Ribollita (Tuscan White Bean Soup)
757kcal
Ingredients
- 125 g ciabatta loaf ideally a day old
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 red onion diced
- 1 medium carrot diced
- 2 sticks celery diced
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 60 ml red wine vinegar
- 1 400 g tin plum or chopped tomatoes
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 sprig fresh thyme chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 540 g jarred white beans or 2 400g tinned white beans drained and rinsed
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 6-8 cavolo nero leaves stems removed and roughly chopped
- ½ lemon juice
To garnish:
- Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
- Hard cheese e.g. pecorino
- Parsley or fresh basil
Equipment
Method
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven pan over medium heat, then add the onion, carrots, and celery. Saute for 5 minutes until they begin to soften, then add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for another minute or two, stirring often. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper at this point.
- Add the red wine vinegar to the pan and mix it into the vegetables, then pour in your tinned tomatoes, herbs, and vegetable stock.
- Cover and leave the soup to simmer for 10 - 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the lid and add your white beans to the soup. You could leave it as it is, or you could use a hand blender to blend about ¼ of the soup/beans here for a thicker, creamier consistency. Let the soup simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut your ciabatta into cubes and drizzle with a little olive oil. Add them to a baking tray and put into your oven at 200C | 395F for 10 minutes until the bread is toasted and beginning to turn golden brown.
- Stir the cavolo nero leaves into the soup and add the lemon juice, plus any more seasonings required.
- To serve your soup, add a few of the ciabatta cubes to the bottom of your bowl, then ladle over the soup. Top with a few more ciabatta croutons, some grated Pecorino, a good drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, black pepper, and optionally, some red pepper flakes.
Nutrition
Serving1gCalories757kcalCarbohydrates120gProtein39gFat15gSaturated Fat3gPolyunsaturated Fat11gCholesterol7mgSodium1616mgFiber25gSugar17g
Notes
This soup will keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days, but I would recommend adding the bread only when serving as it will disintegrate into the liquid and turn the soup into more of a porridge consistency (which some people do like!). You could also freeze this soup for up to three months - again, I would recommend freezing without the bread for a better texture.
Reheat your soup either in the microwave or on the stove.