Ribollita Soup

A bowl of ribollita (Italian bread soup).

Ribollita Soup is a rustic Italian bread and vegetable soup made hearty with beans, greens, and herbs. This streamlined version delivers the comfort of the traditional dish without the two-day process.

Course Soup

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 40

Total Time 55

Servings servings (2 cups each)

Calories 224kcal

Author Meggan Hill

Ingredients

8 ounces crusty bread sliced into 1/2-inch slices
2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for serving
1 medium onion peeled and diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 carrots peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
2 ribs celery sliced (about 1 cup)
4 cloves garlic minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans rinsed and drained
1 cup cauliflower florets (4 ounces)
1 medium potato peeled and diced (about 8 ounces)
1 zucchini quartered lengthwise and chopped into 1-inch pieces (8 ounces)
1/4 cup minced fresh herbs such as parsley, rosemary, sage, and thyme
2 cups lacinato kale stemmed and chopped (see note 1)
freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, arrange bread slices in a single layer.
Bake until lightly toasted and dry, about 15 minutes. Flip and continue baking 5 minutes longer. Remove from oven, adjust an oven rack to the lower middle position, and increase temperature to 425 degrees.
Meanwhile, in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat olive oil until shimmering. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and a pinch of salt, and cook until vegetables are softened, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Stir in vegetable broth, cannellini beans, cauliflower, potato, zucchini, herbs, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Stir in kale and remove from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like an additional 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper).
Layer bread on top of the soup, pressing down gently to submerge, until all the slices are added. Drizzle the top of the soup with olive oil. Bake until the bread is hot and the soup is bubbling, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and garnish individual portions with Parmesan cheese.

Notes

Kale: Authentic ribollita is made with cavolo nero or "black cabbage." I use lacinato (dinosaur) kale here because it's easier to find. Substitute the kale of your choice, fresh spinach, or Swiss chard.

Nutrition