The coziest soup we all need for the winter season: ribollita soup with greens & butter beans. It’s hearty & satisfying, with bold tomato and nutty parmesan flavors running throughout. Sit down to a hot bowl for lunch or maybe add on a big salad to turn it into the perfect soup + salad dinner.
tuscan ribollita soup – the details
This tuscan ribollita soup has got to be one of my favorite soups to date. It’s everything you want in one bowl…rich tomato broth, lots of vegetables and greens, butter beans for protein, and salty, irresistible cheese. And did I mention this soup has toasted bread in it?
Classic ribollita soup originated from Tuscany and is extra hearty due to a mound of bread that gets stirred into the soup before serving. To add some extra flavor and help keep the bread intact, I like to toast the bread in olive oil first while the soup is cooking. A fresh loaf of crusty, whole grain bread works great for this soup, but you could use italian bread or sourdough, too.
The rest of the ingredients are pretty classic and comforting. They all come together in a tomato-based broth that’s thickened slightly by the vegetables and beans…creating somewhat of a stew consistency. My special touch? Some red wine for extra rich flavor.
Make sure to add lots of freshly grated parmesan over top at the very end!
PrintRibollita Soup with Greens & Butter Beans
a hearty, tomato-based tuscan ribollita soup with toasted bread, greens, butter beans, and parmesan
serves: 4-6
Ingredients
- ¼ olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 medium carrots, peeled + diced
- 4 celery stalks, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 1 qt chicken stock
- 1 parmesan rind
- ½ lb fresh, crusty whole grain bread, torn into ½” pieces
- 1 large bunch tuscan kale (or swiss chard), stemmed + roughly chopped
- 1 (15 oz) can butter beans (or cannellini beans), rinsed + drained
- toppings: red pepper flakes, chopped parsley, freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat a large, heavy-bottom pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion, carrots, and celery. Let sauté for 8-10 minutes until tender and slightly caramelized. Season with salt and black pepper. Stir in the garlic and let cook for another minute or so.
- Stir in the tomato paste and red pepper flakes. Let cook and caramelize for about 2 minutes. Pour in the red wine. Simmer for another 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, and parmesan rind.
- Bring the soup to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer the soup for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Coat the bottom with a generous amount of olive oil. Add the torn bread and toast until golden and crispy, stirring continuously. Season with a pinch of salt.
- Stir the greens and beans into the soup. Simmer for another 10 minutes or so. When you’re ready to serve, stir in the bread. Taste the soup and season with salt to taste.
- Serve the soup with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, a good amount of freshly grated parmesan cheese, and parsley over top.
I made this twice in the past couple of days, one to give to a new mom and one for me bc it was so good. I add two cans of white beans- cannellini bc that’s what I had. I didn’t do the croutons but ate with some yummy crusty bread on the side. It was sooo good. How can something so simple be so tasty and healthy on top of it all!
Hi Joy! Thank you for such a wonderful comment! I’m so glad you loved this soup. It’s something I make over and over again. And I agree – so simple, yet so much flavor!!
This soup was 11/10!!!! Same as Nancy I added a second can of beans – we prefer more beans in our soup but would have been just fine with one! I used Trader Joe’s rosemary croissant croutons instead of crusty bread because I needed to finish the bag anyway. SO good!! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Hi Alex – I’m SO glad you enjoyed this soup! Thanks for sharing. And oh my goodness, those rosemary croissant croutons sound amazing. I’ll have to try and find those!
Made this soup today. It was delicious. I used 2 cans of four bean blend and kale. For the toasted bread I cut a baguette into slices and then halved them before toasting them in the pan as described. My husband loved this soup! Thanks for the recipe.
It turned out very good, wine made a difference. I used more beans and less chard per personal preference.
My absolute favorite soup! I double the chicken stock and beans + kale instead of Swiss chard and the flavor is simply amazing!!
This was absolutely delicious! The best soup recipe I have ever tried. The red wine adds so much flavor. I added a second can of butter beans, used spinach for the greens, and artisan ciabatta bread. I made the croutons in a cast iron skillet and they turned out so crunchy. Just a perfect dinner! Thank you.
Could you leave the red wine out? Or is it essential! Thanks! The recipe looks great
Lovetheblog
Thank you SO much, Megan. I appreciate it!
Another yummy soup.
Such a good one!!