Welcome cooler weather with Tuscan ribollita, a hearty bean soup

Cooks from Tuscany are particularly fond of making vegetable soups and stews, often preferring them over pasta. And like pasta, they are usually the first course or may even be the main event depending on the ingredients used.

Italian home cooks prepare their vegetables with care, mixing them into frittatas, savory tarts, soups and stews. Ribollita —a stew of cannellini beans, greens, tomatoes and potatoes, thickened with stale bread, and served with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, black pepper, and a generous sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggiano — is a perfect vegetable-packed meal.

This hearty soup/stew originated during the Middle Ages in Tuscany, where hungry peasants saved leftover bread crusts from the sumptuous feasts of the wealthy land-owners to add to their soups and stews at home. It is a traditional Tuscan dish that exemplifies the frugality and resourcefulness of using leftover ingredients. When crisp weather arrives, Ribollita is my go-to soup for a hearty and delicious dinner.

Soak the beans overnight (or use canned beans) and make ribollita the day before you want to eat it. It’s always better the next day after the flavors have blended — and it’s how it got its name; “reboiled.”

Tuscan kale or black kale (cavolo nero) is the traditional green used in this dish, but other greens such as spinach, Swiss chard, or regular kale are good. Cavolo nero is available in most markets.

There are as many ways to make this soup as there are cooks in Tuscany, and if you like to make recipes based on what’s in the refrigerator you will appreciate this dish’s versatility. Parmigiano Reggiano rinds (I save them in my freezer) in the simmering soup add an extra depth of flavor.

Use any type of white bean you have on hand; cannellini or great northern beans are most typical, or add chopped broccoli, green beans, or zucchini. Make it however you like, and make it your own. Double the recipe and divide into containers and freeze for another meal — or eat it all week. It gets better and better each day.

If the stew gets too thick, add more broth to thin the consistency.

Three Greens Ribollita Soup

This recipe is adapted from Listen to Your Vegetables by Sarah Grueneberg and Kate Heddings, Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers ($45.00).

The old adage “what grows together, goes together” applies aptly to the pairing of Ruffino 2017 Modus Toscana IGT ($27.50), an intense ruby red wine with rich aromas of mature red and black fruits with hints of spices, sweet tobacco notes makes this wine an ideal accompaniment to this soup.

Grueneberg writes, “I like to use many greens here! Feel free to change up or add more varieties of greens. Swiss chard, spinach, collards, green cabbage, and escarole are all great choices. I like this soup best with home-cooked beans, but you can sub two 15-ounce cans of cranberry, cannellini, or great Northern beans with their liquid if you prefer “

2 tablespoons everyday olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

3 celery stalks, diced

1 medium carrot, diced

1 small bulb fennel, cored and diced

1 large yellow onion, diced

Kosher salt

One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with their juice

2 dried bay leaves

1 pinch of chile flake (optional)

1 pound home-cooked dried beans with their cooking liquid or two 15-ounce cans of beans and their liquid

8 cups vegetable stock, chicken stock, or Charred Onion Vegetable Stock (page 325)

One 2- to 3-inch piece Parmigiano rind

1 small bunch of turnip or mustard greens, stemmed, leaves chopped

2 bunches of Tuscan kale, stemmed, leaves chopped

1 small head of savoy cabbage, cored and chopped

2 cups cubed crusty Italian-style bread (like ciabatta)

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 fresh rosemary sprigs

Fresh cracked black pepper

Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving

Giardiniera-style pickled peppers in olive oil, for serving (optional)

1. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the celery, carrot, fennel, and onion, and cook until softened and golden, about 3 minutes. Season with a few pinches of salt. Add the crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, and chile flake (if using), and simmer, stirring often, until the tomatoes reduce a bit, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked beans and their liquid, along with the stock and parm rind; bring to a boil. Add the greens, kale, and cabbage, stirring to allow them to soften in the broth; season with a few more generous pinches of salt. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer the soup, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened slightly, 45 minutes to an hour.

2. Stir in the bread and 1 cup of water and bring the soup back up to a boil. Stir in the vinegar, then add the rosemary. Cover, turn off the heat, and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove the parm rind and rosemary and discard them. Season with salt and fresh black pepper. To serve, ladle the ribollita soup into bowls and sprinkle with a spoonful of grated parm and some fresh black pepper. If you are up to it, add some giardiniera peppers with their oil, just like we do in Chicago. If you aren’t using giardiniera, then a generous drizzle of olive oil (don’t be shy with the oil) will do—it’s just how the Tuscans do it.

Yield: 8 Servings

This story was originally published November 15, 2022 at 3:30 PM.