A healthy, delicious recipe for Tuscan White Bean Soup also known as Ribollita – made with Cannellini beans, lacinato kale, and vegetables, drizzled with a Lemon Rosemary Garlic Oil. Hearty, nourishing, and easily vegan-Adaptable. (With a Video.)
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This day will never come again. ~Merton
This hearty flavorful Tuscan White Bean Soup, called Ribollita, originates from hilltop villages throughout Tuscany where, during the Middle Ages, hungry, hard-working peasants who served table-side to their wealthy landowners, would pocket the leftover crusts and crumbs and bits of meat after abundant feasts and add these to their soups and stews at home.
Ribollitta translates to “re-boiled”.
Nothing was wasted. Traditionally, it’s a big pot of soup made with simple garden vegetables like onions, carrots, celery, kale, tomatoes and cannellini beans (or white beans) in a flavorful broth, thickened with bread, then reheated and eaten several days in row, getting better and better each day.
White Bean Soup (Ribolitta) | 50-sec video
Why I love this recipe
This recipe is just so wholesome and cozy and full of so much flavor. A meal unto itself! It’s a perfect winter soup that can be made vegan or vegetarian – the pancetta is totally optional and can be omitted altogether if vegan or vegetarian.
How to elevate White Bean Soup
- For extra depth of flavor, add a bit of whole, Parmesan rind to the simmering soup, which will give it amazing flavor.
- To me, what really elevates this recipe is the “finishing oil” – a drizzle of olive oil infused with lemon zest, garlic and rosemary which gives this sometimes somber soup a delicious brightness.
- Serve it with or over Crispy Sourdough Toast– like you see here in our Brothy Beans Recipe!
How to serve Ribollita
Serve Ribollita with crusty bread to mop up all the tasty flavors, and a drizzle of Lemony Rosemary oil.
It’s hearty enough for dinner, just on its own, and gets better and better each day…so I like making a big pot of this and eating it throughout the week.
Expert Tips
To thicken the soup, you can blend a cup of the beans into a puree, or add torn pieces of day-old bread into the soup itself, cooking the bread down. It will add a delicious heartiness.
However personally, I’m a broth fan, so I leave this brothy and un-thickened so there are more juices to dip the crusty bread in while eating. Of course, this is a personal preference, so do as you like.
On the homefront: Several years ago now, my group of girlfriends and I took a trip to Tuscany together. After years of planning, saving and dreaming, the time came when we were finally there, in a little hilltop village, soaking up all the Tuscan sunshine, wine and food we could handle.
Time seemed to slow way down, the hillsides were golden and glittery, so much beauty and detail to absorb.
There is something truly special about making the decision to go somewhere, and then to actually go. Life is so short. I feel it getting shorter every single day, and I guess I just want to impress upon you to do the things you’ve always dreamed of doing, and not to wait too long.
This is where this soup came from…
More White Bean Soup Recipes
- Brothy Beans on Garlic Toast
- Creamy White Bean Soup with Gremolata
- Tuscan Cannellini Bean Soup
- Smoky Tomato White Bean Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken and White Bean Soup
- Pumpkin Soup with Leeks and White beans
- Brothy Tortellini Soup w/ Spinach, White Beans & Basil
- Instant Pot Minestrone Soup (Vegan!)
Have a delicious weekend! Let us know how you like Ribollita in the comments below!
xoxo
Print
Ribollita (Tuscan White Bean Soup)
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6-8 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A hearty flavorful Tuscan White Bean Soup called Ribollita with lacinato kale, cannellini beans and garden vegetables served with crusty bread and drizzled with a flavorful lemon rosemary oil. See notes for vegan option.
Ingredients
- 1/8 cup good olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped pancetta or bacon –optional (feel free to leave this out, or sub vegan bacon)
- 2 cups diced onions
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced fennel bulb (or sub celery)
- 4 – 6 cloves garlic- rough chopped
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, more to taste
- 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
- 2–3 medium tomatoes – diced (or a 14-ounce can diced tomatoes)
- 6 cups lacinato kale, chopped
- Splash white wine
- 6 cups chicken or veggie stock
- Parmesan rind (optional, but adds depth and flavor)
- 3 cups cooked cannellini beans – or use 2 cans cannellini beans (drained, rinsed), or great northern white beans
- ——–
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
- Grated pecorino or Parmesan – optional or try vegan parmesan
- Crusty Bread
Rosemary Lemon Garlic Oil ( for drizzling)
- 1/2 cup good olive oil
- zest of one large lemon
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- few sprigs rosemary (or thyme, sage)
Instructions
- Make the Lemon Garlic Rosemary Oil – place all ingredients in a small jar or bowl and let sit on the counter (or make the day before, refrigerating)
- In a large, heavy-bottom pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and optional pancetta and saute 6-8 minutes.
- Lower heat to med-low and add the carrots, fennel (or celery) and garlic, salt, pepper and chili flakes, and cook another 7- 9 minutes until vegetables are tender.
- Add the tomatoes and lacinato kale, and a splash of white wine, and continue sauteing and stirring occasionally for 7-8 minutes.
- Add the stock and beans. Bring to soup to boil, turn heat down and simmer for 15 minutes.(You could add a Parmesan rind to the simmering soup for extra depth of flavor.)
- Stir in fresh Italian Parsley. Adjust salt if necessary.
- Serve in bowls with a drizzle of the flavorful lemon oil, grated Parmesan ( or Romano) and crusty bread.
Notes
- NOTE: If you like a thicker soup, blend or puree 1-2 cups of the soup, and add back to the soup. Or, thicken it with day-old bread, torn into small pieces and cooked with the broth. This is the traditional way. (I prefer a brothier version of this soup, so I skip both and serve with toasty bread on the side instead.)
- Keep this vegan by using veggie broth, no pancetta or parmesan. The rosemary oil will add a delicious flavor – I highly recommend it. Sometimes I’ll add a tablespoon of Nutritional Yeast for a more cheesy flavor and 1 tablespoon miso paste to add more depth. Up to you.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: with ½ cup chopped "Turkey bacon", parmesan and the finishing oil.
- Calories: 325
- Sugar: 4.5 g
- Sodium: 851.7 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.3 g
- Fiber: 7.1 g
- Protein: 12.3 g
- Cholesterol: 15.7 mg
I now make this a lot because everyone including neighbors love it! Deliciousness! I leave the meat out because we are vegetarian and that topping is fantastic with it!!
Great to hear Moira!
Excellent recipe. Have made this several times and it’s always a hit. Going to use the recipe as part of our “Italian-theme” vegan Christmas dinner.
Sounds wonderful Sandra!
This was a phenomenal soup! I made it with a 1# of spicy Italian sausage (left off bacon or pancetta) and used leeks in addition to the onion. Shared it w/ two different households who also gave it rave reviews
thanks Judy!
Super soup, Sylvia! Very tasty! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Thanks Susan!
I love this recipe, thank you! I made a double batch – does this freeze well?
Thank you.
Yes, it should freeze just fine!
Best soup ever! Don’t skip the rosemary lemon garlic oil. It changes this soup from good to sensational.
Thanks Mary! Yes, it elevates- glad you tried it! 😉
I used kielbasa as the meat. It really added a rich flavor to the soup.
Easy way to cut kale-lay kale leaves in freezer. When frozen, it crumbles easily in your hands.
That’s a great idea Cynthia- will have to try that!
Sylvia, I’ve hosted dozens of dinner parties over the years featuring your recipes and EVERY time someone asks where I got them and I always refer them to your site. Your flavors are spot on and everyone “ooh’s and ahh’s” over the delicious food. Thank you so much for providing such amazing recipes for us to create. I have yet to discover a dud and I’ve been following you for years! This soup gets made regularly in my household. It’s so good!
🥰 Awww, thanks so much Laurie- I appreciate this so much! Glad you are ejoying the blog and this recipe!
Absolutely delicious! I made this using spinach and celery since I had those on hand. I did make the rosemary oil which added an extra dimension to the flavors. My husband and I loved it. This recipe is going into our permanent rotation.
Love it Susan!
So delicious, making it again!
This is an excellent recipe! Thank you. You have 8 photos on this page, 7 of which are virtually identical and 1 other is instructive. (Plus 2 videos, which are superfluous – people can follow the recipe.) Please be aware that hundreds and hundreds of acres of buildings housing web servers/storage are creating a huge environmental problem. Please consider reducing the excessive glitz on your site in consideration of the planet. Thanks.
I will consider it… thanks for pointing this out- I had never thought of this.
Thank you, Sylvia. I’ve reached out to dozens of online chefs in the same manner since learning of this problem, and yours is the first acknowledgement I have received. I appreciate it.
Scott
What a ridiculous comment. The site is about web content. Hence the web content. Pick that battle where it’s more relevant is my final thought on this.
Joel, this site is about cooking. It can be equally as effective and take up less oxygen. Sorry to hear that it is your final thought on the matter. Never an easy position to be in.
Scott
This is one of my favorite all-time recipes and I make this at least once a month! One time I didn’t have any tomatoes on hand so I used a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes. Another time my local supermarket was sold out of kale so I subbed swiss chard. Still yet, I’ve tried it super spicy, and also without the rosemary-infused oil. It comes out amazing and super delicious every time! When I added the ingredients to My Fitness Pal app, I was surprised by how low in calories it is since it is super satisfying! Thank you, Sylvia, for another fabulous recipe! I tell all of my friends about you!
THanks so much Lisa- happy this works for you.
This soup is excellent. It brings back the memory of sitting on a Tuscan hillside sipping wine with the aroma of Ribollita in the air. I serve it with chunks of crusty bread and good wine. The last minute drizzle at serving time is a must. Delicious!
Thanks Bev!
We love this soup. It’s even better the next day!!! It’s become a house favorite and staple for us!
Thanks so much Steve!
OMG! This is the most tasty, satisfying, nutritious meal ever! It has so many levels of flavour, especially when the lemon, garlic & rosemary oil is added. My family & friends love it ❤️
So happy you like this!
Excellent and truly enjoyable and delicious. As much fun to cook as it is to eat. Thank you for the recipe
Awesome Dave! Glad you enjoyed this!
This soup is excellent—so full of flavor. Especially love the oil drizzled on top. I added the Parmesan rind for extra flavor and then, at the end, a cup of heavy cream to give the broth even more body. One bowl with toasted bread and a salad is a great meal.
thanks so much Laura!
I really enjoyed this filling soup. It definitely tastes better the next day. As I only had one can of canellini beans I also used a can of chic peas. I don’t know if it is the reason for being so windy. Filling without the bread but goes very well with it. Easy enough to make, only time consuming part was chopping the vegetables. Great choice of seasoning, I loved the flavour. This has been my lunch for three days straight.
Awesome Lebo!
Hi Sylvia… I’m new to your blog and loving it. Can you tell me if the nutritional information is based on a two-cup serving?
I think it is more like 1 1/2 cups Rikki, with Turkey bacon.
This is a recipe I had reservations about trying, but it has become my most loved soup recipe. Full of flavor and so healthy! When I make soup for a sick friend or family member, this is my go-to. Everyone always raves and asks for the recipe. It is definitely 10x more flavorful the next day! I never add meat and sometimes add potatoes. Thank you for such a great recipe!!!
Thanks Shauna- glad you are enjoying this.
I’ve made this recipe three weeks in a row now and we can’t stop eating it! It is truly delicious. I followed the recipe as-is, using the pancetta and Parmesan rind and the flavour is divine. The lemon/garlic/rosemary oil is a must have finisher.
Thank you for all of your wonderful recipies. The flavours are always fantastic. I’m trying the instant pot split pea with Harissa next!
Thanks Jan~!
Excellent recipe! I used Chard, Celery Root, about 1/2 of one (because that is all I had.) I did not want to open a new bottle of white wine for the “splash” but definitely think it would add and will next time. Lastly, I used FYH Parmesan, (2 Tbls), which worked well. Thank you for all of your recipes which are easy to veganize. You have now become my go to for so many recipes!
thanks so much Stacy! Appreciate this!
Sylvia, this was DELICIOUS. I made it, enjoyed it, and immediately sent the link to about 5 people. As promised, it was very quick to put together and kept great overnight. The leftovers were totally tasty. No doubt that this one will join your vegan chili on our Frequent Supper list 🙂
Wonderful Kat! Thanks so much for sharing!
My Ribollita is on the stove simmering and with just one taste I already love it! I used pancetta and added parmesan rind for depth. The beautiful and tasty Rosemary Lemon Garlic oil for drizzling is a rich addition and perfect comfort food for a chilly day.
So glad you enjoyed this Christine!
My Ribollita is on the stove simmering and with just one taste I already love it! I used pancetta and added parmesan rind for depth. Perfect comfort food for a chilly day.
Yay Christine!