Tuscan Kale and Bean Soup — Ribollita Toscana
The iconic Tuscan ribollita of cavolo nero, cannellini beans, vegetables, and stale bread simmered into a thick peasant porridge that is reboiled the next day to develop flavour, the bread breaking down to bind the soup.
Italian
Categories
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Instructions
Prep
Shred cavolo nero and Savoy cabbage, removing tough stems. Finely chop onion, dice carrot and celery, slice garlic. Hand-crush tinned tomatoes. Tear stale bread into 2cm pieces. Reserve 120ml bean cooking liquid. Chop parsley.
Saute
Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat 1 minute. Add onion, carrot, celery; cook 8–9 minutes stirring occasionally until soft and lightly golden. Add garlic, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves; cook 60 seconds until garlic is pale gold and herbs perfume the oil.
Build 1
Add crushed tomatoes to the pot; cook 4 minutes until darkened slightly. Add cavolo nero and Savoy cabbage in batches, stirring each to wilt before adding the next. Pour in hot stock, bean liquid, salt, pepper; bring to bare simmer.
Simmer
Cover loosely and simmer over medium-low heat 30–35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cavolo nero is meltingly tender. Add cannellini beans; cook uncovered 5 minutes, gently mashing some beans against the pot side to thicken the broth.
Build 2
Add torn stale bread to the pot; stir until bread starts breaking down. Cook 12–14 minutes, stirring every 4 minutes, until bread completely dissolves and binds the soup into a thick porridge. Discard herb stems and bay leaves. Taste and adjust salt.
Plate
Ladle ribollita into warm wide bowls, drizzle generously with grassy extra virgin olive oil, scatter parsley over top, and offer dried chilli flakes at the table for diners who want heat.
Recipes use AI and Edamam. Always check for allergens before cooking. Spotted something wrong—email us at hello@grubplanit.com.