Ribollita

Ribollita is a rustic Tuscan bread-and-vegetable soup born from the tradition of "reboiling" leftover minestrone with stale bread and cavolo nero. Slow-simmered cannellini beans, hearty greens, and day-old rustic bread turn into a thick, spoonable stew that tastes even better the next day. It's peasant cooking at its most satisfying — simple ingredients transformed by time and patience.

By YumYum Editorial · Italian

Prep: 10 min · Cook: 35 min · Total: 45 min · Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch cavolo nero (Tuscan kale), stemmed and chopped
• 1/2 small head green cabbage, shredded
• 2 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans, one mashed, one whole, with liquid
• 1 (14 oz) can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 4 cups stale rustic bread, torn into chunks
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• to taste Salt and black pepper, to taste
• to taste Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat and sauté the onion, carrots, and celery until softened, about 8 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Stir in the cavolo nero and cabbage, and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the mashed and whole cannellini beans with their liquid, the crushed tomatoes, and the stock; bring to a simmer.
5. Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the flavors have melded.
6. Remove the rosemary sprig, then stir in the torn bread and let it soak and soften into the soup for 5-10 minutes.
7. Season generously with salt and pepper, adjusting the consistency with a splash more stock if it's too thick.
8. Ladle into bowls, drizzle with a generous pour of olive oil, top with grated Parmigiano, and serve hot.