Rustic Ribollita (Tuscan White Bean Soup)
Rustic Tuscan Soup Recipe – This classic Ribollita recipe makes the most wonderfully comforting, delicious Tuscan White Bean Soup. It’s a thick, rich soup that includes day-old bread, tomatoes, beans, and kale for a hearty and satisfying dish.
Why We Love This Classic Ribollita Tuscan White Bean Soup
Sure, you’re used to soup being served with bread on the side. But have you yet discovered the magic of bread soup recipes? That’s right… Bread in the soup.
We fell in love with “bread soups” on a trip to Italy several years ago. The most common varieties are Pappa Al Pomodoro, a chunky tomato soup thickened with day-old bread, and Ribollita, a vegetarian white bean and vegetable soup thickened with chopped Italian bread.
This Ribolita recipe includes a terrific combination of carrots, tomatoes, tender white beans and kale, plus chunks of day-old bread. Adding the bread not only thickens the soup, but it is also a way to use up leftovers to avoid waste and stretch the meal to fill more bellies. Plus, it also gives the soup flavor a comforting undertone and makes the texture almost like a deliciously rich porridge.
You can easily tweak Tuscan White Bean Soup to make a vegetarian or vegan version, and it can even be prepared gluten-free. It’s ready in about an hour, so this soup is perfect for a relaxing weekend dinner that is sure to please everyone at the table!
Ingredients You Need
Here is everything needed to make a wonderfully satisfying Tuscan White Bean Soup from scratch:
- Olive oil – or preferred cooking oil
- Ciabatta bread – or other rustic Italian bread
- Sweet onion – peeled and chopped
- Carrots – peeled and sliced into coins
- Celery – chopped
- Garlic – minced
- Vegetable broth – or veggie stock + water or chicken stock
- Canned San Marzano Tomatoes – crushed or diced
- Canned cannellini beans – drained, no need to rinse
- Parmesan cheese – shredded or shaved
- Anchovy paste – omit if vegetarian or vegan
- Seasonings – dried oregano, bay leaf, and crushed red pepper flakes
- Tuscan kale – also known as Italian kale or lacinato kale
- Salt and pepper – to taste
How to Make This Rustic Ribollita Recipe
- First, wash and chop all of the produce. Then heat extra-virgin olive oil in a large 7-8 quart saucepot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add in the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Generously season with salt and pepper. Sauté the veggies for about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Set out a rimmed baking sheet, and line it with parchment paper. Tear the bread (sliced or unsliced) into large bite-sized chunks and place on the baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and toss well. Then spread the bread out in an even layer. Toast in the oven for 8-10 minutes, flipping once. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Next, to the soup pot add the vegetable broth, tomatoes, cannellini beans, parmesan cheese, anchovy paste, oregano, bay leaf, and crushed red pepper. Stir well and bring to a simmer.
- Partially cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so. If the soup starts to thicken up a bit too much then turn the heat down to medium-low, and add in water if needed.
- Now add in the chopped kale and toasted bread pieces. Stir well and simmer the soup for another 5 minutes, until the bread nearly disintegrates into the broth.
- Taste, then salt and pepper as needed. Add extra parmesan cheese, if you like, and serve the Ribollita warm.
Get the Complete (Printable) Rustic Ribollito Recipe (Tuscan White Bean Soup) Below. Enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- To make this a vegetarian white bean soup recipe, omit the anchovy paste and add extra salt.
- For a vegan version, don’t add the anchovy paste and use your preferred plant-based Parmesan “cheese.”
- Tuscan kale can be swapped with red kale or curly kale. Or, skip the kale altogether and include baby spinach leaves.
- Make this recipe gluten-free by swapping the bread with your favorite GF Italian bread.
Tuscan White Bean Soup Serving Suggestions
Enjoy bowls of hot Ribollita with extra pieces of crusty bread on the side, or with a refreshing and healthy side salad. Or, serve this white bean soup with some of my personal favorites:
Frequently Asked Questions
This soup is certainly best when enjoyed freshly prepared, when the kale is tender and the pieces of bread are just right. You can keep leftovers stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a day or so, and reheat in a microwave or on the stovetop.
I do not recommend that you freeze Tuscan White Bean veggie and bread soup.
Use stale or day-old rustic bread, such as sourdough or a crusty Italian loaf. Avoid soft or sandwich breads, as they may disintegrate too much in the soup.
Looking for More Easy and Delicious Soup Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
- Vegetarian Navy Bean Soup
- Rustic (Vegan) White Bean and Kale Soup
- Tuscan Lentil Soup Recipe
- Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup with Basil
- Healthy Mulligatawny Soup
Get the Complete (Printable) Rustic Ribollito Recipe (Tuscan White Bean Soup) Below. Enjoy!
Rustic Ribollita (Tuscan White Bean Soup)
Video
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 8 ounces Ciabatta bread or rustic Italian bread
- 1 large sweet onion peeled and chopped
- 3-4 carrots peeled and sliced
- 3 celery stalks chopped
- 8-10 cloves garlic minced
- 64 ounces vegetable broth
- 28 ounce San Marzano Tomatoes crushed or diced
- 30 ounces cannellini beans 2 cans, drained
- ½ cup shaved parmesan cheese + extra for serving
- 1 ½ teaspoon anchovy paste *optional for vegetarian
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 bunch Tuscan kale roughly chopped
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Chop all the produce.
- Set a large 7-8 quart saucepot over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pot. Add in the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Generously season with salt and pepper. Sauté the veggies for 10 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Set out a rimmed baking sheet. Tear the bread (sliced or unsliced) into chunks and place on the baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoon olive oil and toss well. Then spread the bread chunks out in an even layer. Toast in the oven for 8-10 minutes, flipping once. Set aside.
- To the soup pot, add in the vegetable broth, tomatoes, cannellini beans, parmesan, anchovy paste, oregano, bay leaf, and crushed red pepper.
- Partially cover the pot and simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low if needed. (If the soup base starts to thicken too much, feel free to add in 1-3 cups of water.)
- Add in the chopped kale and toasted bread pieces. Stir well and simmer another 5 minutes, until the bread disintegrates into the broth. The texture should be thick like a stew. Taste, then salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm.
It was loved by all in my house! That is a RARE occasion! Will definitely be making this again. Such depth with so little work.
This soup is so flavorful and comforting — perfect for this time of year! Thanks for sharing, I’ll definitely be making it again.
I am so happy I found this recipe because it was even better than I imagined! All of my kids loved it too so I will definitely be making it again.
It is a cloudy day here & I am wishing I had a bowl of this right in front of me! It’s so good!! There is so much flavor!!
this soup is super tasty and perfect for those chilly winter nights! thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
wonderful, thank you, this has most I eat as part of my regular diet, legumes and veg and can add some protein to it too, and a great soup (I had to omit the bread though, much as I’d love to have it)
This is such a really comforting meal! I just tried it last night and it was a huge hit.
I eat soup all year long so I was excited to try this. I made a batch for lunch for the week and it was delicious!
Wow, this recipe brings me right to Italy with its flavors. I love everything about this, especially the bread!