Ribollita is a traditional Tuscan winter soup with peasant origins. It is made with cannellini beans, stale bread, and seasonal leafy vegetables. It’s a naturally plant-based, tasty, wholesome, and comforting dish.
6 people
1
First, soak the dried cannellini beans overnight.
2
The next day, drain them and rinse under running water. Then transfer them to a large pan filled with cold water and cook over a medium heat for about an hour.
3
Once cooked, set aside roughly half of the beans, and blend the other half with a hand blender, using some of the cooking water. Set this aside as well.
4
In a large casserole, heat the extra virgin olive oil, then add the unpeeled garlic clove and the celery, carrot, and onion, cleaned and finely diced.
5
Allow the sautéed vegetable base to soften for about ten minutes, then add the thyme, rosemary, and peeled potato, cut into small cubes. Cook for a further couple of minutes.
6
Meanwhile, wash the leafy vegetables thoroughly, then slice them into strips and add them to the pan along with the Mutti Triple Concentrated Tomato Paste and the blended bean broth. Stir well and add enough hot vegetable stock to cover the vegetables. Cover with a lid and simmer the soup gently for around two hours, stirring occasionally.
7
After two hours, add the beans you had set aside and stir well.
8
Now immerse the slices of Tuscan bread into the soup, using a ladle to help, then turn off the heat, cover with the lid, and leave the soup to rest for at least two hours, preferably overnight.
9
The following day, stir the soup well, which should now be quite thick. Return it to the heat and bring it to the boil for a few minutes, adding a little stock if needed to loosen it.
10
Serve the ribollita piping hot, drizzled with a little extra virgin olive oil.
Born in the Middle Ages as a humble peasant dish, this soup has become a true symbol of Tuscan cuisine, still loved today for its simplicity and comforting flavour. Its name, “ribollita”, literally means “re-boiled” and comes from the traditional way it was reheated several times on the stove, a step that gives it its rich, distinctive taste. Today, ribollita is appreciated not only in Tuscany but throughout Italy, and it is often served at family lunches and dinners as a genuine expression of homemade cooking. It’s real comfort food that warms the soul during the coldest winter months.
Cannellini beans, stale bread, kale, savoy cabbage and chard are the main ingredients of this soup. Cooked slowly together, they create an irresistibly flavourful and hearty dish. But there’s a little secret to make your ribollita even better: add a generous spoonful of Mutti Triple Concentrated Tomato Paste! As well as giving the soup a lovely light red colour, it adds an intense tomato flavour that perfectly complements the other ingredients. In addition to the main components, extra vegetables such as onion, celery, carrot and potatoes, together with fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme, enrich the flavour even further. The choice of bread is essential: ideally, use traditional Tuscan bread that’s slightly stale, as it soaks up the flavours of the soup beautifully. The quality of the beans also plays a key role, contributing to the creamy texture and depth of flavour that make this dish so satisfying.
The ribollita recipe is simple to prepare; its rustic origins make it an economical dish that’s still hearty and wholesome. Although it’s an easy recipe, it does require several steps and fairly long cooking times. To shorten them, you can use good-quality pre-cooked cannellini beans: this way, you’ll save the soaking and boiling time needed for dried beans. Traditionally, the soup is left to rest overnight and then “reboiled” the next day, which enhances its flavour even more. However, if you want to cut down the preparation time, you can let it rest for just a couple of hours, just don’t skip the “re-boiling” stage, as that’s what gives the dish its name and signature taste.
