Tuscan Soup

This Tuscan bean soup is inspired by a traditional Tuscan recipe called "Ribollita," made with plenty of leafy greens and white beans.

In our version of this Italian bean soup, we try to stay as true to the original Tuscan recipe as possible.

However, we simplify some steps, remove some ingredients such as stale bread, and shorten the cooking time to make the recipe more modern, lighter, and easier to prepare.

But the essence of the soup remains the same: this is a rustic white bean soup that is earthy, creamy, flavourful, and nutritious.

You can make it from scratch in less than 45 minutes and store it in the refrigerator for several days.

We use kale, chard, and savoy cabbage as leafy greens but feel free to use your favorite green leafy vegetables. Great options are spinach, bok choy, mustard greens, and collard greens.

Note: this is not Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden. It does not contain potatoes, heavy cream, bacon, or Italian sausage.

Celery, carrot, onion, and leek

We use coarsely chopped celery, carrot, onion, and leek to make a flavor base called "soffritto" in Italian to build flavor for the soup.

You can use white, yellow, or red onion interchangeably. In addition, you can substitute shallots for the leek. What's essential is frying the chopped veggies gently with extra virgin olive oil.

Tomato paste

Tomato paste adds umami, a pleasant savory taste, and color to this Tuscan soup.

Aromatics

Fresh thyme would be the most authentic. That's the herb used in Tuscany for this soup. We also add a couple of garlic cloves.

If you can't find thyme, you can use a sprig of rosemary, a couple of bay leaves, or some sage leaves.

If you like some heat, add ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes.

Kale, Chard, and Cabbage

These are the three leafy green vegetables used in traditional white bean soup.

However, you can change them up with your favorite leafy greens. You can also use just one or two leafy greens. What's important is that the total quantity of greens stays the same.

• Lacinato kale, also known as cavolo nero or Tuscan kale, would be best for this Tuscan bean soup.
  
  If you can't find Lacinato kale, go for the kale you can find in your local supermarket, which will most probably be curly kale.
  
• Chard is perfect in this soup thanks to its buttery texture and flavor. If you can't find chard, you can replace it with Bok Choy.
  
• You can replace savoy cabbage with Chinese Cabbage.

Vegetable stock

You can use either vegetable stock or chicken broth. Using vegetable stock is a simple and pain-free way to reduce meat consumption if you are interested.

White beans

Use cannellini beans or other white beans, such as navy beans or great northern beans. We make this with canned beans for a quicker cooking time.

If you want to cook dry beans yourself, soak for 8 hours in cold water, then change the water and boil them until tender (about 1 hour).

The white beans give this white bean soup recipe a creamy texture. We blend one cup of the beans before adding them to the soup to have a velvety and creamy consistency.

Bread and Parmesan

The best way to serve this white bean soup is with crusty bread, like ciabatta or a rustic loaf.

Slice the bread into thick slices, then toast it or grill it, brush it with garlic, and drizzle with good quality extra virgin olive oil.

You can also add a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese. However, omit the parmesan for dairy-free, and you are good to go, as there's no cream or butter.

To make this soup gluten-free, use gluten-free bread.

Make the flavor base

In a very large dutch oven or pot, gently fry chopped carrots, onion, celery, and leek in olive oil for about 5 minutes, stirring often.

Tip: don't chop the vegetable too finely.

Add the tomato paste, grated garlic, red pepper flakes (optional), and 1 cup of vegetable broth.

Gently simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the greens

While the flavor base cooks, you can rinse and chop the greens.

Add chopped kale, savoy cabbage, and chard to the pot. Add 2 cups of vegetable broth and season with salt and black pepper.

Stir and simmer, covered, on medium heat for 10 minutes.

Add the beans

In a separate bowl, blend 1 cup of white beans and 1 cup of vegetable broth with an immersion blender.

Alternatively, blend in a regular blender.

Pour the blended beans and the rest of the white beans into the pot with the veggies. Stir and keep simmering for another 10 to 20 minutes, uncovered.

The longer you simmer, the creamier, tastier, and thicker it gets.

Note: blending the beans is a traditional Italian technique for making the soup creamy without using dairy.

When you've reached your desired consistency, taste and adjust for salt, turn the heat off and, if you have time, let the soup sit for 10 minutes before serving it to allow the flavors to meld.

Our favorite way of serving white bean soup is with a thick slice of rustic crusty bread, toasted or grilled and brushed with garlic, sprinkled with a pinch of salt, and drizzled with good quality extra virgin olive oil. A sprinkle of grated parmesan is also excellent.

As an alternative to crusty bread, you can serve it with:

• No-knead focaccia that you can use to sop up the tasty juices.
• 10-minute crostini made in the oven with guaranteed crunch!
• Italian bruschetta with eggplant or tomato.

Make it guest-friendly: and serve it with different toppings. For example:

• Homemade croutons
• Vegan parmesan
• Easy air fryer croutons

Refrigerator: you can make a big batch of this white bean soup in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The next day the soup will be even more delicious! Reheat it in a pot with water or microwave for 2 minutes.

Freezer: let the Tuscan soup cool down completely, then transfer it to a freezer-friendly container for up to three months. Then, thaw it in the microwave or on the stovetop. Do not freeze multiple times.

Questions

Beans, chickpeas, and lentils are some of our favorite foods! If you're hungry for more legume recipes, have a look at these easy meals:

• Lentil bolognese with a rich and earthy sauce, a restaurant-worthy pasta!
• Easy lentil curry: a dinner favorite of our readers and easy to make in about 30 minutes
• Italian bean stew with rich tomato sauce and beans, perfect with focaccia bread
• White bean dip: a hummus recipe but with beans and an easy appetizer idea

More Soup Recipes

If you're big on soups like we are, take a look at these selected soup recipes. They are all easy and delicious!

• Zucchini soup is a light, easy, and tasty recipe served with homemade croutons.
• Eggplant soup with crispy air fryer chickpeas.
• Tofu soup with seasonal veggies and Asian flavors.
• Butternut squash soup with an easy bake-and-blend technique.
• Lentil soup is a super tasty Italian-inspired recipe.

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