Ribollita-A healthy, rustic, and delicious soup packed with all of my favorite Italian flavors! Ribollita is thickened with crusty bread and filled with tasty veggies and herbs. You will love this one pot meal!
Ribollitta
A hearty bowl of soup is one of life’s simplest pleasures. My family loves to ski, and I love having a warm pot of soup ready to warm them up after a day on the slopes. Right now, I am loving Ribollita, a classic Tuscan soup that’s thickened with crusty bread. If you’re mouth is watering, it should be! Everyone in my house is in love with this soup.
A classic Ribollita also has cannellini beans, leafy greens, and veggies like onions, carrots, celery, and tomatoes. Of course, there are all kinds of fresh herbs and flavors added in as well! My recipe honors the classic, rustic combination. If you’ve never tried Ribollita before, I hope you’ll give it a go! It is the perfect one pot meal for cold day!
What Bread to Use in Ribollita
This is a hearty, thick soup loaded with veggies, beans, and best of all, bread. I like to use a crusty loaf, either Italian, French, and sourdough are all great options. Day old or slightly stale bread is just right for ribollita! If I ever have a loaf that I don’t use right away, I start planning a soup night with this recipe.
If you don’t have have a slightly stale loaf, you can dry your bread out in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F and adjust rack to center position. Place the bread cubes on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil and toss. Bake until crisp and firm but not browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
Parmesan Rind
I am going to let you in on a little secret, add parmesan rind to soup and you will be blown away by the added flavor! I always save Parmesan rinds and keep them in the freezer for soups. If you don’t have any in the freezer, ask the cheese counter at your store, they sometimes sell them at a discount or will even give them to you.
Remove the Parmesan rind before serving, you don’t eat it, it just adds flavor to the soup while it simmers! It’s magic!
How to Make Ribollita
- Just like most soups, we’ll start with olive oil on medium high heat and get onion, carrots, and celery, since those will need the most time to soften. Stir in garlic and crushed red pepper for about 2 minutes!
- Now it’s time for tomatoes and herbs. I like San Marzano tomatoes for their flavor! Ribollita also has thyme, basil, rosemary, and a bay leaf.
- In this step you’ll also add broth. Add in a Parmesan rind and cannellini beans before simmering for 20 minutes. We want the veggies totally soft in this step!
- Stir in your leafy greens! I always use kale (Lacinato aka dinosaur kale is my favorite!) but spinach would also be good in this soup!
- Ribollita’s signature ingredient: bread! Add in your crusty bread and let it simmer for about 5 minutes, until the bread starts to dissolve. This is how the soup thickens!
- Pull out the in-edibles: thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind. Discard those, have a little taste, and season with salt and pepper as you like.
- This is a very thick and hearty soup thanks to the bread. If you’d like the soup to be a little thinner, you can add more broth!
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese, a few crusty bread cubes…and a little fresh basil! Mmmmmmm!
More Delicious Soup Recipes:
Here are a few more of our favorite soup recipes! Let me know which ones you try! They are all winners!
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery ribs, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 28 oz crushed San Marzano tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Parmesan rind, about 4-inch size
- 15 oz canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 small bunch Tuscan kale, ribs and stems removed, chopped
- 2 cups cubed crusty Italian bread, day old or stale
- Grated Parmesan cheese, extra bread cubes, and fresh basil, for serving, optional
In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Stir in the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes, cook for 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, broth, thyme, basil, rosemary, bay leaf, Parmesan rind, and beans. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Stir until combined.
Simmer the soup with the lid slightly ajar for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are softened. Remove the lid and stir in the kale.
Add the bread and simmer for 5 minutes or until the bread starts to dissolve into the soup and the soup thickens.
Remove the thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind. Discard. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese, extra bread cubes, and fresh basil, if desired.
If you don’t have day old bread or stale bread, you can dry it out in the oven. See tips on the post. This is a thick soup. If you prefer more liquid, you can add more vegetable broth.
Nutrition Facts
Ribollita Soup
Amount Per Serving
Calories 165 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 2g10%
Sodium 759mg32%
Potassium 413mg12%
Carbohydrates 25g8%
Fiber 6g24%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin A 4467IU89%
Vitamin C 14mg17%
Calcium 83mg8%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
