Tuscany: Ribollita Soup Recipe

Ribollita is a classic tuscan winter soup. It is notoriously chunky and hearty, but actually is vegetarian. It is also a great way to use up bread that is a bit too stale for regular consumption.
This recipe comes from the past where not-so-wealthy families would use this soup to repurpose a lot of leftovers or stale bread and make it into something filling and warming. Tuscany can be quite damp and cold in the winters, and I found this really helps you warm up.

What You’ll Need

1 Carrot
2-3 celery stalks
2 medium potatoes
Black kale (cavallo nero, Tuscan kale)
Swiss chard
2 medium onions
5-6 cloves of garlic
1 can white beans (cannellini or butter beans)
1 can full tomatoes
Fresh Thyme, Rosemary and Oregano (tied together)
Salt, Pepper and Olive Oil
Some day-old, stale white bread
Vegetable stock
Parmigiano or Pecorino cheese (for serving)

Step 1

Dice up your onions, garlic and fry them up in some olive oil until onions are translucent.

Add in your carrots and celery and keep trying things up until the vegetables have softened.

Step 2

Add in your potatoes and keep frying this up.
Keep an eye on the bottom of the pan to make sure nothing is burning.
At this point you can add about half of your vegetable stock.

Step 3

You can start adding in your Swiss Chard and Black Kale now. I do this gradually as it wilts down and properly fits into the pan as you keep stirring it in.

You can also now add the tomatoes and crush them/break them up with the spoon as you mix them in.

Step 4

Next go in the beans and the bouquet garni (your fresh rosemary, thyme and oregano all tied together so you don’t have to fish it all out once stick at a time)

Mix this in and add the rest of your stock. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for about 15 minutes more, or until your potatoes are done.

It is meant to be a hearty soup

Even before the bread, it is never meant to be a very broth soup, so do not panic!
While the soup boils, you can dice up your bread.

Step 5

Once your potatoes have cooked through, you’re ready to discard the bouquet garni and add in the bread.

Salt and pepper to taste!

To serve

I would garnish with some fresh black pepper, parmigiano or pecorino cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Keep in mind this soup also keeps well for the next day.

ENJOY!