Ribollita Tuscan Bread Soup
Cannellini beans, cavolo nero and stale bread simmered together until the bread dissolves and the soup turns thick enough to eat with a fork. Mashing some of the beans does the thickening.
- 1
Warm the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Cook the onion, carrot and celery 10 to 12 minutes, until soft and sweet but not browned. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook 2 minutes.
- 2
Add the diced tomatoes and cook 5 minutes, until the raw tomato smell is gone.
- 3
Mash about 1 cup of the beans to a paste, then add them to the pot along with the whole beans and their reserved liquid.
- 4
Pour in the water and add the cavolo nero, rosemary sprig, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes, until the greens are silky and dark.
- 5
Stir in the torn bread and simmer 10 minutes more, stirring often, until the bread has broken down and a spoon stands up briefly in the soup.
- 6
Fish out the rosemary stem, let the pot sit off the heat 5 minutes, and serve with a drizzle of olive oil over each bowl.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, liquid reserved
- 6 cups water
- 1 bunch cavolo nero, stemmed and roughly chopped
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 ounces day-old crusty bread, torn into 1-inch pieces
Instructions
- 1
Warm the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Cook the onion, carrot and celery 10 to 12 minutes, until soft and sweet but not browned. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook 2 minutes.
- 2
Add the diced tomatoes and cook 5 minutes, until the raw tomato smell is gone.
- 3
Mash about 1 cup of the beans to a paste, then add them to the pot along with the whole beans and their reserved liquid.
- 4
Pour in the water and add the cavolo nero, rosemary sprig, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes, until the greens are silky and dark.
- 5
Stir in the torn bread and simmer 10 minutes more, stirring often, until the bread has broken down and a spoon stands up briefly in the soup.
- 6
Fish out the rosemary stem, let the pot sit off the heat 5 minutes, and serve with a drizzle of olive oil over each bowl.