Ribollita (Tuscan Bread and Vegetable Soup)

Total time to make this recipe: 2 hours 30 minutes

overhead shot of two bowl of tuscan bread and vegetable stew

Ribollita is a traditional Tuscan soup (or stew) made with stale bread, white beans, cabbage, and more vegetables. It's a simple healthy vegan soup from peasants' origins but at the same time, it's comforting and delicious. This is the authentic recipe of Ribollita Toscana, the way it's been made in Tuscan households and Trattorias for centuries.

terracotta bowl with ribollita soup with a spoon

I'd probably define Ribollita more as a vegetable stew than a vegetable soup because it's very dense with not much liquid and lots of chunky veggies.

It's definitely a winter meal, because it's warm and comforting, but also because it has winter vegetables like cabbage and kale. Although I remember my grandfather enjoying it in summer too as it was his favorite dish.

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What is Ribollita soup and where does it come from?
Ingredients
How to make the authentic Ribollita
FAQ & Tips
Related Recipes you might like
Ribollita (Tuscan Bread and Vegetable Soup)

What is Ribollita soup and where does it come from?

Ribollita (read ree-bohl-lee-tah), also called Ribollita Toscana, Ribollita Senese, or simply Zuppa di Pane (Bread Soup), it's an ancient Tuscan recipe with peasant origins in Medieval times.

It's popular throughout Tuscany and there are several versions of this soup recipe. This is the Senese version, from Siena, the city I was born and raised.

The name Ribollita literally means re-boiled. This describes the traditional process of cooking and reheating this soup. See below notes for the authentic cooking process.

In Medieval times, most of the Tuscan population were peasants and lived in poverty. That's why most of the traditional Tuscan recipes are made with vegetables, legumes, and bread, which were the only ingredients available to peasants.

Ingredients

This recipe has many ingredients and some may be difficult to find in some areas, so here's a list of suggestions to substitute some ingredients.

Bread: The traditional recipe uses Tuscan bread, which is crusty sourdough bread, it's unsalted. Since this can only be found in Tuscany, you have the option to make the Tuscan bread yourself or substitute it with a different type of bread. Any type of good-quality bread will do, I suggest using crusty sourdough bread.
Beans: The beans in this recipe should be Cannellini, preferably dried ones. But I usually use canned ones to speed up the cooking time. If you cannot find canned Cannellini, you can also use other white beans.
Cavolo Nero: Cavolo Nero or Lacinato Kale, is very popular in Tuscany and therefore used in many soups. If you cannot find Cavolo Nero, you can use the standard Kale.
Savoy Cabbage: This is my favorite cabbage but if you cannot find it, you can use Green or Napa Cabbage.
Tomato Paste: You can skip the tomato paste altogether or add a couple of chopped tomatoes together with the vegetables.

How to make the authentic Ribollita

Ribollita is fairly straightforward, but to make the recipe the authentic way, takes a lot of time. Here I'll describe the authentic cooking process and in the recipe card below you'll find the easier speed-up process.

The first step is to soften the Cannellini beans by soaking the dried beans in a bowl of water overnight.

cannellini beans next to a bowl of pureed beans

Boil the beans in lightly salted water for about 1 hour (use 3 cups of water for each cup of beans). If you use canned beans, skip this first step.

Set aside ½ cup of beans and blend the rest together with their water until you get a smooth cream.

onions frying in a skillet with a wooden spoon

While the beans cook, start cleaning and chopping all the vegetables. Remove the thick central stem from the cabbage and kale and chop the leaves roughly.

In a large pot, drizzle some olive oil and sauté the onion for a couple of minutes.

vegetables and potatoes added in a large pot with a wooden spoon

Then add the tomato paste, cook for another minute, then add the beans cream, and the whole beans, mix with a spoon then add all the other chopped veggies. Season with salt, black pepper, and thyme.

large pot of vegetables and broth to make ribollita

Simmer at low heat for about 2 hours. Check it once in a while and add a bit of water if it's too dry.

hand rubbing a garlic clove on bread slices

Rub a garlic clove on the slices of bread.

bread is added to the pot with the vegetables to make ribollita

After the 2 hours, take a large terracotta casserole or dutch oven and layer the bottom with bread, then add a layer of vegetables, another layer of bread, and so on until the pot is full.

Let it rest covered for a few hours or overnight. When it's time to eat it, reheat it in a pan with some olive oil and add a bit of water if it's too dense.

I usually skip the resting time and add the slices of bread to the casserole halfway through the cooking so I can serve it the same day, topped with a drizzle of good olive oil and chili pepper flakes.

FAQ & Tips

Can you make Ribollita in a pressure cooker?

Yes, you can definitely make Ribollita in a pressure cooker. Just make sure you add enough water and cook at high pressure for 30-40 minutes. The final result will be more liquid so you can either reduce it at high heat for 10-15 minutes or keep it as it is.

Is this recipe vegan?

Yes, it's optional to add a Parmesan rind to the stew but if this is skipped, the Ribollita is completely vegan.

Can I freeze the leftovers of Ribollita?

Yes, this is what I always do! Since this recipe makes a big batch, I'll always portion the leftovers and freeze them in airtight containers for up to 6 months.