Tuscan Ribollita comes from, you guessed it, Tuscany! What started as a peasant dish (called cucina povera in Italian), made out of necessity to use up stale bread, transformed over the years into a comfort food, made by choice to celebrate quality ingredients. In fact, in home cooking-style trattorias, this dish is still quite popular!
Featuring soffritto, tomatoes, olive oil, beans, and leftover bread, this dish is hearty and filling while also being easy to make. It’s a perfect choice for chilly nights or sick days! Having humble origins, this dish is also cheap to make. Containing leftover bread, cheap beans, and veggies, the most expensive part of this meal is your choice of olive oil! If you’re wondering how to choose a good quality olive oil, see our olive oil guide.
Made with whole ingredients, this dish is a great way to nourish your family! It is packed with fiber and micronutrients from the beans and veggies, as well as heart-healthy fats from the olive oil. Additionally, leftovers are no problem, as this dish is essentially already leftovers. Fun fact: “ribollita” translates to “re-boiled,” indicating that the dish was often reheated for multiple days of meals. And it tastes even better the next day!
Things to love about Tuscan Ribollita
- Whole ingredients packed with nutrients
- No need to add a thickening agent, as the bread plays this role
- No need to add cream, as the bread also creates a decadent mouthfeel
- Beans add a nice texture
- Greens add slight bitterness that balances the sweetness of the other ingredients
- Robust extra virgin olive oil adds a peppery undertone
- Leftovers get even more flavorful!
Ingredient notes and substitutions
Cannellini beans are typical in Tuscan foods, but if you can’t find them, navy beans or great northern beans make a great substitute. Stale bread is essential! Fresh, soft bread will fall apart in the soup. Choose a crusty bread if possible, and toast if necessary! Robust olive oil has delicious, peppery undertones, which is a good approximation of Tuscan olive oil.
Tuscan kale is traditionally used, but any type of kale or chard will work. Grated onion, carrot, and celery make up the soffritto flavor base. While grating them is not necessary, it does allow for those ingredients to melt into the soup, allowing the other ingredients to shine! Garlic is optional. It isn’t typically included in traditional Tuscan ribollita, but it is normal in modern versions. Tomatoes – use quality ones! If it is summer, you can use fresh. If it is off-season, use canned San Marzano-style tomatoes! Robust olive oil has delicious, peppery undertones, which is a good approximation of Tuscan olive oil.
Nutrition notes
- Beans + grains = complete protein
- Lots of fiber-rich ingredients
- Olive oil has a heart-healthy fatty acid profile
- Variety of vitamins and minerals from veggie ingredients
How to serve ribollita
Ribollita is supposed to be thick! The bread absorbs most of the liquid from the tomatoes and veggies, so it is naturally hearty. It is typically served with a generous pour of olive oil over top of the bowl. If you’re wondering how to choose a good quality olive oil, see our olive oil guide.
If you’re looking for a good bread recipe, you can try our brown butter sage focaccia or Tuscan bread!
We also like to top our bowls with fresh-grated parmesan cheese and a poached egg! That does push the dish toward acquacotta territory, so…don’t add it if you want an authentic dish!
Make ahead and storage
This recipe is even better as leftovers, so yes you can make it ahead of time! That frees up time for you to make our Greek yogurt parfait for a sweet treat afterwards! Red wine sangria would also be a tasty pairing! Just make sure to refrigerate as soon as possible to maintain food safety standards. It will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
If your soup gets too dry during storage, feel free to add some vegetable broth or tomato juice!
The ribollita base can be frozen, but thawing does affect the texture of the bread. Consider adding the bread after reheating!
In conclusion…
This dish is a perfect example of cucina povera; food shaped by land, season, and necessity. Ribollita shows how thoughtful cooking transforms leftovers into something deeply comforting and sustaining.
Tuscan Ribollita (ribollita alla Toscana)
Equipment
- 1 vegetable peeler
- 1 rotary grater
- 1 Colander
- 1 Soup pot
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 28 oz can San Marzano-style tomatoes or 4 fresh, peeled tomatoes
- 1 can cannellini beans
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups stale bread cubed
- vegetable broth for texture
- 4 cups kale
- ½ cup grated parmesan optional
- 6 poached eggs optional
- olive oil robust preferred
Instructions
- Peel carrots, and grate the soffritto ingredients.1 onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks
- Wash and remove large stems from the kale. Drain and rinse the cannellini beans.4 cups kale
- Cook the soffritto in olive oil until the carrots have softened and the onions become translucent. This will take about 7 minutes. Add the garlic in the last 45 seconds and cook until it becomes fragrant.1 tbsp minced garlic
- Add the tomatoes (juice included) and beans. Add the basil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cook for 10 minutes or so, to allow the flavors to marry. You don't want to cook off the tomato juice, so keep an eye on that.28 oz can San Marzano-style tomatoes, 1 can cannellini beans, 1 tbsp dried basil, salt and pepper
- Add the stale bread, and stir it in. Allow it to absorb the tomato juice. If there isn't enough liquid, add some vegetable broth.4 cups stale bread, vegetable broth
- When the bread has softened and become part of the soup, add the kale. Allow it to wilt, and then your soup is ready!4 cups kale
- Top in your preferred way. Traditionally, robust olive oil is used. We prefer to also add parmesan and a poached egg. It's ultimately up to you!½ cup grated parmesan, 6 poached eggs, olive oil
