Tuscan Ribollita Soup
This Tuscan Ribollita Soup is a rustic Italian vegetable and bean soup made with tomatoes, cannellini beans, kale, and olive oil, served over toasted bread for a hearty, comforting meal perfect for weeknights or cozy dinners.
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Servings: 6
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 3 tablespoons olive oil plus additional for serving
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 medium carrot peeled and diced
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus additional to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus additional to taste
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary thyme, oregano, or marjoram
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 14-ounce can whole plum tomatoes
- 4¼ cups vegetable broth
- 2 14-ounce cans cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 5 to 6 ounces 150 g Tuscan kale stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving
For the Toast
- 4 to 6 slices sourdough or rustic country bread
- 1 clove garlic peeled
Instructions
Sauté the Vegetables and Aromatics
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion, carrot, celery, and salt. Sauté the vegetables for approximately 2 minutes, or until the onion begins to turn translucent and the vegetables start to soften.
- Add the black pepper, sliced garlic, bay leaf, fresh herbs, and tomato paste. Stir well and cook for an additional 3 minutes, allowing the tomato paste to deepen in color and the mixture to become fragrant.
Add the Tomatoes and Broth
- Add the canned whole plum tomatoes to the pot. Using a spoon, gently press the tomatoes against the side of the pot to break them apart slightly.
- Pour in the vegetable broth and stir to combine with the sautéed vegetables and aromatics.
Add the Beans and Kale
- In a small bowl, mash approximately half of the cannellini beans with a fork until a thick paste forms. This step helps naturally thicken the soup.
- Add both the mashed beans and the remaining whole beans to the pot along with the chopped Tuscan kale. Bring the soup to a gentle boil while stirring occasionally.
- Reduce the heat to low and allow the soup to simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the broth becomes slightly thick and cloudy.
Prepare the Garlic Toast
- While the soup is simmering, toast the bread slices in a toaster or under a broiler until golden brown on both sides.
- While the bread is still warm, rub one side of each slice with the peeled garlic clove to impart a subtle garlic flavor.
- Place one slice of garlic toast in the bottom of each serving bowl.
Season and Serve
- Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and black pepper as needed.
- For best flavor, allow the soup to rest uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. This brief resting period allows the flavors to settle and develop.
- Remove the bay leaf and herb stems. Ladle the soup over the garlic toast in each bowl and finish with a drizzle of olive oil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
- Serve warm.
Notes
To prepare a gluten-free version of Tuscan Ribollita Soup, replace the sourdough or country bread with a gluten-free rustic bread or a gluten-free artisan loaf suitable for toasting.
Ensure that the vegetable broth used is certified gluten-free, as some packaged broths may contain hidden gluten or additives.
Toast the gluten-free bread as instructed and proceed with the recipe as written. The soup itself is naturally gluten-free aside from the bread component, making this substitution simple and effective.