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Ribollita

Ribollita is a Tuscan bread soup a hearty, nutritious and fills your belly full of good stuff.  It is a simple comforting dish that will feed an army. It is great warmed up the next day. It can ben frozen to enjoy later when you want something to warm you up.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: bean soup, bread soup, white bean soup
Servings: 8 people
Author: Amy

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!)