Ribollita

Name: Ribollita
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 150 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Dried cannellini beans 2 cups; Stale bread Tuscan (wood-fired) 2.3 cups; Verza (savoy cabbage) (to clean) 10.5 oz; Italian kale (cavolo nero) (to clean) 6 cups; Chard (to clean) 8.3 cups; Potatoes 0.7 lb; Peeled tomatoes 1 ¼ cup; Carrots 0.44 cup; Celery 1 cup; Onions 1; Garlic 1 clove; Thyme fresh to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

it es br de fr nl

Lactose Free
Vegetarian
Vegan

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h
Serving: 6
Cost: Low
Note + 1 night of soaking for the cannellini beans and 2 hours of resting in the fridge

Listen to the recipe

PRESENTATION

Tuscan cuisine is celebrated for its rustic, deeply flavorful dishes—and few are more iconic than ribollita, a hearty soup that perfectly captures the region’s culinary soul. This classic first course is made with day-old bread, beans, and Tuscan kale (cavolo nero). Born from humble origins, ribollita began as a clever way to use leftovers, a true expression of Italy’s cucina povera—simple ingredients transformed into something extraordinary.

The very idea of “reboiling” the soup—especially the bread and vegetables—to make the most of every ingredient reflects Tuscany’s strong farmhouse traditions and zero-waste philosophy. The result? A rich, nourishing, and satisfying comfort food that tastes even better the next day.

Today, ribollita remains a staple of home cooking across Tuscany, with countless variations shaped by family traditions and local customs. One ingredient you’ll always find is thyme—known in Tuscany as pepolino—which adds a distinctive aromatic touch to this thick kale and bean soup.

Here, we’ll share our best tips and secrets for making authentic Tuscan ribollita at home, so you can experience one of Italy’s most beloved traditional dishes—right from your own kitchen.

How to prepare Ribollita

To prepare ribollita, start by soaking the beans overnight in cold water 1. Then drain, rinse them, and place them in a large pot with plenty of unsalted cold water 2. Bring to a boil and cook for one hour. Meanwhile, prepare the aromas and vegetables for the soup: cut the celery into dice about 1/8 inch 3.

Do the same with the carrot, then peel and chop the onion 5 and garlic 6.

Peel and cut the potatoes into chunks of about 3/4 inch 7. Now move on to the leafy greens: cut the savoy cabbage into strips of about 1/2 to 3/4 inch, after removing the central core 8. Also, cut the Swiss chard into small pieces 9.

Remove the woody base of the black cabbage head, then cut the rest into strips 10. If the stems are too tough, you can strip the leaf from the stem and discard it. Crush the canned tomatoes with a fork 11. When the beans are cooked, take about half of them and set them aside 12.

Blend the rest along with their cooking water using an immersion blender 13. In a very large pot, pour some olive oil and add the onion 14, celery, carrot, and garlic 15.

Season with thyme (pepolino) 16 and sauté gently for about 10 minutes over low heat. Now add the potatoes 17 and the leafy greens 18.

Salt 19, pepper, and mix well, stewing everything for a few minutes. At this point, pour in the crushed tomatoes 20 and the bean broth 21, adding more water if needed to cover all the vegetables.

Bring to a boil and let cook over medium-low heat for 45 minutes 22. After this time 23, add the cooked beans you set aside 34.

Cut the stale Tuscan bread into slices 25 and immerse them in the pot, pressing them well into the broth with the help of a ladle 26. When all the slices are well immersed, cover with a lid 27 and let cool at room temperature, then place in the refrigerator for another 2 hours, or better yet, overnight.

After the cooling time, retrieve the soup 28, stir it, and put it back on the heat 29. Bring it to a boil, adjusting the thickness with additional water if needed. Serve and finish with a drizzle of raw olive oil 30.

Pepper 31, flavor with thyme 32, and serve your ribollita immediately 33!

Storage

The ribollita can be stored for 1-2 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It can be frozen if you have used all fresh non-defrosted ingredients, although the taste may suffer.

Advice

If desired, you can garnish the soup with raw chopped onion.

For a good result, we recommend using bread with a thick crust, so it won't become excessively mushy during cooking.

If you like spicy food, you can certainly add some fresh or dried chili pepper to your ribollita, but do so sparingly, so it doesn't overpower the taste of the other ingredients.

Don't have enough time and looking for a black cabbage recipe that's quicker to prepare? Try the Pasta with Black Kale!

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.