Ribollita (Tuscan Bread and Bean Soup)
Tuscany's thrifty, deeply satisfying soup: cannellini beans, cavolo nero and vegetables simmered with stale bread until thick enough to stand a spoon in, finished with a generous pour of peppery olive oil.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Cook the vegetables
Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and rosemary with a pinch of salt, and cook for about 12 minutes, stirring often, until soft.
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 stalks celery
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 sprig rosemary
- a pinch salt
✅ Done when: vegetables are soft and lightly golden
Add tomato and potato
Stir in the chopped tomatoes and diced potato and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat, until the tomato thickens slightly.
- 200g chopped tomatoes
- 1 small diced potato
✅ Done when: tomato sauce has thickened slightly and coats the vegetables
Beans and greens
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Cook the soup
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Add the bread
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Rest and serve
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Cook the vegetables
Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and rosemary with a pinch of salt, and cook for about 12 minutes, stirring often, until soft.
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 stalks celery
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 sprig rosemary
- a pinch salt
✅ Done when: vegetables are soft and lightly golden
Add tomato and potato
Stir in the chopped tomatoes and diced potato and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat, until the tomato thickens slightly.
- 200g chopped tomatoes
- 1 small diced potato
✅ Done when: tomato sauce has thickened slightly and coats the vegetables
Beans and greens
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Cook the soup
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Add the bread
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Rest and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Ribollita was born of Tuscan frugality. Unsalted Tuscan bread goes stale quickly, and cooks stretched it into soups with beans and whatever greens the garden offered — above all cavolo nero, the dark, crinkled winter kale.
A big pot was made on Friday and "reboiled" over the following days, getting thicker and tastier each time.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It's the emblem of cucina povera: humble ingredients turned into something rich and memorable.
💡 Fun Fact
Tuscans say ribollita is only right after a frost has sweetened the cavolo nero — which is why it's a winter dish.
Florence and the Tuscan countryside
43.77°N, 11.26°E
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