Classic Ribollita
It’s brimming with vegetables in a yummy, brothy base with smoky bacon and cannellini beans. Even though it’s a soup, it still makes a filling meal.
Ingredients
Soup:
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/2 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 zucchini squash, diced
- 1 yellow squash, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 celery ribs, sliced
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 2 leeks, white part only, sliced and cleaned
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 - 8 cups chicken stock, lower sodium
- 1 15-ounce can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, minced
- 1 tablespoons fresh basil, torn if large leaves, or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves. or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
- 2 - 3" Parmesan rind, optional, see Notes
- 2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 - 4 ounces baby spinach or kale, chopped
Bread:
- 1 small loaf of hardy, day-old bread, torn into chunks
- excellent-quality extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
For the Soup:
- Have all your vegetables prepped and chopped and ready to go.
- In a stockpot over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of oil.
- Once the oil is shimmering, add the zucchini, squash, onion, celery, carrots, leeks, and garlic. Stir often until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 8 minutes. If you like your veggies super-soft, sauté a little longer. Add more oil as needed to sauté the vegetables.
- Add the tomatoes, stock, and tomato paste. Stir to blend the tomato paste thoroughly.
- Add the bay leaf, herbs, Parm rind, and beans. Turn the heat to low, place the lid slightly ajar, and simmer for 20 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Discard the bay leaf and rind remnant. Stir in the spinach. Maintain low heat (or turn off the heat and leave the lid fully on the top) while you toast the bread under the broiler.
For the Bread:
- Prepare and toast the bread while the soup is simmering.
- Preheat the broiler to low. Set the upper rack about 6” below the broiler.
- Using your hands, tear the loaf of bread into chunks that are about 2” to 3” chunks, not too small that they’ll dissolve immediately in the soup, and not too large they won’t fit into individual bowls.
- Spread the chunks of bread onto a baking sheet and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.
- Place the pan under the broiler just long enough to get some toasted edges and nice browning on the bread.
- Remove the pan from the oven.
- To serve, place the desired amount of bread into individual bowls and ladle soup over the bread and serve. Alternatively, you can ladle the soup first into the bowl, then press bread pieces into the soup.
Nutrition Facts
Classic Ribollita
Amount per Serving
Calories
475.59
% Daily Value*
Fat
26.96
g
41
%
Saturated Fat
6.52
g
41
%
Trans Fat
0.06
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
3.6
g
Monounsaturated Fat
14.71
g
Cholesterol
24.95
mg
8
%
Sodium
1423.24
mg
62
%
Potassium
1191.83
mg
34
%
Carbohydrates
42.08
g
14
%
Fiber
7.63
g
32
%
Sugar
7.94
g
9
%
Protein
15.71
g
31
%
Vitamin A
3356.4
IU
67
%
Vitamin C
30.21
mg
37
%
Calcium
111.8
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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