Ribollita means "reboiled" — it began as a way to stretch leftover bean soup by simmering it again with stale bread. There's no meat; the depth comes from a slow soffritto, good beans, and a Parmesan rind if you have one. Make it a day ahead and reheat — that second boil is the whole point.
Ingredients
- 400 g (2 cans) cannellini beans
- 1 bunch cavolo nero (Tuscan kale), chopped
- ½ head Savoy cabbage, shredded
- 1 onion · 2 carrots · 2 celery stalks, diced
- 3 cloves garlic · 2 tbsp tomato paste · 1 can tomatoes
- 300 g stale crusty bread, torn · 1.5 L stock
- Olive oil · rosemary · Parmesan rind (optional)
Method
- In a large pot, soften the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in plenty of olive oil with a little rosemary, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, then the canned tomatoes.
- Blend half the beans to a purée and leave the rest whole. Add both to the pot with the cavolo nero, cabbage, stock and Parmesan rind if using. Simmer gently 40 minutes until the greens are meltingly soft.
- Stir in the torn stale bread and cook another 15–20 minutes, breaking it up, until the soup is thick and almost spoon-stands.
- Ideally cool and refrigerate overnight, then ribollire — reboil — the next day. Serve in bowls with a generous swirl of your best olive oil and black pepper.
🥖 Stale bread is the point
Don't use fresh bread — it turns gummy. Day-old crusty bread breaks down into the broth and gives ribollita its signature thick, porridge-like body.