Vegetable Bread Soup – Hearty and filling this Tuscan Ribollita Recipe is one to make and eat all the cold months of the year!

This (vegetarian!) authentic Italian tuscan ribollita is about as comforting as it gets packed- with hearty greens, meaty beans, and plenty of rich olive oil and day old bread.

More delicious soup recipes: Simple Artichoke Soup Italian Recipe, Classic Italian Minestrone Soup, and BEST Bacon, Potato, and Kale Zuppa Toscana, Authentic Italian Pasta e Fagioli Recipe (soup).

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Leave it to the Italians to find the ultimate soup that warms you up, and makes excellent use of leftovers.

A classic example of the simple and flavorful cucina povera* (poor cooking), this “re-boiled” soup uses day-old bread and a wide array of seasonal produce (think: swiss chard, leeks, carrots, or whatever you have in your fridge).

As the flavors blend, this soup only gets tastier over a couple of days, making it the perfect weekday or weekend dinner(s)! This recipe is adapted from my Tuscan friend. I know you will love it as much as we do.

You will also love this instant pot navy bean soup!

Simple Ingredients

There are many variations to the ribollita soup. The main ingredients can include leftover bread, cannellini beans, lacinato (dinosaur) kale, cabbage, and inexpensive vegetables such as carrot, beans, chard, celery, potatoes, and onion.

Here is what I like to include in my recipe:

• Leftover bread
• Tuscan Kale
• Carrots
• Celery
• Onion
• Garlic
• Zucchini
• Whole peeled tomatoes
• Cannellini beans
• Bay leaves
• Thyme
• Chunk of parmigiano cheese (a secret that adds extra flavor to the broth!)

Make it your own by varying the veggies you have on hand! It is a great ‘clean out the fridge’ soup.

How To Make Ribollita

1. Place the olive oil, onion, and garlic in a large pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions and garlic are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and celery, and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring, until softened, about 8 more minutes. At this stage, add the kale, and cook – keep stirring – until the greens are very soft, about 8 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes and their juice, break up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon in the pot. Add 2 quarts of water, the bay leaf, the thyme, and beans. Season to taste with salt.
3. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
4. Add the bread cubes and parmigiano to the soup, and simmer until the bread is breaking apart and the soup is very thick, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let the soup rest for several minutes, and then ladle into warmed bowls. Drizzle a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil over each portion before serving. Optional: sprinkle a few red pepper flakes for extra heat.

Recipe Substitutions

The beauty of this comfort food recipe is that you can add or leave out anything you like. It changes throughout the year based on the ingredients you have available.

• Add rice or pasta
• Try different combinations of herbs
• Add peppers, black pepper, or pepper flakes for a spicy kick
• Use different greens like spinach, chard, cabbage, or collards
• Substitute canned for fresh tomatoes.

FAQ

Expert Tips

Traditionally, ribollita (which is Italian for “twice boiled”), was basically leftover minestrone soup that was reheated (or re-boiled, hence the name ribollita). So, the best tip I have for you is to use a soup or base you already have! That’s the whole idea of this soup – to use what you already have and transform it a little.

Make Ahead, Storage & Reheating Instructions

You can make this soup ahead of time and freeze it in batches in freezer-safe bags or storage containers. It keeps well for months! When freezing do NOT add the bread, it will become mushy in the freezer and ruin the texture of the soup.

To reheat, just add it to a pot and slowly bring up to temperature.

You can also add the frozen soup to a bowl with about 1/4 cup of water or vegetable stock and microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.

How To Serve This Recipe

This delicious soup is already so good it doesn’t need much. Serve with a sprinkle of parmigiano and a chunk of my focaccia bread with butter.

Hearty and herbaceous, loaded with leafy green vegetables, authentic Tuscan Ribollita is satisfying and comforting: beans, potatoes and bread provide an almost creamy texture. Not to mention the addition of herbs that delivers an aromatic twist.

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