Enjoy a hearty and colorful bowl of ribollita soup from the comfort of your own kitchen. Made with cannellini beans, garlic, celery, leek, carrots, kale, and plenty of baked bread to soak up the flavorful broth, this Italian classic is one of my fall favorites!
I love making this ribollita soup because it’s such an easy recipe that always brings me comfort. When the weather gets a little cooler my mind goes straight to soups and stews. Not only do they hit the spot flavor wise, they are also filling, nutritious, and straightforward. Sure, soups do require some chopping but that’s really all the prepping needed to make them.
Ribollita is a traditional Tuscan soup made with beans, vegetables, and day old bread. It’s called ribollita, which means ‘reboil’ in Italian, because this rustic soup was traditionally made in big batches and enjoyed over several days. This recipe is enough to feed 4 to 6 people but the measurement can be changed by using the scale buttons in the recipe card.
Table of contents
Ribolitta Ingredients
- Day old bread: Preferably sourdough or baguette. Day old bread is better because it contains less moisture and becomes more dry and crusty in the oven.
- Olive oil: Olive oil is needed to drizzle over the bread and to start the soup.
- Mirepoix: Slightly different from the classic French combination, this soup starter is made with garlic, celery, and leek.
- Vegetables: A mix of carrots and kale to give the soup plenty of color and wholesomeness.
- Beans: To make ribollita you can either use cannellini beans or navy beans for their tender texture. I am using canned beans but feel free to use dried ones if you don’t mind rehydrating them (they must be rehydrated when added to the soup).
- Seasoning: Seasoning for this soup is kept to a minimum since it already contains so much flavor. You will need 1 bouquet garni, which is a mix of herbs such as thyme, parsley, and bay leaf, and some sea salt.
- Tomato paste: 2 tablespoons of tomato paste to add depth of flavor, a slight fruity element, and some acidity.
- Parmesan cheese: Optional if you want this soup to be vegan. Adding a good sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese brings all the flavors together and adds the final touch, making this dish as Italian as it can get.
Alternative Ingredients
This is a list of ingredients that can be used instead of the ones listed above.
- Veggies: Spinach, collard greens, or Swiss chard instead of kale. Sweet potatoes, celery root, and daikon radish instead of carrots.
- Protein: Great Northern beans or pinto beans instead of cannellini beans.
- Cheese: Gruyere cheese, grana padano or pecorino romano instead of parmesan cheese.
How to Make Ribollita Soup
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe.
- Prep all the ingredients for the soup. Chop the vegetables, gather the seasonings, and prep the baking tray for the bread.
- Put the bread in the oven. Break up the bread and drizzle olive oil over the pieces. Bake in the oven until the pieces of bread are golden and crispy.
- Make the soup. Create the base of the soup by sauteing leek, garlic, and celery with some olive oil, in a large cooking pot. Add the carrots, kale, beans, water, salt, bouquet garni, tomato paste, and bring the soup to a boil. Cook for 25 minutes.
- Add the bread and serve it. When the soup is ready, add about half of the bread pieces to the soup and stir. Once the bread has soaked up some of the liquid, ladle the soup into bowls. Top with more baked bread and some freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Recipe Tip
- Let the bread bake until it’s golden brown: Every oven is different so what may take 10 minutes in mine may take a little more or less in yours. For this recipe, the bread needs to be a nice golden brown color to achieve the perfect level of crispiness. For that reason, it’s more important to focus on its color than the time suggested in the recipe.
- Make it spicy: Add ยฝ teaspoon of red pepper flakes in the beginning of the cooking stage – at the same time as the garlic, celery, and leek.
- Make it more filling: For a heartier meal feel free to top this soup with extra protein such as a small piece of fish, tofu cubes, or shredded chicken.
How to Store This Soup
Save the leftover ribollita in an airtight storage container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Keep in mind that the longer the soup sits in the storage container, the more broth the bread will soak up. To reheat, microwave it for a few minutes (in a microwave safe container) or transfer the soup to a pot and reheat on low.
Can I freeze it? Yes you can freeze ribollita but I recommend using less bread or none at all if that’s what you are planning to do.
- Make the soup without the bread and let it cool to room temperature. Save it in individual size storage containers and freeze it.
- Thaw the soup overnight and bake the bread the day you are planning on serving the soup.
Ribollita Soup Serving Suggestions
Serve this ribollita soup as a main dish with a simple chopped salad or something light like a scallop crudo.
Or serve the soup as an appetizer or a side to other Italian dishes such as chicken piccata, pan seared cod, or spaghetti bolognese.
Other bean soups you might like to try: Tuscan white bean soup, hearty tuscan soup, one pot navy bean soup, green minestrone, edamame bean soup, spicy dahl soup, vegetarian split pea soup, slow cooker vegetable soup.
Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
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Ribollita Soup
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Made with cannellini beans, garlic, celery, leek, carrots, kale, and plenty of baked bread to soak up the flavorful broth, this classic Italian soup is pure comfort in a bowl.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces day old crusty bread such as baguette or sourdough
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 1 leek, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
- 2 cup kale, finely chopped
- 2 cups canned cannellini beans or navy beans, rinsed and drained
- 5 cups water
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 bouquet garni, or 1 teaspoon mix of dried thyme and oregano
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- Grated parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Prep the tray and bread. Preheat the oven to 380ยบF. Cover a baking tray with parchment paper. Break the bread into chunks and place them on the parchment paper.
- Bake the bread. Drizzle olive oil over the bread and toss it. Lay the bread flat so itโs flat in one layer. Bake in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until the bread is golden brown. Turn the heat off, take the bread out of the oven and set aside.
- Start the soup. In a large cooking pot over medium high heat, add the olive oil, leek, garlic, and celery. Cook for 2 minutes, until the leek and celery have softened.
- Cook the soup. Add the carrots, kale, beans, water, salt, bouquet garni, and tomato paste. Stir and bring the soup to a boil.
- Simmer it. Turn the heat down to a simmer, cover the pot with a lid, and cook for 25 minutes.
- Serve it. Add half of the bread to the soup and leave for 1 minute, until the bread absorbs the soup and softens. Serve the soup into individual bowls and top with 1 or 2 baked pieces of bread and grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
Storage: Save the leftover soup in a storage container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. If all the bread hasn’t been added to the soup, save it separately in a storage bag, or wrapped in plastic wrap.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 295
- Sugar: 6.6g
- Sodium: 1001mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 1.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 46.3g
- Fiber: 3.7g
- Protein: 11g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
