This is an authentic Tuscan Bean Soup recipe for Ribollita! Ribollita literally means 're-boiled' because it is even better the second day, twice boiled! It's packed with flavor and nutrition, coming from kale, savoy cabbage and white cannellini beans.
28ozcannellini beansdry beans (soaked and cooked); use double this amount if using canned beans
1leek
2onionslarge
2green onionsoptional
2carrotsmedium
4ribscelery
1handfulflatleaf parsley
1leafsageoptional
4sprigsthymeoptional
5tbspolive oil
2potatoeswaxy, like Yukon
8cupsbrothor water
8cupswater
1cupwhite winepinot grigio or similar
14oztomato purée or pulpto give the soup a rust color; tomato paste will work too, but use less
fine saltto taste
black pepperto taste
10slicesbreadoptional; toasted, with extra virgin olive oil (bruschetta)
Instructions
Prepare Dry Beans
Cover the dry cannellini beans in water. Let them soak to rehydrate for at least 6 hours (better overnight).
28 oz cannellini beans
Cook the beans in the same water for about an hour, until they are soft. You can avoid this step if you are using canned beans.
Prepare the Vegetables
Thinly slice the leek. Wash, peel and dice: carrots, onion and celery. Be sure to also peel the outer skin of the celery to remove strings before dicing it. Mince the fresh flat leaf Italian parsley and thyme.
Peel and chop the potato into bite-size pieces. Rinse and drain the leafy greens (kale, cabbage and chard). Remove any large and tough stems from the center of each leaf. Cut the greens into large bite-size pieces.
Sauté the leek, onions, carrots, celery, and parsley with a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the sage leaf whole and remove it later. Sauté uncovered over medium heat for about 15 minutes. When the onions are tender, add the white wine to de-glaze the pan.
1 leaf sage, 5 tbsp olive oil, 1 cup white wine
Boil the Leafy Greens
While the vegetables are sautéing...Combine the chopped leafy greens, broth and water in the stock pot. Cover and cook over medium heat to wilt the leafy greens.
28 oz cannellini beans, 8 cups broth, 8 cups water
Simmer the Soup
Blend ⅓- ½ of the cooked cannellini beans. Leave the rest whole.
Add the beans and potatoes to the large stock pot with the wilted greens.
Add the sautéed vegetables to the stock pot along with the tomato (purée, pulp or paste). Mix throughly. There should be enough tomato to give the liquid a burnt orange color. Add enough liquid to cover the vegetables.
14 oz tomato purée or pulp
Cook the soup over covered over medium-low heat for at least about 2 hours. Stir the soup every 15 minutes to prevent sticking.
Salt and black pepper to taste.Serve immediately or—for best taste—reheat the next day and serve 'twice boiled.'
fine salt, black pepper
Making 'Ribollita' (Re-Boiled Zuppa Toscana)
Layer the finished soup with layers of toasted bruschetta.
10 slices bread
Re-heat the soup and serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Notes
Substitute Canned Cannellini BeansYou can certainly use canned cannellini beans instead of dry beans. Use twice the weight of dry beans called for if buying the beans already cooked (canned).Freezes Wonderfully!It's worth it to make a big batch of this soup as it freezes wonderfully. Want to make it vegetarian?Feel free to substitute vegetable broth to make a completely vegetarian version of this classic soup.Vegetable Prepping TipsAlways use a potato peeler to peel off the outer layer of the celery before cooking with it. This will remove most of the unappetizing strings.Be sure to remove any thick, tough stems from the leafy greens. You can simply cut them out.