Authentic Tuscan Ribollita Soup (Ribollita Toscana)

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A hearty Italian soup with humble origins, my Tuscan Ribollita Soup is a classic dish made with inexpensive vegetables and canned beans, and thickened with stale bread. This brothy soup is a great way to use up leftover bread, creating a rich and satisfying dish that gets even better the next day.

A Dutch oven full of Tuscan ribollita on a wooden board surrounded by a loaf of bread, thyme, and a chunk of Parmesan cheese.

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What is Ribollita?
Why You'll Love This Dish
Doctor's Tips
Ingredients
How to Make Tuscan Ribollita Step-By Step
Chef's Tips
Recipe FAQs
More Favorite Soups and Stews
Recipe
Reviews

What is Ribollita?

Ribollita is a centuries-old Tuscan bread soup with roots in cucina povera-the Italian concept of peasant cooking that emphasizes creative ways to turn simple ingredients into something extraordinary.

The dish dates back to the Middle Ages, when servants were given leftover scraps of bread. To make a substantial meal from it, they would boil it in water with whatever inexpensive ingredients they had, like vegetables and dried beans. Hence the name "ribollita," meaning "reboiled."

The process of reboiling the soup thickens it and makes it heartier. It also concentrates the flavors. It is commonly said that ribollita tastes even better the next day.

Many Italian cooks have their own version of ribollita. Almost all of them contain a mixture of inexpensive vegetables, cannellini beans, and bread. While many versions contain savoy cabbage and/or potatoes, the hallmark of ribollita is cavolo negro or "black cabbage," also known as Tuscan kale.

The combination of basic aromatics, leafy green vegetables, and meaty beans creates a chunky soup that's both hearty and comforting.

Why You'll Love This Dish

Authentic Italian Soup - Just like my Pasta e Fagioli, this Tuscan ribollita soup is inspired by traditional Italian recipes.
Budget-friendly - Uses inexpensive vegetables, dried beans, and day-old bread.
Thick and hearty soup - The addition of bread gives it a thick consistency that's rich and satisfying.
Meal prep friendly - Leftover soup tastes even better the next day!
Vegetarian comfort food - A meat-free main course that's filling and nutritious.

Doctor's Tips

This vegetarian soup is a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs dish that's filling and satisfying. It's low in calories and fat and gets a nice boost of protein and fiber from the beans and vegetables.
Tuscan kale, with its deeply wrinkled, dark green leaves, is the hallmark of authentic Tuscan ribollita. It has a mild flavor and sturdy texture which stands up well in this soup. It's also packed with nutrients! You can read my post all about the nutritional benefits of kale.

Ingredients

Ingredient notes and substitutions. See recipe card at the end of the post for full ingredient list.

Mirepoix- a mixture of onions, carrots, and celery that forms the foundation of the soup
Tuscan kale- the hallmark of this dish, also known as cavolo negro or black cabbage. Can substitute curly kale or other sturdy greens like Swiss chard or collard greens.
Cannelini beans- creamy white beans with a mild flavor. Can substitute other types of canned beans like great northern beans, navy beans or pinto beans.
Tomatoes- I use a combination of diced tomatoes and tomato paste for depth of flavor.
Herbs- I use fresh thyme (you can substitute dried), bay leaf, fresh garlic, chili flakes (optional), salt, and pepper.
Parmesan cheese- I use the rind from a block of parmesan to add flavor to the soup (see "Chef's Tips" section below) and also grate more cheese on top of the soup before serving.
Broth- to keep this soup vegetarian, use vegetable broth. Otherwise, you can use chicken broth. I like to use low-sodium broth to control the amount of salt in the dish.
Bread- Tuscan bread is classic but you can use any loaf of crusty bread or stale bread.

How to Make Tuscan Ribollita Step-By Step

See recipe card at the end of the post for full recipe details.

Step 1- Sauté diced onions, carrots, celery, garlic and chili flakes in olive oil until softened.
Step 2- Add tomato paste and cook 1-2 minutes.
Step 3- Stir in the Tuscan kale and cook until it starts to wilt.
Step 4- Add the diced tomatoes, broth, thyme, bay leaf, and parmesan rind. Bring to a simmer.

Step 5- Mash some of the cannelini beans to form a paste. Add the paste to the soup along with the remaining whole beans. Simmer about 25 minutes until vegetables are cooked.
Step 6- Stir in the bread cubes and simmer another 4-5 minutes until the bread starts to dissolve into the soup and thicken it. Cook longer for a thicker soup. Spoon the ribollita into bowls and top with grated parmesan cheese.

Chef's Tips

Don't skip the parmesan rind. Adding the rind from a block of parmesan cheese is a traditional Italian method of adding flavor to soup. It infuses the soup with deep, umami flavor and takes it to the next level! Remove the rind before serving.
The next time you buy fresh parmesan cheese, save the rind, which is normally discarded. Wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in the freezer to use in dishes like this soup.
Traditional Tuscan bread is classic in this dish but you can use any crusty bread or stale bread. Best results come from using stale bread rather than fresh.
Adding some mashed white beans to the soup adds creaminess and helps thicken the soup.
You can simmer the bread until it is mostly dissolved and the soup has a porridge-like consistency or simmer it for just a few minutes to leave some chunks for texture.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Ribollita is even better the next day!