Ribollita - Italian Bean and Bread Soup
Hearty, healthy and affordable, this soup is very satisfying and what is needed on a fall or winter evening. Beans, potatoes and bread provide an almost creamy texture and the kale gives it an herbaceous edge. The soup you need right now.
Servings: 6 3-cup servings
Ingredients
- ½ lb. dried white beans cannellini are traditional, I used Mayocoba beans
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or Bouquet garni
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ large onion diced
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- ½ large fennel bulb diced, optional
- 4 cloves garlic sliced
- 2-3 sprigs thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 2 medium potatoes I used Yukon gold - diced
- ½ lb. lacinto kale roughly a bunch - feel free to substitute Swiss chard if that's what you have - sliced into bite-sized pieces
- ½ head cabbage savoy or green, roughly 3 cups, sliced and chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 Roma tomato diced - or ½ can tomatoes
- 6 ounces rustic bread preferably stale, torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1 Parmigiano-Reggiano rind optional
- 1 Vegetable Bouillon see my recipe, or use your own - optional
- 5 cups water or if not using bouillon, can use half water and half vegetable or chicken stock
Instructions
Cook the beans
- If using canned beans, skip this section. Just drain and rinse 2 14 ounce cans of white beans and add in Step 5 with the bread.
- You can either soak the dried beans in water for several hours or overnight, or if you haven't planned ahead, just put the beans in a pot with about 4 cups of water. Add the bay leaves and Italian seasoning and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to the lowest setting and cover. Keep simmering until cooked. This can take anywhere between 1 and 3.5 hours depending on if you have soaked and how old your beans are. You want them to be mashable, but not falling apart. I usually do this a day ahead, store in the same pot and warm them the next day.
Make the Soup
- Prepare the onions, carrots, celery, fennel, garlic, potatoes, cabbages and kale. Set aside.
- When the beans are cooked, remove about 1 cup of beans and smash well with a fork or potato masher. Drain the whole beans remaining and add the water to the mashed beans. Set aside the whole beans.
- In your soup pot, prepare the soffrito by heating the olive oil and adding the onion, stirring and sauteing for a minute. Then add the celery, carrot and fennel (if using) and cook over medium heat until soft and slightly golden, about 5-6 minutes. Stir often to avoid burning.
- Add the thyme, salt, potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes and paste, the bean puree and water, parm rind, along with the vegetable bouillon and additional 5 cups of water or broth. Cook over low heat, covered, for about 45 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaves and thyme twigs at this point if you are worried about forgetting. Add the previously cooked whole beans (or canned - drained and rinsed) - and stir and cook five minutes. Add the bread (cut into pieces) stir well and cook for another 5 minutes then turn off the heat.
- Let the soup sit for 10 minutes up to a few hours if eating the same day. Otherwise let it cool and refrigerate, ideally overnight, before reheating the soup over low to medium heat until hot.
- Serve sprinkled with black pepper and drizzled with awesome olive oil. Consider making the lemon, garlic, rosemary oil below.
Rosemary, Garlic, Lemon Olive Oil
- In a clean jar, add ½ cup olive oil, 2 large lemon peels (use a vegetable peeler) from one lemon, and 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped (feel free to use more garlic if you like). Cover and let sit at room temperature until ready to use. Best if it sits a few hours. If you have leftover, store in the fridge for up to a week and let it come to room temperature before using.
Notes
This soup is not traditionally served with grated cheese, but have at it if it makes you happy!