Cannellini beans, cavolo nero, cabbage, vegetables, and stale bread slowly cooked with olive oil
Ribollita is Tuscany’s thrifty bread, bean, and vegetable soup, named for being boiled again. Cannellini beans provide body, while cavolo nero, Savoy cabbage, chard, potato, and soffritto make the pot deeply vegetal. Stale unsalted country bread is layered into the finished soup, rested so it absorbs the broth, then reheated the following day and served with abundant extra-virgin olive oil.
- Prep
- 40 mins
- Cook
- 2 hours 15 mins
- Rest
- 12 hours
- Total
- 14 hours 55 mins
- Serves
- 8
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
The recipe
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Before you start
Soak the cannellini beans overnight, then drain them. Remove the tough central stems from the cavolo nero and slice all vegetables evenly. Use genuinely stale, firm country bread so it absorbs broth without disappearing immediately.
Ingredients
For the beans
For the soup
For serving
Quantities change with servings; cooking times stay the same.
Equipment
- Large heavy stockpot with lid paid link
- Medium stockpot paid link
- Fine-mesh strainer paid link
- Immersion blender paid link
- Deep casserole dish paid link
- Chef’s knife paid link
- Cutting board paid link
- Digital kitchen scale paid link
Method
Place the soaked beans in a large pot with 3000 ml cold water, sage, and crushed garlic. Simmer gently for 60 to 75 minutes until tender.
Drain the beans while reserving all cooking liquid. Discard the sage and garlic, keep half the beans whole, and purée the remainder with enough cooking liquid to make a smooth cream.
Heat 100 ml olive oil in a heavy stockpot. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and leek and cook gently for 12 minutes without browning.
Add the minced garlic, thyme, and rosemary and cook for 1 minute.
Stir in the potatoes and tomatoes, then add the puréed beans and 1500 ml reserved bean liquid.
Add the cavolo nero, Savoy cabbage, and chard in batches. Simmer gently for 45 minutes until all vegetables are very tender.
Stir in the whole beans, salt, and black pepper and simmer for another 15 minutes. Add more bean liquid if needed; the soup should remain thick but ladleable.
Arrange a layer of stale bread in a deep casserole, spoon over hot soup, and repeat until the bread and soup are used.
Cool promptly, cover, and refrigerate for 12 hours so the bread and vegetables combine.
Reheat the ribollita slowly in a heavy pot, stirring carefully and adding a little water if it catches.
Serve very hot with a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and black pepper.
Chef’s notes
Do not salt dried beans until they are beginning to soften because very early salting can lengthen cooking for some beans.
Reserve the bean liquid; its starch gives ribollita a fuller body than plain water.
Cook the greens until fully tender rather than crisp.
Reheat over low heat and stir from the base because bread-thickened soup scorches easily.
Tips and variations
Use Tuscan unsalted bread when available; another firm rustic loaf works if allowed to become stale.
Ribollita is naturally suited to seasonal vegetables, but cannellini beans, leafy brassicas, and bread should remain central.
Make it fully plant-based by using only water and olive oil, as written.
If serving on the first day, simmer bread pieces directly in the soup, although the overnight version better reflects the meaning of ribollita.
Serve with
Spoon the thick reheated soup into wide bowls and finish each portion with a visible stream of good Tuscan-style olive oil.
Storage
Refrigerate for up to 4 days and reheat only the amount needed until piping hot. The soup thickens each day; loosen it with water. Freeze for up to 2 months, accepting a softer bread texture.
Nutrition per serving (estimated)
- 610 kcal
- Calories
- 21 g
- Protein
- 82 g
- Carbohydrates
- 23 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 12 g
- Sugar
- 710 mg
- Sodium
Allergens
Contains gluten from bread. Check the loaf for sesame, milk, soy, or other allergens. The soup itself contains no dairy, egg, nuts, or animal products as written.
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Questions
What does ribollita mean?
The name means reboiled, referring to reheating the bread-and-vegetable soup after it has rested.
Which beans belong in ribollita?
Cannellini beans are the classic choice and their cooking liquid helps thicken the soup.
Can ribollita be served the same day?
Yes, but an overnight rest followed by reheating creates its characteristic unified texture.
Does authentic ribollita contain meat?
Many traditional Tuscan versions are based on beans, vegetables, bread, and olive oil without meat.
