with olive oil. Do not brown them; you are just looking to soften the vegetables.
- Cook the Other Veggies. Next, raise the heat to medium and add all the carrots, celery, potatoes, greens, and green beans. Pour in 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth, and the canned tomatoes. Stir this mixture well, and let it cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the Remaining Ingredients (Except Bread and Garnishes). Add the beans, herbs, and remaining chicken broth to the pot. Stir to combine, and bring to a simmer. Cook the soup for 25 – 30 minutes and stir occasionally, until the liquid has reduced and thickened.
- Add the Bread. Preheat the oven to 350F. Once the soup has thickened, add sourdough slices into the broth, layering in a circular direction. Tuck one piece of bread at a time into the soup so that you can no longer see it. Try not to overlap the bread pieces.
- Top the Soup and Bake. Sprinkle grated Parmesan over the top of the soup, drizzle with olive oil, and bake for 20 minutes in the oven. Then take the soup out of the oven and let it cool.
- Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls, and serve. Top with more parmesan and olive oil, if desired.
Recipe Notes and Tips
This easy, comforting peasant dish is very adaptable, so be sure to substitute the beans and vegetables that you have on hand, if needed. Here are a few more tweaks you can make. Buon appetito!
- Vegetarian Version: If you would like to make a vegan/vegetarian version of this recipe, substitute vegetable broth or stock for the chicken broth. Easy!
- Gluten-Free Version: For a gluten-free ribollita, omit the bread entirely, or substitute your favorite gluten-free crusty bread. Also, be sure to watch the labels on your beans and other ingredients.
- Add a Parmesan Rind: If you grate your own Parmesan from a wedge with rind on the outer edge, go right ahead and cut the rind from the wedge to add to your soup! This will add some great umami notes. (Keep in mind that this may not be vegetarian-friendly, and check your labels!)
What to Serve with Ribollita
Ribollita is a meal in a bowl, but you can definitely add a side dish or two for some pretty contrast and extra flavor. Try one or more of these easy recipes:
- Green Salad: Soup and salad is a fabulous combination, adding even more veggies to your meal while creating bright textural contrast. This Spinach Cherry Salad is an amazing choice.
- Eggs: Like shakshuka, this hearty stew is great with eggs for a little extra protein and fat. Fry one up in butter, or go the extra mile and serve Radish Toast with Fried Egg.
- Terrine: As beautiful as it is tasty, this vibrantly-colored Beet Terrine with pistachios is sweet, salty, and a little bit tangy.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
You can store leftover ribollita like most soups, in an airtight container in your fridge for several days. However, if you have added the bread to the soup, keep in mind that it will break down and may dissolve entirely! For best results, enjoy your soup right away – or add the bread to individual bowls as you serve, rather than the pot of soup.
Can I Freeze This?
Yes, this hearty bean soup can be frozen to enjoy later when you want something to warm you up. It freezes best without the bread, so if you’re planning to freeze, leave the bread out (you can add it to your serving bowls instead of the pot).
More Wholesome Soup Recipes
Ribollita
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and diced
- 1 medium red onion peeled and diced
- 3 medium carrots peeled, halved and sliced
- 2 celery stalks peeled, halved and sliced (peeling is optional)
- 4 medium yukon gold potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 bunch of kale leaves stems removed and roughly chopped (about 3 cups)
- 1 bunch of swiss chard stems removed and roughly chopped (about 3 cups)
- 3 cups green beans trimmed and sliced
- 1 28 oz can Marzano diced tomatoes
- 6 cups good quality chicken broth (substitute vegetable broth for vegetarian recipe)
- 2 cans Italian white beans (cannellini will do) with liquid (check for gluten free if you are looking for gluten free recipe)
- 2 tbsp fresh Italian Parsley chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh Rosemary chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh Sage chopped
- 1/2 loaf of good crusty sourdough bread (about 8-10 slices) omit for gluten free or use a hearty gluten free bread
- 4 tbsp Parmesan Grated
- Olive oil (drizzle on top)
Instructions
- Add olive oil to large dutch oven over low-medium heat.
- Add garlic and onion stirring to coat with olive oil. Do not brown, you are looking to soften the vegetables, about 5 minutes
- Raise heat to medium and add carrots, celery, potatoes, kale, Swiss chard, and green beans, and 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth and tomatoes. Stir to toss and coat vegetables.
- Let cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes.
- Add beans, herbs and remaining chicken broth, and stir to combine, set to simmer, stirring occasionally making sure to scrape bottom of pan. Cook 25-30 minutes or until reduced and the sauce has thickened.
- Preheat oven to 350*
- Once sauce is thickened, add sourdough slices into sauce, layering in a circular direction.
- Tuck bread one piece of time into sauce so that you can no longer see it. Try not to overlap bread.
- Sprinkle grated Parmesan over the top, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes in the oven.
- Remove, let cool, spoon up into bowls and enjoy.
- You can always sprinkle on a bit more parmesan and drizzle of olive oil over bowls.
Notes
- Vegetarian Version: If you would like to make a vegan/vegetarian version of this recipe, substitute vegetable broth or stock for the chicken broth. Easy!
- Gluten-Free Version: For a gluten-free ribollita, omit the bread entirely, or substitute your favorite gluten-free crusty bread. Also, be sure to watch the labels on your beans and other ingredients.
- Add a Parmesan Rind: If you grate your own Parmesan from a wedge with rind on the outer edge, go right ahead and cut the rind from the wedge to add to your soup! This will add some great umami notes. (Keep in mind that this may not be vegetarian-friendly, and check your labels!)
