Ribollita

Ribollita is a Tuscan soup that is loaded with veggies and thickened with bread. There are three different kinds of greens. Three! Not to mention the rest of the vegetables - perfect for a cold wintry night at home.

The soup has to simmer for a few hours to really blend all the flavors, so it's more of a weekend soup than a weeknight one. One recipe makes 8-10 servings, so we froze much of it. I had some of the frozen leftovers for lunch today (2 weeks later) and it was still great!

If you follow the recipe exactly, it calls for dried beans which adds another day to the cooking process; if you want to cheat like me, just use 2 cans of beans instead.

Ribollita

from Bon Appétit magazine

5 cups water

2 cans cannellini beans with juice

5 sage leaves, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

salt

6 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 large celery stalks, chopped

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 large unpeeled Yukon gold potato or 4 fingerling potatoes, scrubbed and diced into 1/2" cubes

1 small fennel bulb, quartered through core, sliced crosswise

dried thyme

1 small bunch kale, sliced into 1" ribbons (recipe calls for black kale but I couldn't find it; regular works fine)

1 small bunch green chard, stems removed and sliced into 1" ribbons

4 cups thinly sliced savoy cabbage

5 large plum tomatoes, chopped

1 2" square rind Parmesan (note: careful when cutting the rind off of tough cheese, lest you end up in urgent care with the pad of your finger hanging off like Don)

red pepper flakes

2 cups vegetable or chicken broth

6 1/2" thick slices country white bread (I used Arnold brand because I had it)

Heat 3 tbsp oil over medium heat; add the onion and sprinkle with salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, until onion is translucent. Add garlic and cook for 2 additional minutes, then add the celery, carrot, potato, fennel, and a pinch of thyme. Cook until vegetables are tender and begin to brown, about 20 minutes.

Add kale, chard, cabbage, tomatoes, rind, water, sage, and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 1 1/2 hour

Add beans with liquid, broth, and red pepper flakes to taste. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Break up the bread by hand and add to the soup. Bring to a simmer and stir to continue breaking up the bread. If it gets too thick, feel free to add more broth but I liked mine thick. I would consider adding some broth to the frozen leftovers in the future, though.

Divide among bowls and drizzle with olive oil if desired.