Ribollita
- Level: Easy
- Total: 10 hr 40 min
- Prep: 20 min
- Inactive: 8 hr
- Cook: 2 hr 20 min
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
8 ounces dry cannellini beans, soaked overnight in cold water in the refrigerator
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1/2 celery stalk, roughly chopped
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
1 bunch cavolo nero
1/2 head savoy cabbage
One 14.5-ounce can whole peeled (pelati) tomatoes
8 ounces stale unsalted Tuscan bread, cut into 1/2-inch slices
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Rinse and drain the soaked cannellini beans and set aside.
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil and saute the carrots, celery and onions (the soffrito) until well-cooked but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the potatoes, cavolo nero and cabbage and saute with the soffrito until the cabbage is wilted, a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with a spoon, and then add the beans. Add enough hot water to cover the ingredients in the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for 1 1/2 hours. Add the sliced bread to the pot along with 2 more cups of hot water. Continue cooking for another 30 minutes.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil for garnish.
- If reheating the next day: Reheat the soup slowly so as not to scorch the bottom of the pot. The soup should be thick. Bring to a simmer and adjust the seasoning to taste. Add a little more water if needed. Serve drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil.
Cook’s Note
Tuscan soup is made with unsalted bread. If the bread you find is Pugliese bread (made in the style of Puglia), it will need less seasoning as that bread is salted when baked. Unlike other Italian soups, ribollita never has Parmigiano-Reggiano on it. It is not served with cheese.
