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Tuscan Ribollita: Recipe with Lacinato Kale and Stale Bread

About 2 min read

Serves 4 · 60–75 minutes with pre-cooked beans · Easy

Ribollita is a Tuscan soup made to be reheated. Cavolo nero, beans, and leftover bread become a hearty dish: there’s no need to aim for a perfectly smooth consistency. When it works, no-waste cooking has real character.

Ingredients for 4

  • 300 g cleaned cavolo nero, with the toughest ribs removed
  • 250 g savoy cabbage
  • 450 g pre-cooked cannellini beans, with a little of their cooking liquid
  • 250 g stale Tuscan bread, sliced
  • 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, 1 onion
  • 300 g peeled tomatoes or tomato passata
  • 1 medium potato
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper
  • 600–800 ml water or vegetable broth, as needed

How to prepare ribollita

  1. Finely chop the onion, celery and carrots. Sauté them in oil in a large pot for 8–10 minutes, without browning.
  2. Add the diced potato, thinly sliced cavolo nero and savoy cabbage. Stir for 3 minutes, then add the tomatoes and most of the water.
  3. Blend about a third of the cannellini beans with a little cooking liquid: this will make the soup naturally creamy. Pour the whole and blended beans into the pot.
  4. Simmer gently for 35–45 minutes, stirring occasionally; if the soup dries out too much, add hot water. Season with salt and pepper only at the end.
  5. In a casserole or heatproof bowl, layer the soup and slices of stale bread. Leave to rest for at least 30 minutes, or preferably a few hours in the refrigerator after cooling.
  6. Before serving, reheat the ribollita thoroughly in a pot, adding a little water. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Ribollita or bread soup: what’s the difference?

Ribollita gets its name from the practice of reheating the soup. Family recipes vary from house to house, but bread, legumes and vegetables remain at the heart of the dish.

Can I use canned beans?

Yes. Drain and rinse them, then use water or broth for cooking. If you use dried cannellini beans, you’ll need to soak and cook them separately.

Reheated the next day, it is often even better. Store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container after cooling quickly and eat it within 2–3 days.

Try beans all’uccelletto too · Pappa al pomodoro with stale bread.
The ritual of scarpetta

A piece of bread and the sauce left on your plate: fare la scarpetta means mopping up those last traces. It is not a recipe, just a simple way to leave nothing good behind. A little ritual to take to your next table.