A healthy, delicious recipe for Tuscan White Bean Soupalso known asRibollita– made with Cannellini beans, lacinato kale, and vegetables,drizzled with a Lemon Rosemary Garlic Oil. Hearty, nourishing, and easily vegan-Adaptable. (With a Video.)
You may also like25 Cozy Vegetarian Soup Recipes!
This day will never come again. ~Merton
This hearty flavorful Tuscan White Bean Soup, calledRibollita, originates from hilltop villages throughout Tuscany where, duringtheMiddle Ages, hungry, hard-working peasants who served table-side to their wealthy landowners, would pocket the leftover crusts and crumbs and bits of meat after abundant feasts and add these to their soups and stews at home.
Ribollitta translates to“re-boiled”.
Nothing was wasted.Traditionally, it’s a big pot of soup made with simple garden vegetables like onions, carrots, celery, kale, tomatoes and cannellini beans (or white beans) in a flavorful broth, thickened with bread, then reheated and eaten several days in row, getting better and better each day.
White Bean Soup (Ribolitta) | 50-sec video
Why I love this recipe
This recipe is just so wholesome and cozy and full of so much flavor. A meal unto itself! It’s a perfect winter soup that can be made vegan or vegetarian – the pancetta is totally optional and can be omitted altogether if vegan or vegetarian.
How to elevate White Bean Soup
- For extra depth of flavor, add a bit of whole, Parmesan rind to the simmering soup, which will give it amazing flavor.
- To me, what really elevates this recipe is the “finishing oil” – a drizzle of olive oil infused with lemon zest, garlic and rosemarywhichgives this sometimessomber soupa deliciousbrightness.
- Serve it with or over Crispy Sourdough Toast– like you see here in our Brothy Beans Recipe!
How to serve Ribollita
Serve Ribollita with crusty bread to mop up all the tasty flavors, and a drizzle of Lemony Rosemary oil.
It’s hearty enough for dinner, just on its own, and gets better and better eachday…so I like making a big pot of this and eating it throughout the week.
Expert Tips
To thicken the soup, you can blend a cup of the beans into a puree, or add torn pieces of day-old bread into the soup itself, cooking the bread down. It will add a delicious heartiness.
However personally, I’m a broth fan, so I leave this brothy and un-thickened so there are more juices todip the crusty bread in while eating. Of course, this is a personal preference, so do as you like.
On the homefront: Several years ago now, my group of girlfriends and I took a trip to Tuscany together. After years of planning, saving and dreaming, the time came when we were finally there, in a little hilltop village, soaking up all the Tuscan sunshine, wine and food we could handle.
Time seemed to slow way down, the hillsides were golden and glittery, so much beauty and detail to absorb.
There is something truly special about making the decisionto go somewhere, and then to actually go. Life is so short. I feel it getting shorter every single day, and I guess I just want to impress upon you to do the things you’ve always dreamed of doing, and not to wait too long.
This is where this soup came from…
More White Bean Soup Recipes
- Brothy Beans on Garlic Toast
- Creamy White Bean Soup with Gremolata
- Tuscan Cannellini Bean Soup
- Smoky Tomato White Bean Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken and White Bean Soup
- Pumpkin Soup with Leeks and White beans
- Instant Pot Minestrone Soup (Vegan!)
Have a delicious weekend! Let us know how you like Ribollita in the comments below!
xoxo
Sylvia
Ribollita (Tuscan White Bean Soup)
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star5 from 128 reviews
- Author: Sylvia Fountaine | Feasting at Home Blog
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6-8 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A hearty flavorful Tuscan White Bean Soup called Ribollita with lacinato kale, cannellini beans and garden vegetables served with crusty bread and drizzled with a flavorful lemon rosemary oil. See notes for vegan option.
Ingredients
UnitsScale
- 1/8 cup good olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped pancetta or bacon –optional (feel free to leave this out, or sub vegan bacon)
- 2 cups diced onions
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced fennel bulb (or sub celery)
- 4 – 6 cloves garlic- rough chopped
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, more to taste
- 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
- 2–3 medium tomatoes – diced (or a 14-ounce can diced tomatoes)
- 6 cups lacinato kale, chopped
- Splash white wine
- 6 cups chicken or veggie stock
- Parmesan rind (optional, but adds depth and flavor)
- 3 cups cooked cannellini beans – or use 2 cans cannellini beans (drained, rinsed), or great northern white beans
- ——–
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
- Grated pecorino or Parmesan – optional or try vegan parmesan
- Crusty Bread
Rosemary Lemon Garlic Oil ( for drizzling)
- 1/2 cup good olive oil
- zest of one large lemon
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- few sprigs rosemary (or thyme, sage)
Instructions
- Make the Lemon Garlic Rosemary Oil – place all ingredients in a small jar or bowl and let sit on the counter (or make the day before, refrigerating)
- In a large, heavy-bottom pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and optional pancetta and saute 6-8 minutes.
- Lower heat to med-low and add the carrots, fennel (or celery) and garlic, salt, pepper and chili flakes, and cook another 7- 9 minutes until vegetables are tender.
- Add the tomatoes and lacinato kale, and a splash of white wine, and continue sauteing and stirring occasionally for 7-8 minutes.
- Add the stock and beans. Bring to soup to boil, turn heat down and simmer for 15 minutes.(You could add a Parmesan rind to the simmering soup for extra depth of flavor.)
- Stir in fresh Italian Parsley. Adjust salt if necessary.
- Serve in bowls with a drizzle of the flavorful lemon oil, grated Parmesan ( or Romano) and crusty bread.
Notes
- NOTE: If you like a thicker soup, blend or puree 1-2 cups of the soup, and add back to the soup. Or, thicken it with day-old bread, torn into small pieces and cooked with the broth. This is the traditional way. (I prefer a brothier version of this soup, so I skip both and serve with toasty bread on the side instead.)
- Keep this vegan by using veggie broth, no pancetta or parmesan. The rosemary oil will add a delicious flavor – I highly recommend it. Sometimes I’ll add a tablespoon of Nutritional Yeast for a more cheesy flavor and 1 tablespoon miso paste to add more depth. Up to you.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: with ½ cup chopped "Turkey bacon", parmesan and the finishing oil.
- Calories: 325
- Sugar: 4.5 g
- Sodium: 851.7 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.3 g
- Fiber: 7.1 g
- Protein: 12.3 g
- Cholesterol: 15.7 mg
