TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
RibollitaTuscan Ribollita
True to its name, reboiled, this dish evolved from farmers reheating yesterday's minestrone. Cavolo nero, white beans and Tuscan bread merge into a dense, substantial soup. The value of authentic cooking lies in technique, not the status of its ingredients.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
Authenticity Score
This is the standard recipe, exactly as it’s made where it comes from — the highest Authenticity Score possible. Substituting ingredients changes this score; the app shows exactly how, ingredient by ingredient.
Ingredients (6 servings)
- Cannellini beansMash half into a purée to thicken the soup.400 g
- Cavolo nero (Tuscan kale)Remove stems and tear roughly.300 g
- Savoy cabbage200 g
- Stale Tuscan bread (salt-free)Unsalted bread is traditional. Slice and submerge in the soup.200 g
- OnionFinely chopped1 piece
- CarrotFinely chopped1 piece
- CeleryFinely chopped2 stalks
- GarlicFinely chopped2 cloves
- Canned peeled tomatoes400 g
- Extra virgin olive oilDrizzle generously over at the end.80 ml
Method
Chop the soffritto
- 1 Finely chop 1 onion.
- 2 Finely chop 1 carrot.
- 3 Finely chop 2 celery stalks.
- 4 Finely chop 2 garlic cloves.
Ready when
All the vegetables are finely chopped.
Cook the soffritto
- 1 Heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a large pot.
- 2 Cook the soffritto, a slowly sautéed base of chopped aromatics, over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Ready when
The onion is translucent and soft.
Caution
Take care not to scorch it.
Add and simmer the vegetables
- 1 Add 400 g whole tomatoes, 300 g cavolo nero and 200 g Savoy cabbage, and mix.
- 2 Add 1.5 L water and simmer over medium heat for 40 minutes.
Ready when
After 40 minutes the cabbage is tender.
Add beans and continue simmering
- 1 Mash half the cannellini beans, 200 g, into a purée with a wooden spoon.
- 2 Add to the soup with the remaining 200 g and simmer for another 20 minutes.
Ready when
After 20 minutes the soup has thickened.
Submerge bread and rest
- 1 Layer 200 g sliced Tuscan bread across the soup and submerge it.
- 2 Cover and rest for at least 30 minutes.
Ready when
The bread has fully dissolved into the soup, making it thick.
Caution
Rest for at least 30 minutes to dissolve the bread completely.
Reheat the following day and serve
- 1 Reheat over low heat the following day.
- 2 Ladle into bowls and drizzle generously with olive oil.
Ready when
It is ready when hot throughout, with a sheen of olive oil on the surface.
About this dish
Ribollita takes its name from ribollire, to boil again. Born by reheating yesterday's soup the next day, it shows Tuscan farmers' wisdom becoming a principle of cooking. Simmering stale bread with vegetable soup dissolves the bread into body and concentrates the vegetables' savor.
Cavolo nero, black cabbage, is indispensable. Harvested after frost, its starch turns to sugar through exposure to low temperatures, creating a distinctive sweetness. This dish makes the most of a transformation tasted in the Tuscan winter.
Better the next day than freshly made: that is evidence of ingredients coming together over time. Ribollita teaches us to design cooking along a timeline.
Bring the full course home next weekend.
Bring every dish to the table at its best.
Choose the dishes you want to cook, and Chef Authen handles the shopping list and the day-of schedule. The Tabelia app turns everything from starter to main into one coordinated course in your kitchen.
- One shopping listBuilt automatically from your menu and any substitutions, ready to check off.
- One timelineEvery dish’s waiting and cooking time combined into a single schedule.
- Answers beyond the recipeFrom judging the heat to adapting on the fly, Chef Authen answers with concrete criteria, not guesses.