Tuscan Soup [White Bean Ribollita]

This filling Tuscan White Bean Soup is packed with vegetables and flavor for a fun twist on a classic italian Ribolitta recipe. It’s gluten-free and vegan and made in one-pot for easy prep and clean-up.

I love making a giant pot of soup in the fall and winter time. Since it’s just C and I in our household, one pot of soup will last multiple days! I’m all about cooking once and enjoying leftovers and soup is the perfect way to do that. Plus the flavors only seem to get better the longer it sits.

This is an oldie but a goodie recipe from THM that I have made more times than I can count. In fact I really don’t follow the recipe anymore. I just eyeball it because soups are always so forgiving. But as I was whipping it up a few days ago I remembered that the original blog post (published in 2013!) had some pretty sad pictures. It was time for an upgrade. So here we are. Same recipe…better pictures! Hope you enjoy.

What is Tuscan Soup aka Ribollita?

Tuscan soup is a traditional Italian soup that is packed with vegetables. My version has all of these delicious ingredients:

• Vegetables – yellow onion, garlic cloves, kale and tomatoes.
• Herbs & Spices – fresh rosemary + basil, salt and pepper
• White beans – both cannellini beans and Northern white beans work great! You can use canned beans or cook your own before adding to the soup.
• Vegetable stock (any stock will work)
• Red wine vinegar
• Olive oil

Cooking Dried Beans

If you’ve never cooked your own beans, don’t be intimidated! I like to cook my beans in the slow-cooker. Start by rinsing and then soaking them for 2 hours. Then leave them covered by an inch of water on low in the slow-cooker overnight (8-12 hours). Rinse and use in any recipe you choose. When in doubt, follow package directions or use canned beans. No shame in taking that short cut! 

The Kitchn also has a great tutorial for cooking your beans without a slow cooker!

Serving Suggestions + Adjustments

This soup is actually really hearty on its own but if you are serving it at a dinner party or want to add sides, there are a few options that I love to pair with it. Traditionally, it is served with Tuscan bread which is what I recommend! I love a piece of hearty bread with soup. For a lighter option, you can serve it with a side salad – panzanella would be delicious! If you want more protein, you could also serve it with grilled chicken. 

Some changes you can make to this recipe: Traditionally ribollita or tuscan soup has bread chunks in the recipe. While absolutely delicious I prefer my bread on the side for dipping. Feel free to add a handful of slightly stale bread cubes to the recipe right at the end for a more traditional recipe.

To up the protein: Add in slices of precooked Italian chicken sausage. Sometimes I do this since C is more of a meat eater than I am 😉

Can you freeze tuscan soup?

Absolutely this recipe makes a big batch so if you’re eating for one or want to make your soup last longer you can definitely freeze it. Just allow the soup to cool before freezing and then place in airtight containers leaving an inch along the top for the soup to expand. To defrost: remove from the freezer the night before or allow to warm-up slightly and then remove soup from container and heat up fully on the stove-top.

Tuscan Soup [White Bean Ribollita]

• Author: Davida Lederle
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 6 bowls 1x

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1–2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped (or 2 tbsp dried)
• 1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
• optional: 3 fresh tomatoes, chopped*
• 2 cans of cannellini (white) beans, rinsed and drained
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 bunch of basil, chopped
• 4 stocks of lacinato (tuscan) kale, stemmed and chopped

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large stock or soup pot. Add onions and garlic and sauté for 5 mins or until onions are translucent.

2. Add rosemary and cook for another 2 mins.

3. Add in canned diced tomatoes, fresh tomatoes (if using) and vegetable stock and bring to a boil.

4. Once boiling put heat on low and add beans. Let simmer for 30 mins.

5. Add in vinegar kale and basil.

7. Serve immediately or store in fridge or freezer.

*I like the added tomato flavor from fresh tomatoes but this is entirely optional. Canned diced tomatoes work perfectly fine.

Like this recipe? Here are a few others you might enjoy: