Authentic Ribollita Recipe - The Way My Nonna Made It

Ribollita is Tuscany's most famous soup, and every family has their version. This is how my grandmother made it, and how I still make it today. The name means "reboiled" because it was originally made with leftover minestrone, reheated the next day with stale bread.

Ingredients (serves 6):

• 400g dried cannellini beans (soaked overnight) — or 2 cans, drained
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch cavolo nero (Tuscan black kale), stems removed, roughly chopped
• ½ savoy cabbage, shredded
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped
• 400g can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 300g stale Tuscan bread (unsalted!), torn into chunks
• Good extra virgin olive oil — Tuscan if possible
• 1 sprig rosemary, 2 sage leaves, 1 bay leaf
• Salt and black pepper
• Parmigiano Reggiano rind (optional but wonderful)

Method:

1. If using dried beans, cook them in unsalted water until tender (about 1.5 hours). Reserve the cooking liquid. Purée half the beans and keep the other half whole.
2. In a large heavy pot, warm generous olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook gently for 10 minutes until soft — don't rush this.
3. Add the garlic, rosemary, sage, and bay leaf. Cook 2 more minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes and cook until they break down, about 10 minutes.
5. Add the cavolo nero, cabbage, and chard. Stir until they wilt.
6. Add the puréed beans, whole beans, and enough bean cooking liquid (or water) to create a thick soupy consistency. Add the Parmigiano rind if using.
7. Simmer gently for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Layer the stale bread chunks into the soup, pushing them under the surface. Cook 15 more minutes until the bread dissolves and thickens everything beautifully.
9. Remove from heat. Here's the secret: let it sit for several hours, or overnight. Ribollita is always better the next day.
10. Reheat gently (that's the "reboiling"). Serve in bowls drizzled generously with your best olive oil, with a crack of black pepper.

My nonna's tips:

• The olive oil at the end is not a garnish — it's an ingredient. Use the best you can afford and be generous.
• Tuscan bread is traditionally unsalted. If yours is salted, reduce the salt in the soup.
• Never, ever add pasta. That makes it minestrone. Ribollita is bread soup. The bread is non-negotiable.
• It should be thick enough that a wooden spoon stands up in it.

In bocca al lupo! (Good luck!) Let me know if you try it.