Tuscan Ribollita White Bean (Printer View)

Rustic Tuscan soup featuring white beans, kale, vegetables, and crunchy sourdough croutons.

# What you'll need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
02 - 1 large yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
06 - 1 small fennel bulb, cored and diced
07 - 1 small zucchini, diced
08 - 4 cups Tuscan kale (cavolo nero), stemmed and chopped
09 - 1 Yukon gold potato, peeled and diced
10 - 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with juice

→ Beans and Broth

11 - 2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
12 - 6 cups vegetable broth
13 - 1 bay leaf
14 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
15 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
16 - ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
17 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Sourdough Croutons

18 - 4 thick slices day-old sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
19 - 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
20 - 1 garlic clove, halved

→ Finishing

21 - Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
22 - Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (optional)

# Method:

01 - Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and fennel. Sauté for 8-10 minutes until softened and translucent.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add zucchini, potato, and kale. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
03 - Add diced tomatoes with juices, cannellini beans, vegetable broth, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Season generously with salt and pepper.
04 - Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Partially mash some beans and vegetables with the back of a spoon to achieve desired thickness.
05 - Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Toss sourdough cubes with 2 tablespoons olive oil and spread on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, turning once, until golden and crisp. While warm, rub with cut garlic clove.
06 - Remove bay leaf from soup. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls and top generously with sourdough croutons, a drizzle of olive oil, and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes even better the next day when the flavors have had time to get cozy with each other.
  • The combination of crispy sourdough croutons and silky beans gives you multiple textures in every spoonful, which keeps things interesting.
  • One pot, minimal fuss, and it stretches to feed a crowd or give you several peaceful lunches throughout the week.
02 -
  • Don't skip the step of partially mashing the beans and vegetables—I learned this the hard way when my first batch turned out too thin and brothlike, and that one technique changed everything.
  • Day-old bread is non-negotiable for croutons; fresh bread will dissolve into the soup and ruin the textural magic you're after.
03 -
  • Don't save the olive oil for garnish—that final drizzle and the quality of it makes an enormous difference to how the dish tastes, so use something you actually love.
  • Taste the soup more than once as it cooks; seasons develop and change, and you want to catch it when it's perfectly balanced rather than oversalted.
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